CIVIL RIGHTS OFFICE, UVM TO EXAMINE RACE RELATIONS
The review is part of a new collaborative approach the Office for Civil Rights has developed that allows local community involvement in identifying effective solutions to high-priority civil rights issues. OCR encourages broad community participation in an effort to make the process as inclusive as possible.
As part of the effort, OCR will be conducting activities to assess whether the institution is taking appropriate steps to prevent and address racial harassment on campus. The office periodically reviews institutions selected based on a variety of factors, including size of populations of color, geographic location and other information. UVM´s review was not prompted by any complaints, according to OCR.
UVM President Judith Ramaley said the university welcomes the initiative and she hopes the timing can work to the institution´s advantage.
"We have been working very hard to create an educational environment where every student, but especially students of color, can learn, live and thrive free from discrimination, prejudice or harassment," Ramaley said. "We have been raising awareness of bias incidents on campus, and we are openly and assertively pursuing individual cases. Although the OCR review will focus only on racial harassment and discrimination, as an institution we will continue to address all forms of discrimination and biased behavior on our campus."
"This initiative provides us with a wonderful opportunity to examine our processes and protocols, and to identify areas where we might need to make some improvements. I look forward to working in partnership with OCR´s staff, who I know share our goal of providing equal opportunity and access to a high-quality education for all students," she said.
OCR staff will visit the UVM campus in late April to explore the topic in depth. OCR staff will interact with campus community members in a variety of settings, and will conduct focus groups with university and community groups.
Ramaley will appoint a team -- to be led by Wanda Heading-Grant, executive officer of the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity -- to closely work with OCR to facilitate its review.
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