University of California Annual Commitment to Address Discrimination and Harassment
Share This Article
President James B. Milliken shared the message below with the UC community on August 19, 2025.
August 19, 2025
To the UC Community,
In accordance with the University’s voluntary agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in December 2024 to resolve complaints of actual or perceived shared ancestry discrimination and harassment, I am writing to reiterate the University’s commitment to cultivating a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment for our students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The OCR agreement builds on the University’s ongoing efforts to combat discrimination and harassment on the basis of actual or perceived national origin, including shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics.
UC does not tolerate acts of discrimination, including harassment, on any basis. The campuses and locations must be free of bigotry, hate, and violence of any kind. The University will take all necessary actions promptly and effectively to address reports of discrimination and harassment in its programs and activities and to remedy its effects as appropriate.
We also want to remind you of resources available to you:
- During 2024, UC established a Systemwide Office of Civil Rights, which provides guidance and support to UC locations regarding civil rights protections on a variety of protected categories, including race, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, religion, disability, and sex;
- We have issued a systemwide Anti-Discrimination Policy and a systemwide directive on policies impacting expressive activities, which are helping us protect the UC community from harassment, threats, or violence of any kind, and to maintain access to classrooms or other University facilities;
- If any UC student, employee, or third party believes that they have experienced discrimination or harassment on our campuses, we encourage them to report it to the appropriate campus civil rights office, including Local Implementation and Title VI Officers, which can provide resolution options and support resources.
We will continue to do all that we can to support our University community, and I appreciate your help in fostering a campus environment where everyone feels respected, safe, and can thrive.
Sincerely,
James B. Milliken
President, University of California