A federal investigation into allegations that Muhlenberg College failed to protect student civil rights has concluded with a resolution agreement to prevent failures in future incidents of bias and bigotry.
The U.S. Department of Education announced on Sept. 30 that the school had accepted a resolution agreement to ensure that it followed Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in responding to allegations of harassment based on shared ancestry.
“Muhlenberg College has committed to taking additional actions to build on its already strong policies to ensure that its practices responsive to concerns from students and other college community members fulfill its Title VI obligations as already described in its campus policies,” said Catherine Lhamon, assistant secretary for civil rights at the Education Department.
The review of the school originated in multiple student complaints about a professor for “statements and social-media posts that created a potentially hostile environment for Jewish students.”
The agreement requires the academic institution to review all complaints against the professor to determine if he created such an environment. The school also agreed to review discrimination complaints from the previous school year; institute training for staff; and survey the campus to assess potential bigoted environments.
“All students deserve to learn in an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment, whether carried out by a student or faculty or staff member,” Lhamon said.
