Dear UA community,
The University of Akron is dedicated to your information access. Recently, you may have heard that the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a “Dear Colleague Letter” to institutions of higher education, including UA. As an entity that receives federal funding, we are required to comply with the guidance in the letter, specifically the Office for Civil Rights’ broad interpretation of the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard decision. You can read the full text of the “Dear Colleague Letter” here.
In response to OCR’s letter, the Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities (APLU) sent a response which was forwarded to The University of Akron last Friday. Notably, the APLU has requested, on behalf of its constituents, further guidance, a timeline extension and an explanation of how the “Dear Colleague Letter” coexists with established First Amendment protections. We will closely monitor the progress of APLU’s request.
I am writing to inform you that UA senior leadership, our Office of General Counsel and our government relations colleagues are carefully monitoring and assessing this at the federal level. Additionally, we are aware of, and subject to, quickly moving related legislation within our state.
Please be on the lookout for a resource page where UA will compile this type of guidance and pertinent updates. We are committed to acquainting you with the information and policies that affect your education, workplace and community.
Sincerely,
President R.J. Nemer
The University of Akron