Dear Colleagues,
As you are likely aware, federal funding agencies are scrutinizing universities’ adherence to civil rights laws. We write today to affirm our ongoing compliance with all relevant federal and state law, as well as University of California policies, and to reiterate your obligations with regard to compliance.
First, before anything else, we want to restate that we have an unwavering commitment to the freedom to speak, learn, and discover; equitable access to the university and its programs; the constructive collision of ideas; respect for differences; integrity in research; and diversity of perspective.
On this campus, we advance and support these values through, among other things, programs that are compliant with state and federal law; of note, Berkeley has been firm in its commitment to anti-discrimination laws, including state and federal antidiscrimination laws and the provisions of Proposition 209. That law prohibits all State of California entities from engaging in “discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, public education, and public contracting.” Additionally, harassment of, or discrimination against, any member of our community is antithetical to all that we stand for.
It is important for all of us to continue to be diligent in complying with our anti-discrimination policies with regard to operations under the authority of you and your subordinates, and we remind you of your obligation to report any suspected noncompliance with the UC anti-discrimination policy to the Office for Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination (OPHD).
You may forward this communication to leaders and employees in your unit who have programmatic and/or supervisory responsibility if that will be helpful to you in performing your duties related to compliance. If you or they become aware of a program under your or their purview that may not be compliant, that should be reported to OPHD.
If you have questions about your program’s compliance, reach out to Chief Campus Counsel David Robinson (dmrobinson@berkeley.edu) for assistance as soon as possible. Rest assured that our campus has no plans to shut down or fundamentally change programs that are operating in a manner consistent with law and policy. Berkeley would not be, and could not be, Berkeley if injustice and exclusion were ascendant values on our campus and in our community.
Richard K. Lyons
Chancellor
Benjamin E. Hermalin
Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost
This message was sent to the Cabinet, Council of Deans, CAOs, Department Chairs, and Managers.