The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced today that Brown University in Rhode Island has entered into a resolution agreement to ensure compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 concerning alleged harassment of students based on national origin, including shared Jewish, Palestinian, Arab, and/or Muslim ancestry. The complaint was filed against the university in December 2023 alleging Title VI violations.
OCR’s investigation confirmed that the university has taken proactive steps to support a nondiscriminatory campus environment. These measures included updating relevant policies and procedures in February 2024, providing Title VI training specifically addressing shared ancestry discrimination to university investigators in January 2024, and organizing workshops on combating antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate for students and staff in February and March 2024. However, OCR identified concerns regarding the effectiveness of the university’s response to notices of alleged shared ancestry discrimination that could contribute to or create a hostile environment for students.
Today, OCR announced that the university has signed a resolution agreement ensuring its compliance with Title VI's requirement of nondiscrimination based on shared ancestry. From October 2023 through late March 2024, the university received approximately 75 reports of alleged antisemitic, anti-Palestinian, and anti-Muslim harassment against students. The reports included serious allegations such as a student being called “Zionist pig Jew” due to their Star of David jewelry, a Palestinian-American student being berated by their roommate about their identity for weeks, and Jewish classmates being blocked from attending a pro-Palestinian rally.
OCR’s review suggested that Brown University may have conditioned fuller responses to harassment on complainants replying to outreach emails from the university. This practice misapplies applicable law; once notified of alleged discrimination, universities have an obligation under Title IV to assess whether a hostile learning environment exists independently of complainant responses. Additionally, OCR noted inconsistencies among various university entities responding to these reports.
During the investigation, Brown University revised its practices around key priorities aimed at addressing campus climate issues characterized by anxiety, tension, and fear. These priorities include protecting community safety—especially for those impacted by current events—fostering respectful environments free from discrimination and harassment, providing care and empathy to affected community members, and taking strong stances against all forms of discrimination.
The resolution agreement terms include further revising policies and procedures for consistent compliance with Title VI across all university offices; conducting annual training on nondiscrimination and harassment; maintaining records related to complaints or reports under Title VI; reviewing responses to complaints during academic years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 with remedial actions if required; analyzing results from climate surveys or reviews focused on shared ancestry discrimination; and creating action plans accordingly.
“I commend Brown University for assessing its own campus climate and undertaking responsive reforms to comply with Title VI,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon. “OCR looks forward to working with the university to ensure a nondiscriminatory learning environment for its Jewish, Muslim, Israeli, Palestinian students and students of all other backgrounds.” The letter to Brown University along with the resolution agreement is available on the OCR website.
