¹Ï×ÓTV

Dear ¹Ï×ÓTV Community,

Since I arrived at Occidental in July, my goal has been to learn from you and help us find ways to come together. Over the past several months, I’ve listened to your concerns about campus climate, free speech, and making your voices heard. In following our mission to create an inclusive learning community, we must continue to foster a culture of constructive discourse and free expression, while at the same time ensuring that all students have access to a full educational experience. I’m confident that we can uphold these core values because I’ve seen how our community has supported each other throughout this semester. And as we work to fulfill the College’s mission, we can engage in thoughtful and respectful dialogue while cultivating a campus environment where every community member feels valued and welcome.

As some of you may know, in April, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) received a complaint against Occidental, alleging violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The complaint was submitted by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights under Law and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on behalf of Jewish students who have expressed feeling unwelcome at ¹Ï×ÓTV.

On November 22nd, Occidental entered a voluntary Resolution Agreement reaffirming the importance of education, policy, and community-building in sustaining an inclusive environment. The Resolution Agreement was signed following an OCR mediation process and several months of dialogue and information gathering, both with the complainants and within our own extended community.

While the College has not confirmed all the facts and characterizations in that complaint, we validate the experiences and perspectives of our students. Throughout this process, College leadership has heard from students across the ideological spectrum—including Jewish students for whom Zionism is a core component of their religious or ancestral identity, and Jewish students who express their faith in other ways. 

During the mediation process, we learned more about several Jewish students’ experiences and concerns; discussed potential remedies with the OCR, the Brandeis Center, and the ADL; and continued to move forward with the College’s Plan for Building Community and Promoting Dialogue. Because the College had already undertaken significant proactive measures to address these issues ahead of the mediation, we believe we had a strong foundation for the following additional commitments set forth in the Resolution Agreement:

• Continuation of several voluntary changes and initiatives that the College had already begun, such as:

  • Updates to the College’s Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation (DHR) Policy and time place and manner policies, as previously announced in August 2024;

  • Updates to the College’s protocol for hostile environment assessment;

  • Training for all students on Title VI and the DHR Policy;

  • Consideration of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition and examples of antisemitism in analyzing reports under the DHR Policy—only to the extent required by law and without diminishing or infringing free speech (as described in OCR ; 

  • Consistent and reasonable enforcement of College policies, in alignment with the College’s primary goal of education and equal access thereto;

  • Campus climate surveys in the Fall and Spring semesters of AY 2024-2025;

  • Formation of the Presidential Advisory Group, which will provide recommendations for high-impact programs to build a foundation for inter-group dialogue;

  • Appointment of an Associate Director of Jewish Student Life and Muslim Student Life Coordinator and promotion of interfaith programming under their leadership;

• Review of relevant policies before Fall 2025 to ensure that they address any changes in the law, including pertinent examples of harassment;

• Title VI training for students, staff, and faculty, including education specific to antisemitism, anti-Arab bias, and other forms of shared ancestry discrimination;

• Continued educational offerings related to Jewish identity and antisemitism;

• Expert-facilitated training for BEST and Civil Rights & Title VI staff on Jewish identity and forms of antisemitism;

• Publication of resources (via the College’s website) on addressing antisemitism.

Although it is important to note that OCR did not open an investigation or issue any findings of non-compliance with Title VI, Occidental acknowledges that multiple students raised concerns, both informally and formally, about feeling excluded from the campus community based on their Jewish and Israeli identities. As I believe this Resolution demonstrates, antisemitism is antithetical to the College’s values, and discrimination against Jewish and Israeli students should be unequivocally rejected in our community. As we continue campus discussions around inclusivity, Jewish and Israeli identities should be recognized alongside other  groups that have historically faced discrimination due to their religious, ancestral, or national identities.

I want to reaffirm the College’s commitment to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all students, and we believe the Resolution Agreement will promote meaningful progress toward a more inclusive future. I have been heartened to see examples of this on our campus, including a letter recently signed by 70 faculty members which reaffirms their commitment to building a culture of respect, inclusivity, and belonging among our community.

As we proceed to follow the terms outlined in the Agreement, I encourage you to visit the Building Community and Promoting Dialogue webpage for continued updates on the College’s pursuit of these initiatives. This webpage also includes information about related events and links to Occidental’s on-campus support resources.

I also encourage you to reach out, in person or through email, if you have additional questions or concerns. I appreciate the conversations I’ve already had with many of you, and I’m grateful for your honesty during these sometimes difficult discussions. 

President Stritikus