Department of Education Letters to 60 Universities and Colleges (University Of Wisconsin - Madison)

The University of Wisconsin-Madison receives a high volume of public records requests. Your request has been placed in queue and we will process it as soon as possible.  Thank you for your patience.

Dear Requester:

We have received your public records request and the university will respond as required by the Wisconsin public records law, Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31-19.39

Your request was received on March 12, 2025 and given the reference number P004606-031225 for tracking purposes.

Records requested:

Request: To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Wisconsin Open Records Act, I hereby request the following records:

A copy of the letter sent to your institution by the United States Department of Education on or about March 10, 2025, referencing Title VI. The letter is referenced in this press release: https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-educations-office-civil-rights-sends-letters-60-universities-under-investigation-antisemitic-discrimination-and-harassment.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days.

Sincerely,

Adam Steinbaugh

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Again, thank you for using the Public Records Center.


Sincerely,
UW-Madison Records Custodian
608-265-6018

Track the issue status and respond at: https://universityofwisconsin.mycusthelp.com/WEBAPP//_rs/RequestEdit.aspx?rid=4854

--- Please respond above this line ---
Public Records Request: P004606-031225



RE: PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST of March 12, 2025 Reference # P004606-031225 Dear Adam, I am writing in response to your public records request of March 12, 2025, in which you requested the following: Pursuant to the Wisconsin Open Records Act, I hereby request the following records:A copy of the letter sent to your institution by the United States Department of Education on or about March 10, 2025, referencing Title VI. The letter is referenced in this press release: https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-educations-office-civil-rights-sends-letters-60-universities-under-investigation-antisemitic-discrimination-and-harassment. Under the Wisconsin Public Records Laws, records custodians must carefully weigh the competing public interests involved when deciding to release any record in their possession.  Custodians begin with a presumption of complete public access to such records.  However, custodians must consider whether inspection of the record could result in harm to the public interest that would outweigh the benefits of such inspection.  When such harm substantially outweighs the benefits of public inspection, such records or portions thereof, must remain confidential. I have interpreted your request to be for a letter received by UW Madison on March 10 th from the U.S. Department of Education. Your request for the U.S. Department of Education letter is denied at this time as the letter warns of potential enforcement action and that action is ongoing. You may request these records at a later date. Please reach out if you have any questions. Ongoing investigation materials: Ongoing investigations are by definition a work in progress. Since the potential enforcement action is ongoing in this instance, when balancing the public’s interest in the release of these records with the interests of the university and the U.S. Department of Education, I am making the determination that the public interest in withholding these records is greater than the public interest in release. The public has an interest in the effective enforcement action by the Office for Civil Rights under Title VI. The premature release of records related to such a potential enforcement could impede the U.S. Department of Education’s thorough investigation, and therefore, impact the rights of both the agency and the university. It is in the public’s interest to allow the university to respond to this letter and to allow the U.S. Department of Education to conduct its investigation without interruption or prejudice following the established federal process for Title VI complaints. As stated above, you may request this record at a later date, but this request is denied at this time and closed. The university is required to inform you that to the extent this amounts to a denial of your request it is subject to review by mandamus under Wis. Stat. § 19.37(1)(a) or by application to the attorney general or district attorney pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 19.37(1)(b). The university has responded to your request and it is now closed. Sincerely, Julie Laundrie Public Records Custodian Office of Compliance University of Wisconsin-Madison




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