The voluntary resolution agreement codifies commitments Brown has repeatedly affirmed to protect all members of our community from harassment and discrimination. The agreement states that "Brown is committed to taking significant, proactive, effective steps to combat antisemitism and ensure a campus environment free from harassment and discrimination." 

Extending long before the federal review of Brown's compliance with the law, the Brown community already embraced a wide range of proactive and concrete measures to combat antisemitism and ensure that all members of our community have equal opportunities to enjoy the educational experience at Brown. A robust set of enhancements to policies, training and resources were based on the best-practice recommendations of an external Title VI compliance review that Brown proactively commissioned in December 2023 and January 2024. 

The July 2025 resolution agreement closes three government reviews: two federal agency reviews of the University's compliance with laws prohibiting discrimination in undergraduate admissions and a third, separate review of all Brown departments and programs for compliance with the prohibition against shared ancestry discrimination. The agreement also addresses compliance with Title IX and the use of "male" and "female" designations for athletics, housing, and intimate facilities, and gender-affirming care for minors. Please visit the “Federal Agreement FAQs: Brown’s Sex and Gender Policies and Gender-Affirming Care” webpage to learn what Brown has agreed to related to the agreement’s provisions regarding sex, gender and gender affirming care.

At no time has Brown been informed of any finding that the University violated any law. Brown’s commitment to comply with all nondiscrimination obligations remains unchanged. Indeed, the agreement states that “Brown expressly denies liability regarding the United States’ allegations or findings.”

Thus, the agreement’s references to Title VI, Title XI and Section 1557 reflect Brown’s continuing nondiscrimination obligations going forward, rather than any finding of fault. Title VI, Title IX and Section 1557 all relate to federal laws prohibiting discrimination in programs that receive federal money. Title VI (covering race, color and national origin) is a provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title IX (covering discrimination and harassment on the basis of sex) was passed as part of the Higher Education Amendments Act of 1972. Section 1557 (covering discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, and disability) is part of the Affordable Care Act, preventing discrimination in health programs and activities funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which encompasses Brown’s medical school, public health school and our life sciences research and education that receive federal funds.

The agreement reflects Brown’s long-standing commitment to comply with these laws, while also including a voluntary resolution that closes three open federal reviews of Brown’s compliance related to these laws. Even as there was no finding of wrongdoing against Brown, the University affirmed its commitment to follow the law in keeping with our belief that doing so is fully intertwined with Brown’s commitment to sustain an academic environment that prizes intellectual openness and diversity. We dedicate ourselves to ensuring an environment that is free of all forms of harassment and discrimination, because in doing so, we cultivate the conditions necessary for fulfilling our mission of education and research.

No. The agreement does not limit Brown’s commitments or obligations to ensure that all members of our community can thrive and participate fully in the life of the University. Accordingly, Brown’s extensive efforts to confront all forms of discrimination and harassment prohibited by our policies and law, and to educate our campus, include addressing antisemitism and anti-Israeli discrimination, while also addressing Islamophobia, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian discrimination, all forms of racism, sexism, anti-LGBTQ harassment, and other forms of discrimination. 

No. Our commitment to openness and cultivating a community of individuals with the full range of backgrounds, perspectives, ideas and experiences is deep and enduring and remains unchanged. The agreement’s focus on antisemitism simply corresponds to the focus of the government’s compliance reviews. Regardless, Brown remains dedicated to ensuring that all members of our community can thrive and participate fully in the life of the University, including students, faculty, staff and alumni from historically underrepresented groups. 

The resolution agreement commits Brown to engage an external firm to conduct a survey of campus climate and a social media harassment study that will, among other topics, collect information on the climate for students with shared Jewish ancestry. This aligns with planning by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to assess overall campus climate for individuals of every race, color or national origin, and builds on campus climate surveys we have conducted in the past. Like our previous climate surveys, the next survey will be administered to all students, faculty and staff. 

