Nondiscrimination Resources and Learning Opportunities
August 17, 2026 1:01 PM

Dear Illinois Students, Faculty and Staff,

Welcome to a new academic year. You are a member of a vital campus community committed to respecting the rights and dignity of each person. Together, we can create a university where openness, sincere curiosity, and respect for each person’s full humanity can thrive.  Illinois strives to uphold the following commitments rooted in the principles of the University of Illinois System Non-discrimination Statement:

• We work to reduce barriers to education and equal employment opportunity.
• We strive to foster the authentic inclusion and empowerment of every member of our university community.
• We promote understanding, growth, and success across all aspects of university life.

Each of you and your talents, ideas, beliefs, and questions are the heart of this university and guide who we aspire to be as a community. Every member of our community has access to university services to support these rights, community standards, and responsibilities.

As you prepare to begin the fall semester, please take a moment to review the information in the Access, Civil Rights & Community Resource Library, which includes an overview of resources at Illinois, including:

• Disability-related accommodations and the right to report concerns
• Religious academic and workplace accommodations
• Sexual misconduct response, reporting, and prevention
• Pregnancy and related conditions support, including reasonable modifications
• Student veteran services
• Support for immigrant students
• Services for international student and scholars

Illinois works to provide education and training to promote a healthy and safe learning and working environment for all. This year, we are launching a new learning opportunity, the Understanding Bias and Discrimination series, which is an asynchronous self-guided collection of modules on various aspects of bias and mistreatment. All members of the Illinois community can enroll in these Canvas trainings at go.illinois.edu/understanding. The introduction and first two modules, Understanding Antisemitism and Understanding Islamophobia, are now available on Canvas. Additional modules are planned for 2027.

We encourage members of the community to report discrimination and harassment to the university, including discrimination based on sex, which includes sexual orientation and gender identity. Learn more about how you can report a problem or concern to the university. In addition, anyone can make a report of Title VI Misconduct at Illinois. Title VI Misconduct includes discrimination, harassment and related retaliation on the basis of race, color, and national origin, including shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics. 

To implement Illinois law and university policy, the university’s Immigration Status Privacy and Law Enforcement Interactions Procedures are posted on the Open Illinois website. Additional resources for undocumented students, including information about court rulings, legislation, and policies, is also available on Open Illinois.

My hope is that each Illinois student, faculty, and staff member experiences the encouragement, support, and understanding that we all deserve as we pursue our academic, research, and professional goals. 

Sincerely,

Gioconda Guerra Pérez
Interim Vice Chancellor for Access, Civil Rights, and Community