To: Wellesley College Faculty and Staff
From: Andy Shennan, Provost and Lia Gelin Poorvu ’56 Dean of the College; Carolyn Slaboden, Chief Human Resources Officer; and Karen Petrulakis, General Counsel
Re: Required training on our obligations under Title VI
Date: December 6, 2023
We are pleased to share below information on faculty and staff training sessions that will help us all better understand our obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
As you may recall, in a message dated November 15 we explained that the College has a legal obligation under Title VI to provide a safe and welcoming educational environment for every student. That obligation includes a shared duty to eliminate hostile environments, prevent discriminatory incidents from occurring or recurring, and guard against retaliation.
The training sessions we will be offering this month will focus on educating us all about Title VI’s protection of students who experience discrimination or harassment based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, or their citizenship or residency in a country with a dominant religion or distinct religious identity. This training will be required of all faculty and staff. Taking part in it will help us understand our legal obligations and support the College’s compliance with Title VI.
Madeleine Rodriguez, a partner at Foley Hoag and co-chair of the firm’s Education practice, will lead these webinar-style trainings for the College. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions. Madeleine has extensive experience advising higher education institutions on their legal obligations under Title VI and other areas of the law.
Staff and faculty can select one of two scheduled webinars: Tuesday, December 12, from 4 to 5 p.m. or Friday, December 15, from 12 to 1 p.m. Please register with your Wellesley email address. This webinar will require attendees to be signed in to their Wellesley Zoom account in order to join. Both sessions will be recorded and shared with those who are unable to attend at one of these times.
For all of us who have regular access to students, this is essential work. We believe this training will provide greater clarity regarding our shared responsibility as we strive to follow the letter and spirit of these laws and policies. We will also talk about how to balance the critical need to maintain academic freedom, free expression and constructive dialogue.
Thank you in advance for taking part. We hope this guidance will give us the tools and knowledge to ensure all students can learn in an educational environment free from discrimination or harassment of any kind.
