The University Has Also Instituted Mandatory Title VI Training and Expanded Program to Help Students and Staff Handle Difficult Conversations; Efforts Build on CUNY’s Multipronged Approach to Foster Inclusivity and Combat Discrimination, Including Antisemitism

The City University of New York today announced the implementation of its enhanced system for reporting incidents of discrimination, designed to ensure that all reports are addressed promptly, fairly and consistently. This improved reporting process, combined with the introduction of mandatory Title VI training and expanded programming on effective communication across differing perspectives, underscores the University’s commitment to fostering a safe and inclusive environment throughout its 26 campuses and the CUNY Central Office.

“Hate has no place at The City University of New York, which is why we have streamlined the reporting system, creating an improved investigation process that enables us to better track incidents and keep members of our community secure and informed,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “We also want to prevent incidents from occurring in the first place, so we’ve instituted mandatory Title VI training and expanded programming to prepare our community for difficult conversations. Taken together, these efforts reflect CUNY’s ongoing commitment to maintaining a safe environment where people can express differing views respectfully.”

The enhanced system, which provides a system-wide means to submit, process, track and analyze incident reports pertaining to discrimination, harassment and retaliation, is overseen by the CUNY Center for Inclusivity and Equal Opportunity. The Center provides centralized guidance to all 26 CUNY campuses and the central office on addressing and preventing discrimination and harassment, managing incident reporting and resolution and promoting a campus climate of belonging and respectful dialogue. In addition to enhanced reporting, the Center oversees systemwide training and educational programming. It also serves as a hub where the CUNY community can access information on supportive services, including:

  • Campus-based Counseling Centers at all 26 campuses.
  • CUNY’s Crisis Text Line, which offers 24/7 access to trained crisis counselors.
  • Togetherall, an online mental health platform where students can seek out anonymous peer-to-peer conversations and trained clinicians.

Anyone at CUNY who may experience or witness discrimination, harassment or retaliation is urged to submit a report through the University’s Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation Reporting Form.

Title VI Training

CUNY has also instituted mandatory Title VI training for all full-time faculty and staff. The training will ensure that each member of the community understands Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits educational institutions from treating students differently because of their actual or perceived race, color or national origin and prohibits retaliation against any individual for the purpose of interfering with these rights. The University had already instituted Title VI training for new chief diversity officers and public safety officers at all campuses and the central office. Current CDOs and officers will also receive refresher courses to maintain consistent training.

Encouraging Constructive Dialogue

CUNY is partnering with the Constructive Dialogue Initiative (CDI) to train students, faculty and staff on how to navigate difficult conversations. The training offers participants conflict leadership skills and challenges them to reflect on how they have navigated recent conflicts on their campuses and learn new strategies to address those conflicts going forward. Since launching in 2024, 280 faculty and 170 students have participated in CDI’s “Foundations in Constructive Dialogue” training or been certified in dialogue facilitation. In addition, more than 5,000 students, faculty and staff have taken part in “Perspectives,” a six-session, online course designed to provide practical skills to engage in respectful dialogue. 

With support from the New York City Council, the Aronson Family Foundation and The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation, each of CUNY’s 26 colleges will work with CDI and the CUNY Central Office to deploy trained facilitators across classrooms and campus events. This process, which will ensure constructive dialogue becomes a feature of campus culture by informing decision‑making, student engagement and day‑to‑day educational experience, represents the most ambitious and comprehensive partnership with CDI in the nation. The initiative is built around five focus areas:

  • Leadership Development: Training presidents and senior leaders to guide their campuses.
  • Dialogue Facilitation Certification: Equipping staff with facilitator training to mediate conflict and foster engagement.
  • Faculty and Student Engagement: Embedding dialogue into classrooms and curricular activities.
  • Scaling Up: Large-scale rollout of CDI’s Perspectivesonline program across the University.
  • Evaluation: Tracking cultural shifts with surveys and analytics.

– Story courtesy of CUNY Media Relations