Brown University reaches agreement with Department of Education after Title VI complaint: Here's what it includes
The Department of Education reached an agreement with Brown University after Campus Reform Editor-in-Chief Dr. Zachary Marschall filed a Title VI complaint into the institution.
The Department of Education reached an agreement with Brown University after Campus Reform Editor-in-Chief Dr. Zachary Marschall filed a Title VI complaint into the institution.
The Department of Education Office for Civil Rights opened the Title VI investigation into Brown University in early January after Marschall’s complaint alleged that “pro-Israel students are targeted and threatened on campus.”
Marschall’s original complaint cited Brown University’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine’s statement on Oct. 10, which said that “the Israeli regime and its allies unequivocally responsible for all suffering and loss of life, Palestinian or Israeli. While all loss of life deserves to be mourned, we cannot stand by as the root cause of this violence is not only ignored but strengthened: Israel’s settler-colonial regime of apartheid and military occupation and its brutal 16-year blockade of Gaza.”
According to the agreement reached by Brown University and the Department of Education on Monday, the Ivy League institution agreed to the following:
- Continue nondiscrimination training for campus community members
- Conduct annual nondiscrimination training for all employees and students in the 2024-2025 academic year.
- Update its nondiscrimination policy to include how investigations will be conducted.
From October 2023 through March 2024, the university received 75 reports of discrimination tied to “shared Jewish ancestry and shared Palestinian, Arab, and/or Muslim ancestry.”
For example, in October 2024, a Jewish student reported to the university that a classmate looked at his Star of David necklace, held the necklace, then pushed the Jewish student. The university determined that there wasn’t enough evidence to take action.
Another incident took place in Nov. 2023 when a Jewish student reported being called a “Zionist Jew Pig” for wearing a Star of David necklace in class.
A Jewish student also reported that members of the university’s Students for Justice in Palestine group blocked them from going to an anti-Israel rally.
In a majority of these cases, little to no action was taken by Brown University. The university agreed to revise its investigation practices surrounding community members who are Israeli, Jewish, Palestinian, or Muslim.
Russell C. Carey, executive vice president for planning and policy, and interim vice president for campus life, said: “The University is satisfied 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.”
