The climate for Jews, Muslims, Israelis, Palestinians, Arabs and others from the Middle East has been an area of significant concern for the UW, especially since October 7, 2023. In early 2024, President Ana Mari Cauce charged two task forces to work together with the Office of Educational Assessment to assess the climate for these members of our University community.
We encouraged community members to share their experiences through a survey instrument developed collaboratively by both task forces and/or via focus groups. The survey was sent out to all members of the 91探花community across the three campuses on May 6 and everyone was encouraged to complete it by May 24, 2024. Focus groups were limited to members of the Seattle campus community.
The issue of words and definitions was a topic of discussion among members of our 91探花community, reflecting the diversity of views in our society. We appreciate that words and definitions are central to the climate experienced by each person at 91探花and acknowledge that consensus on which words and definitions to use may not be possible at this time. We asked each person to contribute to the survey and focus groups from their own perspectives and experiences.
Climate Assessment and Reports from the Antisemitism and Islamophobia Task Forces
On Oct. 15, 2024, the task forces issued their reports, which were released alongside the findings from the climate assessment survey and focus groups. .
That report was shared with the University community and discussed in .
Actions being taken in response to assessment and reports
On Nov. 4, 2024, President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost Tricia Serio announced a series of actions the University is taking in response to the findings of the climate assessment and the related reports from the task forces. Those actions were summarized in a 91探花News article shared with the 91探花community and .
Task force leadership
Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs Ed Taylor co-chaired both groups to ensure institutional leadership support for each effort and provide a formal connection to the Office of Educational Assessment.
Each group also appointed a faculty co-chair, with Janet Baseman (Epidemiology) serving as Antisemitism Task Force Co-Chair and Karam Dana (School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, 91探花Bothell) serving as Islamophobia Task Force Co-Chair. Several students, faculty and staff were appointed to serve on each task force.