Over 11% of all students who identify as Black, multiracial, LGBTQ, transgender and Muslim, as well as Jewish undergraduates, reported experiencing harassment or discrimination during their time at Brown, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Matthew Guterl wrote in a Tuesday Today@Brown announcement.
The message shared the preliminary findings of the University’s 2025-26 Campus Climate Survey, which was conducted by an external contractor as agreed upon in the University’s deal with the federal government last summer.
The percentage of students reporting harassment or discrimination at Brown reaches over 15% for graduate and medical students who identify as Black, Hispanic or multiracial, as well as for Muslim undergraduates and transgender students, the announcement added.
Many of these groups were also less likely to believe that the University takes reports of discrimination against their demographic group seriously, Guterl wrote. Just 37% of Muslim undergraduates felt that the University takes Islamophobia seriously and responds appropriately, compared to 65% of undergraduate students overall.
The survey found that only 48% of Muslim undergraduates agreed or strongly agreed that they feel comfortable reporting incidents of Islamophobia, compared to 74% of all undergraduates.
Brown will expand its required nondiscrimination training and training on social media harassment and discrimination, Guterl wrote. “We intend to advance all these actions swiftly,” he added.
Around 85% of undergraduates and 76% of graduate and medical students reported a sense of belonging at Brown and were “satisfied with their decision” to attend, the announcement read. Additionally, over 90% of undergraduates and about 84% of graduate and medical students said they would “would recommend Brown to ‘students like me.’”
Nearly 89% of undergraduate students and 87% of graduate students believe they can “fulfill the requirements of their coursework while being themselves, and without suppressing their identities, backgrounds or experiences,” Guterl wrote. Around 67% of undergraduates and 60% of graduate and medical students believe they can “freely express their political or social views on campus,” he added.
“All together, this confirms that our commitments to openness and fairness and our faith in a diversity of ideas, perspectives and experiences are reflected in the student experience, and it illuminates areas for potential improvement and follow-up study,” Guterl wrote.
Further actions will be taken after the completion of “follow-up focus groups and pulse surveys,” and after the University receives a full analysis of the data from Rankin Climate, the external vendor that conducted the survey, Guterl wrote. Brown also aims to launch a University faculty and staff campus climate survey in the fall of 2026.
“We will also consult with members of our community to better understand how the tragic violence of Dec. 13 might have reshaped our campus and community,” he added.
The survey had a student response rate of 57%, including 62% of undergraduates, 41% of master’s students, 49% of doctoral students and 64% of medical students.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Ian Ritter is a university news and science & research editor, covering graduate schools and students. He is a junior concentrating in chemistry. When he isn’t at The Herald or exploding lab experiments, you can find him playing the clarinet or watching the Mets.
