March 11, 2025: Monday's Announcement from the Office of Civil Rights

Monday, March 11, 2025 email from President Sarah Bolton to campus regarding recent media reports concerning an OCR investigation:

Dear Members of the Whitman Community,

Many of you have likely heard that on Monday, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) sent letters to 60 institutions of higher education who have been under investigation for alleged Title VI violations relating to actions and climate on campuses. Whitman College was one of the schools on that list. Based on what has been communicated to us thus far, this announcement does not appear to reflect a new investigation. Rather, it stems from a complaint issued in late 2023 and shared with campus at that time. The notice we received in December, 2023, alleged that the College “failed to respond to incidents of harassment on campus based on national origin (shared Jewish ancestry)”. Whitman College has cooperated fully with the investigation, but we have not yet been informed of its outcome. The College has also continued to strengthen our already significant work combating antisemitism and bias of any kind.

The letter we received yesterday from the OCR does not offer any new information regarding the investigation or its conclusions. Rather, it reminds us of our legal obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which we are fully committed to uphold. 

I would like to take this moment to once again stress that Whitman College is absolutely committed to combating bias of any kind and to ensuring all members of our community have equitable and uninterrupted access to the educational opportunities we provide, free of harassment or discrimination. The safety of all students, staff and faculty is our top priority and we will continue to do what is necessary to make our campus welcoming to all.

Sincerely,

Sarah Bolton