Department of Education ‘Dear Colleague’ Memo

February 17, 2025

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

Federal directives and the status of those directives continue to evolve.

On Friday, February 14, 2025, the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) distributed a “Dear Colleague letter.” The letter interprets the 2023 Supreme Court decision, Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard, to broadly prohibit race-based student programming, activities, and spending at K-12 public schools, colleges, and universities. As the letter states, the Department will take measures to assess compliance within 14 days, with significant consequences for noncompliance.

I recognize the confusion these directives may cause the campus community. As always, our intent is to uphold our values and follow the law. To determine potential impacts of current and future directives on institutional policies, practices, and initiatives, I have convened an Institutional Resiliency Steering Team. This team began meeting last week and will keep our leadership informed. Additionally, we continue to leverage legal and federal partnerships and networks of peer institutions to better understand our responsibilities under these directives.

As I indicated previously, know that we are closely monitoring and analyzing how each directive impacts Illinois State. We will share information with the campus community as it becomes available.

I am confident that together, we will successfully navigate these developments. I thank you for your patience and resilience.

Sincerely,

Aondover Tarhule, Ph.D.
President