DEFINITIONS
-
Bias Motivated Incident - an act of bigotry, harassment, intimidation, or other related offense by known or unknown perpetrators that occurs on the Georgia State University campus or within an area that impacts the Georgia State University community, and that one could reasonably conclude is directed at a member or group of the Georgia State University community because of that individual’s or group’s actual or perceived age, color, creed, disability, ethnicity, ex-offender status, gender, gender identity/presentation, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any combination of these or other related factors.
-
Victim/Person Affected - Not all persons affected by an incident will consider themselves a victim. Many will, however, so the terms are interchangeable depending on the situation. Victim/Person s of bias incidents - are not always limited to those individuals or institutions directly targeted by the crime. For example, racist graffiti or vandalism on campus may target an entire population without actually damaging any of their individual property. While damaged property belongs solely to the institution, indirect "victims" of such incidents are also the individuals of the status evoked in the racist message. This plan will advocate for persons affected and track bias incidents that are not perpetrated against any particular individual if such incidents generate an indirect, but unequivocal impact on the individuals or populations at risk (e.g., defacing of public statues, burning down of synagogues, destroying certain books in a library, altering of road-side signs, etc.).
-
Hate Crime - an actual criminal offense motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender's bias toward the victim's status. All hate crimes are bias incidents, but not all bias incidents are hate crimes. GA State Police are responsible for investigating reported hate crimes.
WHAT IS NOT A BIAS INCIDENT?
While many of the matters listed below may involve actions that can be motivated by bias, there are processes available that more effectively handle these matters. Visit the attached web sites for instructions on how to address these matters.
- Sexual Harassment: http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwfhb/sec20603.html
- Discriminatory Harassment: http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwfhb/sec20603.html
- Sexual Assault: http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwupo/
- Assault: http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwupo/
- Grade Appeals: Contact the Department Chair for the department in which you wish to appeal a grade.
- Discrimination: http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwafa/
- Employment Actions: http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwhre/policies/grievanceprocedures.html
- Student Code of Conduct Infractions: http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwdos/codeofconduct.html