Course evaluations will continue to be reviewed at the department or program level. Academic department chairs or their designees continue to review course feedback to improve the curriculum, support teaching improvement, and nominate instructors for Brown teaching awards. This remains unchanged. The instructions for Brown’s course feedback form (available on the website for the College) clearly indicate that it is not intended as a tool to report misconduct, and the instructions direct students to use dedicated reporting tools for that purpose. However, reflecting the strength of Brown’s commitment to preventing and remedying discrimination and harassment, if an evaluation includes a potential report of harassment or discrimination based on a protected class, the report must be promptly referred to the Office of Equity Compliance and Reporting (OECR). Likewise, comments that could be discriminatory or harassing toward the instructor are also reported to OECR. Additional information is available on the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning Website, and the University will update other academic program webpages and resources (those that offer guidance on course evaluations) as needed to align with these instructions. 

Importantly, neither course evaluations nor the reporting of discrimination or harassment is intended to inhibit or restrict free expression or exchange of ideas. The University has a strong commitment to academic freedom and freedom of expression. Unless speech or expression rises to the level of discrimination or harassment (see the question below), it is not subject to discipline and is protected by the University’s statement on academic freedom and freedom of expression. 

All reports of discrimination and harassment — including but not limited to those related to antisemitism — are addressed as described in other responses to questions provided on this webpage. The data Brown is obligated to report to the federal government is limited in scope to reports of national origin discrimination, including shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics, and omits any information that would identify any individual. 

The agreement does not change the definitions of discrimination or harassment at Brown and does not alter how Brown reviews, evaluates and responds to reports of protected class discrimination or harassment. Likewise, the agreement does not alter, establish or create new protected classes or interpretations of protected classes. 

At Brown, definitions of discrimination and harassment are provided in the University’s Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy and have not changed with the federal agreement. As per the policy, discrimination means unequal treatment of someone because of their protected class category. Discrimination is a violation of Brown’s policy when it results in an adverse action or negatively impacts the terms and conditions of an individual’s employment, education, or denies or limits participation in programs, services or activities. 

Harassment under Brown’s policy is unwelcome conduct that, based on the totality of the circumstances, is subjectively and objectively offensive and is so severe or pervasive that it limits or denies a person’s ability to participate in or benefit from the University’s education program or activity. Harassing acts need not be targeted at the complainant to create a hostile environment. Conduct may be directed at anyone, and may be based on an individual’s association with others who are a member of a protected class. 

Brown’s policy prohibits discrimination or harassment that is based on actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national or ethnic origin, including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics or citizenship or residency in a country with a dominant religion or distinct religious identity, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law or University policy (please read the full definition in Brown’s policy). Brown’s agreement with the federal government does not establish a definition of antisemitism, racism, sexism, ageism or any other form of prejudice or stereotyping related to a protected class. 

There are no changes in how reports are made to or handled by the Office of Equity and Compliance Reporting. Information about how to make reports can be found on OECR’s Report an Incident page, and the process is described on the Reporting and Complaint Resolution Process page.

No. The data Brown is obligated to report to the federal government is limited in scope to reports of national origin discrimination, including shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics. The agreement outlines that we share de-identified information related to people making or participating in reports or complaints, meaning that the names of reporting and accused parties, email addresses, Brown ID numbers or other identifiable information are not included. The categories of data we will report are consistent with a previous voluntary resolution agreement that has been in place since July 2024. 

The required information includes the following: 

• Report number;
• Report method;
• Office reported to;
• Office taking lead;
• Date of incident;
• Date reported;
• Location;
• Reporting party (status as a student, faculty or staff member, etc. but with no names);
• Accused party (status as a student, faculty or staff member, etc. but with no names);
• Summary of allegations;
• University response;
• Supportive, interim, and remedial measures;
• Formal resolution process status;
• Rationale (if investigation not commenced/completed);
• Steps taken to eliminate and/or prevent recurrence of any possible hostile environment;
• Staff (names and titles of Brown employees) who received and processed complaint/report.

