The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced Monday that it has reached an agreement with Brown University to ensure that the school complies with federal laws prohibiting discrimination and harassment against students of Jewish, Palestinian, Arab and Muslim descent.
According to the department, a complaint was filed against the university in December.
Brown officials said the school has voluntarily agreed to “clarify and enhance existing policies and procedures regarding the resolution of complaints of discrimination and harassment, including those relating to anti-Semitism.”
The university denied that it violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in its handling of the issues raised in a complaint filed by the editor of an online media outlet that had no connection to Brown and no presence on campus, the university said.
As part of the resolution, Brown agreed to continue providing nondiscrimination training to members of the campus community.
The Office for Civil Rights investigation confirmed that the university has taken notable steps to create a nondiscriminatory campus environment, including hosting workshops for students and staff on combating anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred.
The investigation found that between October 2023 and the end of March 2024, the school received approximately 75 reports of alleged anti-Semitic, anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim harassment of students. However, little to no action was taken beyond acknowledging receipt of the reports, citing supporting sources and requesting a meeting with the complainants.
These reports included allegations that students pointed at a Jewish classmate’s Star of David and shouted “Zionist Jewish pig”; that a Palestinian-American student’s roommate berated them about their Palestinian-American identity; and that students stopped a Jewish classmate from attending a pro-Palestinian rally.
During the investigation, the university revised its practices to focus on protecting the safety of the community, particularly the needs and safety of its students, faculty and staff who are Israeli, Palestinian, Muslim or Jewish, have ties to the region and feel impacted by current events.
“I commend Brown University for assessing the climate on its own campus and implementing reforms to comply with Title VI, in addition to the provisions it agreed to undertake today in response to OCR’s investigation,” said Catherine Lhamon, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.
Brown officials said many of the required actions outlined in the agreement had already been completed by the school.
In some cases, the school agreed to further improve and clarify its existing policies and procedures. In other cases, Brown agreed to expand previously announced efforts, such as broadening the scope of its nondiscrimination and harassment training, school officials said.
“The university is pleased that the voluntary resolution with OCR enforces and reaffirms Brown’s commitment to strengthening our policies, systems and operations to ensure a campus environment where students, faculty and staff are safe and supported,” said Russell Carey, executive vice president for planning and policy and interim vice president for campus life.
