In the University’s latest compliance report to the Justice Department March 31, one of the changes detailed within the Division of Student Affairs is the discontinuation of implicit bias training within the Honor Committee and the University Judiciary Committee. The report was in accordance with the University’s agreement with the Department of Justice made Oct. 22, 2025 to demonstrate compliance with federal civil rights law.
Leaders from both the UJC and Honor confirmed that the organizations comply with federal law and are practicing policies that create fair and equal opportunities for students.
“The Honor Committee and the University Judiciary Committee no longer organize or offer implicit bias training for their members that include impermissible content regarding race or other protected characteristics,” the report stated.
According to the stipulations of the October agreement, the University is required to "summarize policy and operational changes” implemented across the University to comply with federal policy. The March report follows the first federal report released to the University since January, which detailed the dissolution of diversity, equity and inclusion programming and revisions to admissions and medical policies.
The Honor Committee is responsible for upholding and supporting the Community of Trust within the University and the UJC investigates and adjudicates “alleged violations of the University’s Standards of Conduct.”
The Cavalier Daily contacted Genny Freed, Honor Committee chair and third-year College student and Zach Davidson, UJC chair and third-year College student, via email for comment on the discontinuation of implicit bias training.
Freed responded with an email statement, reinforcing Honor’s commitment to treating all students equally while remaining in compliance with federal law.
“As an agency organization, the Honor Committee is bound by U.Va.’s guidance for ensuring compliance with civil rights law. As outlined in the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity, the Honor Committee maintains its commitment to fair and equal treatment for all students,” Freed wrote.
The notice of the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity — located on the Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights’ website — states that the University does not discriminate against any persons on different bases, within University programs and activities.
“[The University] does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, military status (including active duty service members, reserve service members and dependents), national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status and family medical or genetic information, in its programs and activities,” the notice reads.
This notice has not been revised since April 2, 2025, notably after President Donald Trump’s executive order eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs in administrations nationwide.
When asked what the training entailed prior to their removal, Freed said Honor has not received implicit bias training since a few terms prior, and that “the Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights trainings” are conducted by the University.
“To my knowledge, the Honor Committee has not received implicit bias training since the 2023-24 term,” Freed wrote. “Our annual [Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights] trainings are provided by the University itself.”
According to the Princeton School of International and Public Affairs, the goal of implicit bias training “is to support people in acknowledging their own unconscious racial biases” and is broken into four different categories — awareness raising, implicit bias change, explicit bias change and behavior change.
Davidson also responded with a written statement, and said the UJC no longer offers the implicit bias training but still works to ensure that the current procedures are fair for all people involved.
“The University Judiciary Committee’s status as an agency organization requires compliance with the University’s guidance on applicable civil rights law,” Davidson wrote in an email statement to The Cavalier Daily. “While the UJC no longer offers implicit bias training, the Committee remains fully committed to ensuring that our procedures are both fair and impartial for all parties.”
As outlined by the University Division of Student Affairs website, agency organizations, like Honor and UJC, “act on behalf of the University performing duties the University would otherwise be obligated to perform on its own.” Students part of the agency organizations also “undergo University training and maintain close working relationships with designated University administrators.”
The Cavalier Daily also asked Davidson what the UJC’s trainings were like prior to the implicit bias discontinuation, and he provided no further comment.
The Cavalier Daily asked both Freed and Davidson if the word “discontinued” was correct when discussing the usage of implicit bias training within Honor and the UJC. Freed and Davidson did not provide any further comment.
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