02/20/2025

Dear Campus Community:

On February 14, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a “Dear Colleague Letter” (letter). The letter’s stated aim was to clarify and reaffirm the nondiscrimination obligations of schools and other entities that receive federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education.

This letter contained confusing and strong language, which has created uncertainty for many in our community about the status of university programs and activities. I write today to offer some context that might be helpful as we work to understand the letter more fully.

It is important to note that the letter does not create new law. The laws related to nondiscrimination – including the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard – have not changed.

Instead, the letter represents a statement of intent for how the Office for Civil Rights intends to interpret existing legal requirements as part of its role in enforcing these legal standards. We expect there will be additional legal guidance, but the Dear Colleague Letter indicates that OCR will begin to assess compliance with its stated guidelines within 14 days.  

Institutions, including the University of Puget Sound, that acted in compliance with federal nondiscrimination laws prior to the letter’s publication remain in compliance today.

Our university is committed to complying with all federal, state, and local laws, and we believe our university’s practices across admissions, operations, academic programming, and student life follow these laws, including as they have been further defined by the courts.

We are monitoring this issue closely, including tracking news from the federal government, court actions and guidance from our professional organizations. We expect there may be challenges to the enforceability of the guidance provided in OCR’s letter, but we are working to determine how the points raised in the letter could impact our campus activities, academic programs, and student life.

We will pursue a considered and nuanced strategy for addressing topics raised in the letter. Our goal is to avoid making a reactionary decision without more specific legal guidance that might interfere with our ability to provide the highest quality liberal arts education.

Some specific actions we are taking at this stage include:

  • Reviewing the steps we took to ensure our admissions practices complied with federal law following the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) case in June 2023 that prohibited colleges and universities from considering race as a specific factor in admissions.
  • Reviewing practices related to student, academic, and campus life to ensure our activities are in compliance with all federal and state laws.
  • Advocating on behalf of higher education with federal and state elected leaders to describe the impact that uncertainty and confusion has on our campus community.

I want to assure you that we remain resolute in our belief that an inclusive learning and work environment is an essential foundation for a broad and stimulating liberal arts and sciences education. We stand against discrimination in all its forms. We affirm our dedication to the long-term work of being an institution where students, faculty and staff of all backgrounds and identities feel welcome on our campus.

If you have questions or feedback about our commitment to fostering a sense of belonging on campus, please contact the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity at vpdiversity@pugetsound.edu. The University Chaplain is also available as a confidential resource to all members of the campus community.

We continue to encourage our entire community to remain engaged in thoughtful and civil discourse and feel confident that the university will continue to be guided by our core values.

Sincerely,

Isiaah Crawford, Ph.D. | President