Category: CRC News

This message was sent to all UW students on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. You are also welcome to view the companion message shared with UW employees.

Dear UW student,

Now that autumn quarter is underway, we want to share important updates on the University of Washington’s ongoing efforts to foster a respectful, safe and welcoming environment for all Huskies. These updates align with UW’s responsibilities under state and federal civil rights laws, which collectively prohibit discrimination and harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability and other protected characteristics.

We want to highlight three key changes:

1. A new resource office
2. Support for anyone with civil rights concerns
3. Expanded reporting requirements for UW employees

New resource office

The University recently launched the Civil Rights Compliance Office (CRC), which serves as a central resource for preventing and responding to discrimination and harassment based on protected characteristics, as well as sexual misconduct. Civil Rights Case Managers are available to assist you in understanding your options, accessing resources and resolution options, and navigating University processes.

Support for civil rights concerns

If you have a civil rights concern, you can reach a Case Manager via the Civil Rights & Title IX Reporting Form on the CRC website, by email at civilrights@uw.edu or by phone at 206-221-7932. Anonymous reporting is also available. After a report is made, a Case Manager will offer support and actively work with you to identify options to address your concerns.

CRC can assist with a range of civil rights concerns, including:

• Discrimination or harassment based on protected characteristics, including age, citizenship, disability, national origin or shared ancestry, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, veteran status and more.
• Sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, unwanted sexual contact, sexual exploitation, relationship violence and stalking.
• Any retaliation in response to reporting discrimination, harassment or sexual misconduct; requesting an accommodation; or participating in a process to resolve a report.

Expanded reporting requirements

As of July 23, 2025, many UW Employees have expanded requirements to share information with CRC when they become aware of potential prohibited conduct involving students. If a student prefers, an employee can make a report without including the impacted student’s name.

Student employees should also be aware that supervisors must report incidents that occur in the workplace involving employees they supervise. In those cases, supervisors must include the names of the individuals involved.

Some UW employees, including health-care providers, confidential advocates and University ombuds, have been designated as confidential employees who are not required to report when providing professional services to students.

In early 2026, the University will launch a new online civil rights course for students, staff and faculty. This course will help you recognize discrimination and harassment, understand available resources and learn more about recent policy updates.

If you have questions, please contact the Civil Rights Compliance Office at civilrights@uw.edu.

Please remember that we are here to support you, and that every Husky deserves to feel safe, valued and welcome.

We hope you have a wonderful year.

Valery Richardson
Assistant Vice President for Civil Rights Compliance & Title IX Coordinator

Scott R. James, Ed.D.
Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management & Student Affairs
University of Washington Bothell

Denzil Suite, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Life
University of Washington Seattle

Mentha Hynes-Wilson, Ed.D. 
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
University of Washington Tacoma

This message was sent to all UW employees on Thursday, October 16, 2025. You are also welcome to view the companion message shared with UW students.

Dear colleagues,

Now that the autumn quarter is underway, I am writing to remind you of recent University of Washington policy and organizational updates that reinforce our commitment to fostering a respectful, safe and welcoming environment for all members of our community. These updates align with the UW’s obligations under state and federal civil rights laws, which collectively prohibit discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability and other protected characteristics in our learning, living and working environments.

Three changes I want to highlight are 1) expanded employee reporting obligations, 2) a new UW executive order, and 3) a new office that provides case management resources for all civil rights concerns.

Expanded employee reporting obligations

All employees are encouraged to report potential prohibited conduct involving discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct or retaliation. However, in certain circumstances, UW personnel are required to do so.

Who is required to report

• Employees (excluding student employees) who learn of potential prohibited conduct involving a student must make a report. The name of the impacted student may be withheld upon request.
• Supervisors (including student employees with supervisory roles) who learn of potential prohibited conduct that occurred in the UW workplace involving an employee within their line of supervision must make a report and share the information they have, including names.
• Human resources professionals who learn of potential prohibited conduct that occurred in the UW workplace must make a report and share the information they have, including names.

What should be reported

• Discrimination or harassment based on protected characteristics, including age, citizenship, disability, national origin or shared ancestry, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, veteran status and more.
• Sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, unwanted sexual contact, sexual exploitation, relationship violence and stalking.
• Any retaliation in response to reporting discrimination, harassment or sexual misconduct; requesting an accommodation; or participating in a process to resolve a report.

How to report

• Online: Civil Rights & Title IX Reporting Form
• Email: civilrights@uw.edu
• Phone: 206-221-7932

Employee reporting obligations and limited exceptions to the University’s reporting requirements are explained in detail on the Civil Rights Compliance Office website. In addition, health-care providers, confidential advocates and University ombuds are designated as confidential employees and are not required to report disclosures received while acting within the scope of their professional duties. Reports involving UW Medicine patients should follow a separate process: Employees should use SafetyNet, and patients or families can contact Patient Relations. If you are unsure whether a situation requires reporting, please contact the Civil Rights Compliance Office or visit the Employee Reporting Obligations page.

