The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the U.S. Department of Education has reached a resolution agreement with the University of Washington. This agreement aims to ensure the university's compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, particularly concerning allegations of harassment based on shared ancestry.
During its investigation, OCR reviewed documentation related to approximately 140 reports of discrimination based on shared ancestry received by the university during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 academic years. These reports included incidents involving antisemitic and anti-Arab harassment, as well as antisemitic graffiti found in campus housing and other university properties. Some specific incidents involved students experiencing threatening language and symbols such as swastikas.
OCR confirmed that the university had taken several steps to meet its obligations under Title VI. Actions included public condemnations from the university President against hate speech and vandalism, along with the creation of task forces to address antisemitism and Islamophobia within the campus community.
Despite these efforts, OCR determined that the university did not fully comply with Title VI requirements. The review found that many reports alleging shared ancestry harassment were not adequately assessed or addressed by the university to determine if they created a hostile environment for those affected.
Examples provided by OCR highlighted instances where student reports about threats or offensive messages were met with insufficient action from the university. In one case, a Jewish student reported being verbally attacked but received only a referral to a violence-prevention program without further follow-up from the institution.
In response to these findings, in November 2024, the University of Washington decided to take corrective measures aimed at addressing discrimination issues within its community. Among these actions is appointing a Title VI coordinator responsible for overseeing compliance across all levels of administration.
Additional commitments made by the university include revising policies related to discrimination based on race, color, national origin, or shared ancestry; providing employee training on handling discrimination claims; implementing responses based on feedback from task forces focused on antisemitism and Islamophobia; conducting climate assessments; and reviewing responses from previous academic years for necessary remedial actions.
"The University of Washington commits now to important revisions to its practices and to its policies to ensure that university students may learn without discrimination," stated Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon. "OCR looks forward to ongoing work with the university as it implements these crucial changes."
The full letter of resolution and details about this agreement are available on OCR's website.
