UW enters federal agreement to improve response to discrimination claims

The University of Washington has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education to improve how it responds to discrimination complaints.

The agreement, announced Wednesday, marks the end of a yearlong federal investigation of claims the university failed to adequately respond to incidents of harassment as required by Title VI, which bans discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally-funded programs like public universities.

Catherine Lhamon, assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, said she's seen a huge increase in these kinds of complaints at schools across the nation since the Israel-Hamas War started.

"That's an issue that we have long addressed over decades," Lhamon said, "but we have not seen the quantum of harm reported in schools and the volume of complaints on the topic that we have seen come in in the last year and a half.”

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Lhamon's agency reviewed about 140 bias reports at the UW during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years, including incidents of antisemitic and anti-Arab harassment, as well as antisemitic graffiti on campus.

While the university took several steps to address those incidents — including the creation of task forces on antisemitism and Islamophobia and blog posts condemning hate speech and vandalism — the investigation found the university "generally declined to take responsive action" — even when a person reported feeling threatened, unsafe, or targeted.

"Of particular concern, the university received quite a few reports of quite ugly harassment for students, then sent notes back to the students, thanking them for telling their story, because it makes a record of what students' experiences are at the university," Lhamon said. "But they're not taking action."

Lhamon said she's grateful the university will change that practice as part of the agreement.

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In a news release Wednesday, university officials acknowledged gaps in their response to bias incident complaints and pledged to address the concerns going forward.

“The University of Washington is committed to the safety and well-being of all our community members — anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and discrimination of any kind have no place in our University,” UW President Ana Mari Cauce said.

“We take seriously the concerns that were raised, and we appreciate the opportunity to reach a resolution in this matter, including taking actions that will continue and strengthen our efforts to support a welcoming and safe environment for every member of the UW community.”

As part of the agreement, the university has agreed to do things like review and update all Title VI policies and procedures, provide more anti-discrimination training, and conduct a climate assessment for students and staff.

While the agreement concludes the Office for Civil Right's investigation, Lhamon said her office will continue to monitor the university's compliance and ensure that students "are fully safe and enjoy learning consistent with the congressional guarantees that they have long had."