Dear Colleagues,
As announced by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and OCR have reached an agreement that resolves a complaint filed with OCR related to alleged discrimination based on shared ancestry at Illinois.
The university is pleased that OCR determined that it was appropriate to resolve the complaint through a voluntary resolution agreement in which it makes no finding against the university. The agreement reflects the university’s commitment to enhance our ongoing efforts to provide a safe and supportive educational environment.
I have asked Claire Sharples Brooks to serve as Interim Title VI Coordinator to lead the university’s response to the Title VI resolution agreement subject to approval by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. As Interim Title VI Coordinator, Claire will oversee the coordination of the relevant revisions to campus policies and procedures related Title VI; the audit, review, and supplemental reporting of relevant activity as outlined in the resolution agreement; as well as the development and delivery of training for investigators, law enforcement, students and personnel. The Interim Title VI Coordinator will report to the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
Claire Sharples Brooks has been in a leadership role in the Office for Access & Equity since 2020 and has most recently served as the Director of the EEO Division. She has also worked for the University of Illinois System in the Office of University Counsel on employment and immigration matters. Sharples Brooks holds a J.D. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Law.
The university has worked diligently for many years with organizations to address issues of antisemitism as part of the broader range of anti-discrimination efforts on our campus, and we will continue to expand those efforts to ensure that our campus community is welcoming and inclusive.
Several campus units will play important roles in the university’s collective efforts under the oversight of the Title VI Coordinator. Administrators who lead and oversee those units will receive direct outreach from the Title VI Coordinator in the coming days in order to collaboratively address the action items set forth in the resolution agreement.
We will continue to share information about additional updates. Until then, please continue to submit all complaints about incidents of discrimination and harassment through the current university reporting channels available on the Report an Incident webpage maintained by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
Sincerely,
Sean C. Garrick
Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion