As Brown prepares to close this academic year and welcome new students in the fall, the Division of Campus Life and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion have collaborated with partners in areas across campus to establish a new initiative to improve coordination for ensuring a strong campus climate, free from discrimination and harassment. We are writing to share details about this important effort, in addition to making members of the community aware of recent updates to the Corporation Policy Statement on Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination.

Beginning this summer, a new Campus Climate Response Team (CCRT) will play an important role in building a shared understanding of Brown’s values and its culture of caring, for which we are all responsible. Co-chaired by senior members of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) and the Office of Equity Compliance and Reporting (OECR), the CCRT has two primary goals. First, in its review of campus climate, the CCRT will ensure that all new reports of potential violations of Brown’s policies prohibiting protected class discrimination and harassment are promptly and first routed to OECR for appropriate action, regardless of their source. Second, the CCRT is responsible for monitoring and assessing campus climate and developing, coordinating and implementing strategies, interventions, training, and education to address, as needed, campus climate challenges and concerns.

The formation of the CCRT comes at a time of deep political and social divisions nationwide that have reverberated across college and university campuses. The Brown community has responded to this challenging moment in many respects with a clear resolve and commitment to supporting each other. However, there is still important work for students, faculty and staff to do as we dedicate ourselves to learning from and living together across difference, and standing up against all forms of bigotry, hate, harassment and discrimination based on a protected class.  

The CCRT will focus on addressing any disruptions in the campus climate that prevent constructive dialogue, that inhibit our treatment of classmates and colleagues with “respect and dignity,” and that restrict the regular functions of the campus. We define campus climate as the system of cultural meanings, social norms, and shared experiences that bind together the campus, and a positive climate is one that ensures the proper functioning of a diverse and inclusive campus community that includes all students and employees. The CCRT will focus on identifying broader patterns — bigger than a single data point or case or two — that reveal, in the aggregate, areas of increasing or persistent community concern or agitation. 

Members of the CCRT will be drawn from offices regularly engaged in these matters, including University Human Resources, the Office of the Provost, and the Department of Public Safety. The team members will provide subject matter expertise as needed in the assessment of reports and/or complaints, meeting on a regular basis to review and assess de-identified information regarding campus climate to carry out their responsibilities. We look forward to the positive impact this team will have in the coming year and beyond.

Update to Policy Statement

The Corporation of Brown University recently approved two revisions to the Corporation Policy Statement on Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination that were recommended by the administration. First, the statement was updated to make clear that the University maintains certain affirmative action programs in compliance with applicable law. Second, the category of “caste” was removed to align with the protected categories defined in applicable law and to recognize that such discrimination is already covered under existing prohibitions against protected class discrimination and harassment in our policies (and therefore our community members continue to have access to those protections). 

The changes are part of ongoing efforts to ensure the University's policies and statements are up to date, compliant with law and regulations, and best positioned to support the work of the campus. Throughout this academic year, we have been committed to sharing information with the campus regarding University values, policies and standards on a range of issues that are vital to safeguard our mission and ensure that members of our community feel safe and supported as they live, work and study at Brown. These have included important details of the University’s nondiscrimination and anti-harassment policies; additional guidance on complying with those policies; and the recently launched mandatory training module, "Understanding Brown’s Policies on Discrimination and Harassment,” which all faculty, students and staff are required to complete by early May. For those who may not have yet completed this training, please be aware that it takes less than 30 minutes to watch. Apart from being a crucial compliance requirement, this training is central to our collective success as a community, so please complete the training before the deadlines of May 6 for students and May 9 for employees.

The required training, as well as other initiatives and programming being led by staff from both of our offices and across the University, have focused on four major priorities established by President Paxson last year: (1) protecting the safety of the Brown community, including supporting the needs and safety of students, faculty, and staff who are Israeli, Jewish, Palestinian, and/or Muslim, and/or who are feeling impacted by the ongoing violence in the Middle East; (2) fostering welcoming, open, and respectful learning and living environments free of discrimination and harassment; (3) providing care, empathy, and support to affected members of the Brown community; and (4) taking the strongest possible stance against any and all forms of discrimination and harassment. These priorities reflect long-standing campus commitments.

Please take time to review our online resources for understanding and reporting discrimination and harassment. We wish to remind you that the University Code of Conduct instructs that “each community member must treat other community members fairly and with respect and dignity,” and that “the University will not tolerate any instance of bullying behavior, or retaliation of any kind.” We take this very seriously. 

In Closing

As we reflect on the growth and community we have experienced this past year, we and many other administrative leaders are looking forward to the fall. Planning and preparation for orientation programs, workshops, training and more are well underway. Our efforts are focused on building a sense of community around University values, policies and standards on a range of issues that are vital to safeguard our mission and ensure that all who live, work and study at Brown feel safe and supported. 

We wish all members of the community a successful end to the academic year and a productive and reinvigorating summer. As this academic year draws to a close, we want to express our gratitude and respect for the manner in which faculty, students and staff have sustained Brown as a community this year. Thank you for all that you do for each other and for Brown.

Sincerely,

Russell C. Carey, Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy, Interim Vice President for Campus Life

Matthew Guterl, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion