I’m writing to share my sincere apologies and to let you know that,
unfortunately, we are no longer able to host the Code4Lib conference at
Carnegie Mellon University. As a long-standing member of this community,
this is not the outcome I had hoped for, and I am truly sorry to be
delivering such disappointing news. These are challenging circumstances,
and far beyond what any of us anticipated.
Recently, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
ordered Carnegie Mellon University to review all third-party partnerships
for compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. As part of this
review, the university determined that aspects of Code4Lib’s diversity
scholarship program raised compliance concerns under Title VI and Title IX.In
light of these findings, CMU has concluded that it cannot move forward as a
host site. The LPC and Scholarship Committees explored whether adjusting
the location or presentation of scholarship information might address these
issues, including shifting content to external domains. However, it was
determined that these changes would not resolve the underlying concerns
related to compliance with federal, state, and local laws, as well as
university policy. As a result, the university is unable to host, sponsor,
or partner with a conference whose scholarship structure does not meet
these legal requirements.We recognize the disruption this creates and
deeply regret both the timing and the impact on the community. I am
personally disappointed, and we only recently learned the extent of OCR’s
involvement. Even so, we continue to hold deep respect for Code4Lib and the
values it represents, and we remain hopeful that the conference will thrive
in a venue fully aligned with its commitments to equity and access. If
Code4Lib changes its scholarships programs to comply with Title VI, Title
IX, and other applicable anti-discrimination laws, CMU would be happy to
consider partnering with Code4Lib in the future.