GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY
Bias Incident Reporting/Response Protocol
I. PURPOSE AND DEFINITION
A. VISION: To foster a campus climate which respects the differences among academic community members while encouraging individuality and free expression.
B. MISSION: To report, document, investigate, and appropriately respond to bias incidents on campus.
C. OBJECTIVES:
1. Provide a meaningful yet efficient process for the University community to report bias incidents;
2. Encourage and assist students, faculty, staff and guests to report bias incidents;
3. Document and monitor all reported bias incidents;
4. Monitor bias incident activity and assess effectiveness of Georgia State University’s Bias Incident Reporting System;
5. Provide a forum for university leaders to meet and discuss actions to be taken in response to bias incidents;
6. Recommend and implement meaningful and appropriate university responses to bias incidents;
7. Provide public access to the nature of each bias incident, its investigative status, and any responsive actions undertaken by university officials;
8. Educate and sensitize the campus community to the adverse consequences of bias incidents through short-term and long-term diversity programs;
9. Reinforce Georgia State University’s stance that the University does not condone bias incidents on its campus.
D. Definition of Bias 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.
II. BIAS INCIDENT REPORTING
A. Bias Incident Report Form - There shall be a Bias Incident Report Form maintained and distributed by the Office of Opportunity Development and Diversity Education Planning (ODDEP) available to all those of the Georgia State University (GSU) community who wish to report a bias incident.
1. The Bias Incident Report Form will be available in all relevant Offices of the University and by way of a designated GSU web site.
2. Bias Incident Report Forms will be able to be submitted by way of the World Wide Web, by way of fax to ODDEP, and by way of direct submission to those GSU community members trained to accept Bias Incident Report Forms in accordance with Section V below.
3. Bias Incident Report Forms shall clearly state in large and outstanding font the directions for submitting the form and the possibility that any desired confidentiality may be lost in accordance with subsequent legal investigations.
4. Bias Incident Report Forms shall clearly state the significance and import of completion of a Bias Incident Report Form.
B. University Reporting Team - There shall be a broad team of University faculty, staff, and students trained by ODDEP to facilitate completion of Bias Incident Report Forms by complainants.
1. This team shall be called the “University Reporting Team” and shall have members including, but not limited to, representatives from the following:
a) University Police;
b) Office of the Dean of Students;
c) Office of Opportunity Development and Diversity Education Planning;
d) Unit Coordinators of each University College or School;
e) University Housing;
f) University Relations;
g) Legal Affairs;
h) University Senate Cultural Diversity Committee;
i) Student Organization leaders.
2. Student Organization leaders will be selected by The Office of Student Life and Leadership based upon the following factors:
a) Proper application on organizational charter applications;
b) Stated purpose of the organization;
c) History of organizational participation in prior University Reporting Team activities;
d) Diversity of perspectives within the Reporting Team.
3. The training to facilitate Bias Incident Reporting, to be implemented by ODDEP, is described in Section V below.
C. University Reporting Team Members shall work to ensure that GSU community members within the purview of their authority are informed and trained in the procedures for completion and submission of Bias Incident Report Forms.
D. Any Bias Incident Report Forms submitted to any Reporting Team Member or other member of GSU faculty, staff, or student body must be submitted to ODDEP within one (1) business day of the original receipt of the Bias Incident Report Form.
E. Upon receipt of a Bias Incident Report Form, ODDEP will create a record of the submitted Form, to be stored with other records of reported Bias Incidents.
F. Within the same day of ODDEP’s receipt of a Bias Incident Report Form, ODDEP shall inform the Police of the reported bias incident, omitting name and identities included within the submitted Form as per the Complainant’s stated desires. The University Police shall make determinations as to whether the reported incident involves criminal conduct and/or warrants investigation in accordance with their own guidelines. If the reported bias incident involves a public display in violation of any University rules or other law, the display shall be removed by the University Police as soon as practicable under the circumstances.
G. Within one (1) business day of receipt of a Bias Incident Report Form, ODDEP shall inform the University Reporting Team of the factual details of the submitted Bias Incident Report, omitting all names and identities included within the submitted Form.
H. Within three (3) working days of ODDEP’s receipt of a Bias Incident Report Form, ODDEP shall form a University Response Committee from among Reporting Team Members and other appropriate community members in order to develop appropriate University responses to any reported bias incident.
1. The University Response Committee should have no less than six (6) members, but no more than twelve (12) members.
2. In establishing a University Response Committee, ODDEP shall use best efforts to maximize the diversity and expertise of the University Response Committee membership. In all instances, however, an appropriate representative from the following entities shall be included as Members of any University Response Committee:
a) University Police;
b) ODDEP;
c) Legal Affairs;
d) Office of the Dean of Students;
e) University Relations.