These categories of information are consistent with those Brown was already required to provide as part of the July 2024 Voluntary Resolution Agreement with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. As in that Voluntary Resolution Agreement, Brown remains obligated to provide the complete investigative files, including all related records, to the government upon request, subject to any requirements of FERPA or other privacy or confidentiality laws. However, Brown is not obligated to provide complete investigative files unless specifically requested, and any information provided in response to a specific request will comply with all applicable privacy restrictions.

There are some employees who are specifically identified in Brown’s Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy who have a duty to promptly report alleged incidents of discrimination or harassment. These employees are: 

• All employees designated as managers or supervisors in a management position.
• Vice Presidents
• Deans
• Department Chairs
• Staff working in the Division of Campus Life, University Human Resources, and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Regardless, Brown encourages all members of the community to report incidents of discrimination or harassment. This allows the University to appropriately respond to both individual experiences and prevent or remedy the development of a hostile environment. If any community member is not sure if they have a duty to report or would like guidance, they should contact the Office of Equity Compliance and Reporting at equity_reporting@brown.edu. 

No. All reports of discrimination or harassment, regardless of the form alleged, are reviewed and addressed in the same manner. While the focus expressed by the federal government in various provisions of the resolution agreement is antisemitism, this does not reflect the entirety of Brown’s commitment to ensuring that all members of our community experience an environment free from discrimination or harassment, regardless of the protected class affected by the reported incident. 

Brown has a long-standing commitment to sustaining a diverse and inclusive campus community, following the law, and maintaining our values centered on cultivating a community equipped with the diverse perspectives, ideas and experiences necessary to confront and solve the most complex challenges of the 21st century. These commitments remain unchanged.

In the agreement, we pledged that our programs will not “promote unlawful DEI goals." While “unlawful DEI” is not defined in the agreement, the agreement prohibits “unlawful efforts to achieve race-based outcomes, quotas, diversity targets, or similar efforts,” along with “any provision of benefits or advantages to individuals on the basis of protected characteristics.” Aligned with these provisions, Brown remains committed to ensuring that all Brown academic and administrative units follow anti-harassment policies and nondiscrimination laws, including Title VI and Title IX, even as we also remain committed to diversity and inclusion as necessary for academic excellence.

Brown has consistently followed existing laws that require all groups and programs to be open to everyone, including affinity centers and groups. Our commitment to ensuring equal access to all programs and activities is reflected in Section 3.3 of the University’s Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy, which predates the federal agreement and is not altered by the agreement. We are committed to ensuring that affinity centers and affinity groups remain open to all individuals in the related constituency – students, staff, alumni, faculty – and are advertised and promoted accordingly in compliance with the law. Affinity centers and groups across Brown build community based on shared interests or experiences, rather than the identity of the individuals participating.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) continues to serve as a critical resource in support of Brown’s efforts to foster a strong academic community, and that remains unchanged. The office continues to lead initiatives to help all faculty, students and staff thrive, feel welcome, and participate fully in the life of the University. This is part of Brown’s longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion as central to enabling Brown to fulfill its academic mission to advance knowledge and understanding.

While the 10-year life cycle of Pathways to Diversity and Inclusion: An Action Plan for Brown (known as the Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, or DIAP) is coming to a close, there is broad recognition across our community that there is still work to be done to ensure that Brown is open and accessible to all. The DIAP was a key part of a fundamental transformation of Brown, grounding our academic work and research in a diversity of perspectives, ideas and experiences. However, we need to do better in making sure we extend welcome and belonging to each and every member of our campus community. 

In the 2025-2026 academic year, ODI will lead a broader conversation across campus about the meaning and significance of diversity and inclusion for our teaching and learning community. We expect deep exploration of a new vision for realizing the goals of diversity and inclusion as drivers of our academic mission at Brown.