Bias-Related Reporting Process

Definition of a Bias-related Incident

A Bias-related incident is an act or behavior (verbal, nonverbal, or written) towards a person or a group of people based on a bias against the presumed or actual race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, religious/spiritual beliefs, age, disability and sexual orientation of the person or group of people being targeted. Bias incidents are not considered or rise to the level of a criminal offense.

• Examples of Bias Incidents: (Taken from Syracuse University)
  •  Telling jokes based on a stereotype 
  • Racist or derogatory graffiti or images/drawings
  • Calling a person or a behavior “gay” as an insult
  • Using a racial, ethnic, or other slur to identify someone
  • Making a joke about someone being deaf, hard of hearing, blind, etc.
  • Imitating someone with any kind of disability, or imitating someone’s cultural norm or practice
  • Making comments on social media about someone’s disability, ethnicity, race, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, or political affiliations/beliefs

Hate Crimes are bias-related incidents of crime that manifest evidence that the victim was chosen based on one of the categories of bias including race, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin and disability. While all hate crimes are bias-related incidents, not all bias-related incidents are hate crimes. This report form is modeled on the Student or Incident of Concern Report, to be used for the community to report bias-related incidents involving faculty, staff and students at McDaniel. The distinct reporting system will be publicized to the campus community and lend visibility that reflects the importance that the College places on knowing about and responding to the incidents of bias on the campus.

Student, faculty, staff, community members and visitors will be urged to report any bias-related incident to the College either in person or through the Bias-Related Incident online report form. People will be able to report a bias-related incident anonymously or they may self-identify. The submitter will be notified that if a report is received anonymously, it may impact the College’s ability to investigate and respond fully to the incident.

All reports submitted online will be received by the Associate Provost for Equity and Belonging (APEB). Upon review of a report, the APEB will determine the appropriate group or college process to respond to the information received. If the person who submitted report includes their contact information, they will be notified by the APEB or by the APEB’s designee about their report and will document outcomes.

References 

Syracuse University: https://www.syracuse.edu/life/accessibility-diversity/stop-bias/