Colleges and schools tend to value pluralistic communities that offer rich diversity and varied perspectives. That complex tapestry of backgrounds and life experiences adds dimension, but it can also bring strife between those who choose to center differences as the basis for conflict. For example, the “haves” and “have-nots,” those at sectarian odds in their homelands, and the contrast between those who are LGBTQ-inclusive and LGBTQ-phobic. Within our strengths are the seeds of our weaknesses, and vice-versa. 2024 has brought conflict and contrast into focus more sharply. Communities are reeling. Students are at odds with their classmates. Boundaries are morphing. At many schools, it feels like we have less in common than ever; hate and violence are strengthening, and outside agitators and political operators are leveraging schools and colleges to satisfy their agendas. Free speech groups insist on the right to protest. Marginalized groups insist on the right to safety. OCR seems to expect schools to have superpowers that allow us to effectively address hostile environments and protect speech and religious freedoms. It’s a powder keg, and it’s our job to keep it from blowing when students return for the fall.

The key to keeping the peace will be a comprehensive plan that addresses critical topics like protest rights and management, safety planning, crisis response, stakeholder engagement, and conflict resolution. It is also crucial to get a better grasp of Title VI, as it becomes a more potent tool in some of the same ways that we’ve seen Title IX evolve. More and more schools and campuses are embracing the idea of having a Title VI coordinator to guide institutional policy, prevention, and response. While Title VI’s reach to race, color, and national origin is well-known, an extension of Title VI to address situations involving shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics is still something schools are coming to understand, and the implications are part of what this event will help participants explore.

Topics this webinar will address include:

• How to stand up a Title VI bureaucracy that harnesses existing institutional resources to ensure efficient and effective resource allocation
• The role, responsibilities, and authority of the Title VI coordinator
• Intersecting Titles: IV, VI, VII, IX, and state law mandates
• Title VI at the crossroads of internal and external politics
• Institutional neutrality and moral courage
• Doing more with less – how to maintain civility and inclusion when DEI support and budgets are threatened
• Groups at odds – how to communicate that groups are valued without showing favoritism while also avoiding applying exceptionalist standards relative to Islamophobia and Antisemitism
• Exploring the contours of shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics
• What is a Title VI hostile environment, and what tools are available to address it?
  • Chasing an impossible goal?
  • The constant recurrence of hostile environments – where does one end and the next start?
  • How do we effectively balance rights, freedoms, and safety?
  • Are tools like bias teams crucial to campus safety or performative window dressing?
  • What happens when mass incidents lead to too many complaints to manage simultaneously?
  • Is there a campus double standard when misconduct is painted as activism?
  • Discipline, remedy, and conflict resolution when everyone is right and wrong
  • Divorcing messages from methods (a noble message may still be subject to methods that don’t honor the message)
  • Ensuring consistency of institutional response with standardized protocols, improved training, and more effective coordination
• Communication and collaboration – what should be messaged, to whom, when, and how?