New UW executive order

Executive Order No. 81 (EO 81), Prohibiting Discrimination, Harassment and Sexual Misconduct, was published by the UW Executive Office in July 2025. EO 81 is a singular, restructured order that replaces EO 31, EO 51, EO 70 and APS 46.3. In addition to streamlining those previous UW policies into a single, more accessible document, EO 81 identifies one central office to review and respond to reports and outlines expanded expectations for employees to report prohibited discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct to that central office.

New office and case management resources

Launched in July, the University’s Civil Rights Compliance Office (CRC) is a unified office that brings together our previously separate Title IX, ADA, Investigations and Hearings staff. CRC now serves as the UW community’s central resource for preventing and responding to discrimination and harassment based on protected characteristics, as well as sexual misconduct.

Civil Rights Case Managers are available to assist students, staff and faculty in understanding their options, accessing resources and resolution options, and navigating University processes. The best way to reach a case manager is through the Civil Rights & Title IX Reporting Form on the CRC website. You can also email civilrights@uw.edu or call 206-221-7932. Anonymous reporting is possible. After a report is made, Civil Rights Case Managers will offer support and actively work with individuals to identify options to address their concerns.

In early 2026, the University will launch a new online civil rights course for students, staff and faculty. This course will reinforce recent policy and organizational updates and offer further guidance on employee reporting obligations.

To support the University in implementing these changes, we encourage you to:

• Update materials and websites: Review and revise content created by your department that references discrimination, harassment or sexual misconduct to align with EO 81 and link directly to the CRC website.
• Discuss changes with your team: Set aside time in upcoming team meetings to review these updates and discuss any potential impacts.
• Prepare to respond to disclosures: Proactively share information about employee reporting obligations with students and colleagues, and review available disclosure response scripts.

We are grateful for your continued commitment to creating a welcoming, safe and respectful environment at the UW.

If you have questions, please contact the Civil Rights Compliance Office at civilrights@uw.edu.

With best wishes for the new academic year,

Jane Yung
Vice President, Compliance and Risk Services
Chief Compliance and Risk Officer
University of Washington

This message was sent to all UW students on July 24, 2025. You are also welcome to view the companion message shared with UW employees.

Dear Students,

We write to share several important updates that reflect our University’s ongoing commitment to fostering a respectful, safe and inclusive environment for all members of our community. These changes are in accordance with our responsibilities and obligations under Title VI, the civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin, as well as responsibilities and obligations under Title VII and Title IX. They include both new and expanded support available through the UW’s new Civil Rights Compliance Office (CRC) and new information about employee reporting obligations.

We are pleased to announce the launch of the University’s Civil Rights Compliance Office (CRC), as our community’s central resource for preventing and responding to discrimination and harassment based on protected characteristics as well as sexual misconduct. This office was created to support students, staff and faculty. It is there to help you understand your rights and options and to coordinate the University’s response to concerns involving civil rights and Title IX.

The CRC can help you in a variety of ways. Civil rights case managers are available to assist you in understanding your options, accessing resources and navigating University processes. The CRC also responds to concerns regarding potential prohibited conduct that falls under Executive Order No. 81 and related UW policies. Prohibited conduct includes, but is not limited to:

• Discrimination or harassment based on protected characteristics, including age, citizenship, disability, national origin or shared ancestry, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, veteran status, and more.
• Sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, unwanted sexual contact, sexual exploitation, relationship violence and stalking.
• Any retaliation you may have experienced for reporting discrimination, harassment or sexual misconduct; requesting an accommodation; or participating in a process to resolve a report.

We encourage you to reach out to the CRC if you have experienced potential prohibited conduct or are aware of an incident affecting another student. Civil rights case managers are available to help you navigate the situation and understand the available options. Making a report does not automatically initiate an investigation.

The best way to reach a case manager is to make a Civil Rights & Title IX Report on the CRC website. You can also email civilrights@uw.edu or call 206-221-7932. Anonymous reporting options are available.

We also want to make you aware that as of July 23, 2025, there are expanded requirements for many UW employees to share information with CRC when they become aware of potential prohibited conduct involving students. If a student requests, employees can withhold the impacted student’s name when making a report.

If you are a student employee, it’s also important to know that supervisors have employee reporting obligations when they become aware of incidents that occur in the workplace involving employees they supervise. In these situations, supervisors must share the names of the individuals involved.

Reporting helps ensure civil rights case managers can offer support and resources to students who may have been impacted by discrimination, harassment or sexual misconduct. Impacted students can decide whether to respond to an outreach from a case manager and what, if any, action they want to take.

The University has some limited exceptions to reporting and has designated healthcare providers, confidential advocates and University ombuds as confidential employees who are not required to report.

Thank you for your continued engagement as a member of the UW community. Our University thrives when everyone feels safe, valued and welcome. By working together and making good use of the resources available through the CRC, our academic community can ensure that everyone experiences a sense of safety and belonging. We are here to support you, and we look forward to working together to foster a safe and inclusive environment at the University of Washington.

If you have questions, please contact the Civil Rights Compliance Office team at civilrights@uw.edu.

Sincerely,