OCR was apparently taken by surprise at the ferocity of the reaction and the dearth of supportive declarations. On May 29, it issued an email answer to those who had written complaints about the new rules. FIRE quickly posted the OCR email (with the name of the particular recipient redacted) and posted as well an analysis (" Facing National Criticism, Feds Attempt to Defend Controversial Campus 'Blueprint' "). OCR did not retract or amend its new definitions and rules but instead offered assurance that they did not mean what so many fear. The regulations "do not require or prescribe speech, conduct or harassment codes that impair the exercise of rights under the First Amendment." The escape hatch that the OCR email conjures–but which is nowhere to be found in the original 31-page letter–is that the sexually offensive speech that OCR is targeting comes under the new rules if and only if it creates a "hostile environment."