Title VI

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin, including shared ancestry, in any program or activity that receives federal funding. This means that all people are entitled to equal treatment free from discrimination in any program or activity that receives federal financial assistance. This includes educational programs, services, and activities offered by Pace University.

Bernard Dufresne, Assistant Vice President of the Office of Civil Rights Compliance, serves as the University’s Title VI Coordinator. Bernard is available by phone at (212) 346-1310 and by email at bdufresne@pace.edu.

Discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin includes discrimination based on a person’s actual or perceived race, color, national origin, ethnicity, or ancestry. OCR has interpreted national origin to extend to discrimination or harassment based on shared ancestry or perceived shared ancestry, ethnic characteristics, or citizenship or residency in a country with a dominant religion or distinct religious identity. This means that students have a right to be free from ethnic or racial slurs, harassment for how they dress or speak, and from any stereotypes based on actual or perceived shared ancestral or ethnic characteristics.

If an incident is reported to the Office of Civil Rights Compliance, the Title VI Coordinator reaches out to the complainant to check in with them, offer them resources and support, and provide information about the University’s grievance process, including how to file a formal complaint. The complainant can decide whether they want to pursue a formal investigation, whether they just want to register the concerns with the Office of Civil Rights Compliance, or whether they want to seek out support, but do not want the University to take any further action.

Supportive Measures are offered by the Title VI Coordinator in order to provide support to students on campus. Some examples include counseling services through the Pace Counseling Center, modifications to work or class schedules, changes in class, work, housing, or extracurricular or any other activity, etc. These are items you can request without filing a complaint.

Unwelcome conduct based on an individual's actual or perceived Protected Characteristic(s) that is sufficiently severe or pervasive and subjectively and objectively offensive that it limits, denies, or unreasonably interferes with a student's educational experience, or otherwise adversely affects the student's ability to participate in or benefit from the University’s Education Program or Activity.

Individuals who believe they have experienced discrimination can report an incident to the Civil Rights Compliance Office via the University’s Online Reporting System.

After a report has been filed, the Office of Civil Rights Compliance will review the incident report and reach out to you by email to discuss your concerns and discuss resources, options for support, and case resolution options. Some of those include Supportive Measures, Informal Resolution, and the Grievance Process. Make sure to check University emails for any updates. Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.