Bias Incidents Protocol

Bias incidents and/or hate crimes involve behavior that is motivated by bigotry and prejudice regarding a person's real or perceived race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, gender, age or disability gender identity and/or expression. Bias incidents include those actions that are motivated by bias, but not meet the necessary elements required to prove a crime. Hate crimes are any criminal act motivated by bigotry or prejudice regarding a person's real or perceived membership in a particular class or group. A hate crime is a bias incident that has risen to the level of a violation of criminal statute. All hate crimes are bias incidents, but not all bias incidents are hate crimes.

Harassment Policy: In cases of harassment or discrimination, you may also find resources and instructions at the AAEO website (http://www.uvm.edu/~aaeo)

1. Institutional Responsibilities

1. The Office of the President

1. The Office of the President shall be responsible for ensuring that actionable steps are taken to mitigate and reduce bias-related acts or behaviors on campus by:
1. Ensuring that an informational campaign focused on the prevention and reporting of bias acts and behaviors occurs on a yearly basis.
2. The Office of the President shall issue broadcast communications each semester to the entire campus community that include:
1. A statement about the importance of reporting bias acts and/or behaviors, reiterating the University's guiding principles around "Our Common Ground," social justice, respect and acceptance of all members of our campus community.
2. Statistics for most recent period
3. How to report bias acts and behaviors
3. The Office of the President shall commit human and monetary resources to this issue in an effort to reduce the number and mitigate the effects of bias acts and behaviors on our campus.

2. The Office of Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity

1. The Office of Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity (AA/EO) shall have oversight for coordinating the institution's responsibilities and responses to bias acts and behaviors which includes the
1. Coordinate training of the following offices to ensure that affiliates and non-affiliates are educated about their responsibility when dealing with a bias related act or behavior.
1. All members of the Office of the President
2. All members of Student Senate
3. All members of Faculty Senate
4. All members of Staff Council
5. Diversity & Equity Units (ALANA, LGBTQA & the Women's Center)
6. Center for Teaching and Learning
7. Training and Development
8. Division of Student & Campus Life (i.e. Residential Life, Center for Students Ethics and Standards, the Counseling Center, Academic Support Programs, Career Services, Center for Health and Wellbeing, Student Life, Orientation & Parent Programs and University Communications )
9. Athletics
10. The Center for Cultural Pluralism
11. Conferences and Events Services
12. Sodexho/University Dining
13. Physical Plant
14. All other offices as designated by AA/EO
2. Manage allocated resources for the ongoing collection and analysis of data regarding bias acts and behaviors on campus through:
1. Creating of a web database that records bias acts and behaviors as they occur and automatically tabulates them by search strings for RACE, LGBTQA, WOMEN, and RELIGION etc.
2. Identifying trends with regard to bias acts or behaviors i.e., identities/groups most frequently targeted, and areas of campus where bias acts and behaviors most frequently appear to occur.
3. The circulation of reports on bias acts and behaviors and trends at the end of each semester to all offices in B.1.a.
2. The Office of Affirmative Action Equal Opportunity will ensure ongoing communication of bias acts and behaviors between the following diversity and equity units:
1. ALANA Student Center
2. LGBTQA Services
3. Women's Center

3. Police Services

1. Police Services will be the investigatory resource for the University, reporting its findings to the Office of AA/EO.
2. Police Services will continue to use its current notification protocol in conjunction with AA/EO processes to ensure that incidents are communicated to support services as necessary, and that inquiries are completed as quickly as possible.

2. Individual Responsibility

1. Upon receiving information (verbal or written) about a bias act or behavior, you are encouraged to take the following action:
1. If anyone is physically injured or in danger, call 911 immediately.
2. If no one is injured or in danger, contact Police Services at 656-3473, the Dean of Student's office at 656-3829 or AA/EO at 656-3368. Confidentiality will be maintained
3. Preserve all physical evidence for Police Services (eg. Photos, Written Facts, etc.) Help preserve evidence by not removing, cleaning or disposing of any offending graffiti or other materials before they have been documented by the Police. Special Note: If the reporting person(s) does not want police involvement, it is strongly encouraged that a (third) party document and report the act.
4. Note: If the incident occurred in a Residence Hall, contact the Resident Advisor, Asst. Resident Director or the Resident Director, who will then contact Police Services.

Last modified October 02 2007 04:31 PM