Supporting a community for learning, research, and thriving

The Office of Religious and Ethnic Interests (Title VI) launched in the fall as the first of its kind nationally, a direct response to recommendations from the Action Plan to Combat Antisemitism, as well as the reports of the University Task Force on Antisemitism and the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community. The office (OREI) is a new resource on campus dedicated to supporting Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VI prohibits discrimination based on race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.

The OREI includes Co-directors Majid Alsayegh and Steve Ginsburg, Chief Investigator and Associate General Counsel Deborah Frey, and Program and Case Manager Sarah Estey. The office was established to address complaints relating to alleged discrimination (including harassment) based on a person’s actual or perceived: (i) shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics; or (ii) citizenship or residency in a country with a dominant religion or distinct religious identity. Penn community students, faculty, staff, or post-doctoral trainees with a valid PennKey may submit a report directly or have an informal consultation with a member of the OREI team by a submitting a request to the OREI website.

In addition to providing a space for reports and conflict resolution, the team is also focused on programming across campus and listening to community members from a wide variety of backgrounds—whether meeting with members of the Undergraduate Assembly or the Pan-Asian American Community House, Penn Hillel or the Middle East Center. The team recently, for example, met with the Penn Religious Communities Council—and will continue to do so.

“We are building something that can address all the Title VI characteristics,” says Ginsburg. “We’re trying to be creative about how we can support everyone on campus so that they are able to feel like they’re in an environment where they can learn, research, and thrive.”

“A big part of what we’re about is education,” adds Alsayegh.

In March, OREI held an interactive workshop with Penn leadership, including deans, to discuss the Penn ecosystem of civil rights and compliance and further discuss topics of belonging. The workshop, Ginsburg says, was an exchange of information about Title VI itself and what leaders are encountering. 

“That training in itself raised many more questions, and we recognize that we really need to work closely with leadership and community members to understand the issues we’re trying to face and address them in a manner that is sustainable,” says Alsayegh. 

On April 10, OREI hosted an in-person training with 10 students at Amy Gutmann College House, in partnership with the Dialogue Institute. The Dialogue Institute, based out of Temple University in North Philadelphia, fosters interreligious and intercultural understanding, models respectful dialogue, and provides resources for building and sustaining transformative relationships across cultures. The training focused on adaptive leadership in rapidly changing environments and how bias impedes leadership.

Naija Agarwal, a second-year in the College of Arts and Sciences who studies philosophy, politics and economics, and is a fellow in the SNF Paideia Program at Penn, attended the workshop as an opportunity to think more critically about leadership. Among her takeaways from the exchange, she says: there is no expectation to be perfect on a first try with difficult dialogue, and there are different styles of leadership with no one-size-fits-all approach.

“There’s no one perfect style of leadership,” she says, citing a valuable lesson from the session. “But there are a lot of techniques and skills someone can use to find ways to be a better leader in spaces they’re in and recognize situations in which there can be bias and judgment and be able to use techniques such as [reflection] in the conversation so that there’s more understanding.”

Agarwal adds, of the workshop: “Seeing these opportunities become more widely available is a really great thing, and it means a lot to myself and, I think, other students that there are spaces being created for learning about how to be a better leader and how to communicate with people—especially those you have differences with.”

On April 22, at Perry World House, OREI will present a conversation between Stanley Bergman, CEO of Henry Schein, Inc., and Farooq Kathwari, CEO of Ethan Allen Interiors. The dialogue, “The Role of Business Leaders in Addressing Bias and Hate,” will be moderated by Deborah Amos, former NPR international correspondent and current Ferris Professor of Journalism in Residence at Princeton.

“I think [attendees] will see how even CEOs who have the responsibility of managing multibillion-dollar enterprises look beyond their own company to their country and volunteer their time, expertise, and resources, to help address hate crimes, bias, and prejudice,” says Alsayegh. “Two laws have been passed by Congress because of the work of Stan and Farooq, and the Muslim and Jewish leaders who have worked together. They’ll talk about the challenges and the successes of this coalition.”

Additional events are being planned for the fall.