Important updates for students regarding civil rights and Title IX resources

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,