3. Additional membership in any University Response Committee is to be determined by ODDEP in consideration of the following factors:
a) Relation between the nature of the incident and the authority/position of relevant Reporting Team Members;
b) Availability of the relevant Reporting Team Members to participate in the University Response Committee;
c) History of relevant Reporting Team Members’ participations in prior University Response Committees; and
d) Diversity of perspectives within a University Response Committee.
III. UNIVERSITY RESPONSIVENESS
A. University Response Committees, established in accordance with Section III, Part H above, shall be responsible for the determination and implementation of University responses to reported Bias Incidents.
B. The University Response Committee must determine and implement an appropriate and proportional University response to a reported Bias Incident with consideration of the following factors:
1) Relevant legal standards, with special regard to First Amendment and academic freedom concerns;
2) Concerns and requests of the Bias Incident complainant, especially with regard to anonymity and desired outcome(s); and
3) University resources.
C. The University Response Committee may choose to implement any of the following University Responses, and may also implement any other appropriate response:
1) Referral of the Bias Incident to the University Police;
2) Referral of the Bias Incident to the Dean of Students Office in accordance with a Student Code of Conduct violation;
3) Referral of the Bias Incident Complainant or other relevant GSU community members to the University Counseling Center;
4) Referral of the Bias Incident to the Provost or President of GSU;
5) Dissemination of the factual details of reported Bias Incidents to Student Organizations whose purpose is related to the nature of the reported bias incident, provided that all names and identities included within submitted Bias Incident Report Forms are omitted.
6) Targeted Educational Programs, which may include but are not limited to:
a) the distribution and/or presentation of educational materials by Reporting Team Members in the appropriate University community or communities, including those communities from which the Bias Incident Report was generated;
b) University-wide and facilitated discussion forums addressing the concerns generated by a Bias Incident;
c) University-facilitated discussion between appropriate students and/or student organizations; and
d) ODDEP distribution and/or presentation of educational materials to appropriate University community members.
D. University Responses must begin to be initiated within 2 weeks of the initial formation of the University Response Committee.
E. The University Response Committee maintains ultimate accountability for implementing any University response.
IV. MONITORING
A. ODDEP will be responsible for the maintenance of a World Wide Web site which includes a listing of reported Bias Incidents and University Responses to reported Bias Incidents. Bias Incidents and University Responses included must be listed for at least nine (9) months following the submission of a given Bias Incident Report Form.
B. ODDEP will be responsible for the establishment and maintenance of a password-protected World Wide Web discussion board, linked to the Web site described in Part A above, in order to allow GSU community members to appropriately discuss Bias Incidents.
A. All training shall incorporate the purposes, procedures, requirements, and other elements as set forth in this Protocol.
B. ODDEP will inform all GSU community members of the Bias Incident Reporting, Monitoring, and Response system as set forth in this Protocol. ODDEP will further train and support GSU community members in Bias Incident Reporting as necessary.
C. ODDEP will train those GSU community members likely to receive Bias Incident Report Forms, including Reporting Team Members, in the areas of community diversity and sensitivity in accordance with established ODDEP programs.
D. ODDEP will further train Reporting Team Members in the facilitation of Bias Incident Reporting.
E. Reporting Team Members shall work to ensure that GSU community members within the purview of their authority are informed and trained in the procedures for completion and submission of Bias Incident Report Forms.
The Bias Incident Response Process is intended to provide a means for tracking campus climate, and for responding to bias motivated incidents at Georgia State University. The Opportunity Development/Diversity Education Planning Office (ODDEP) manages this protocol process. Collaborative partners with ODDEP include the University Police, the University Reporting Team, and the University Response Committee. The University Reporting Team is a standing committee of faculty, staff and students, appointed by the President and trained by ODDEP to facilitate the Bias Incident Reporting Process. The University Response Committee is an Ad hoc committee(s) assembled to develop and implement a University response to Bias Incident Reports with an Action Plan. It includes University Reporting Team members as well as additional members who are selected based upon the nature of the incident. See Attachment A for a copy of the Bias Incident Response Protocol flowchart.THE PROTOCOL
When a person experiences or witnesses a bias incident, the person contacts ODDEP or a member of the University Reporting Team and completes a Bias Incident Report form. See Attachment B for a copy of the Bias Incident Report form. If it is criminal ODDEP will contact the police, who will take appropriate action. However, if it is after hours contact the police directly. If not criminal ODDEP will notify the University Reporting Team to form a Response Committee. If the incident involves possible criminal activity and the police have not yet been contacted, then ODDEP will also contact the police. The Response Committee develops and implements an action plan if needed. ODDEP will notify the person who filed the report about the Committee's decision regarding whether a plan is or is not needed. See Attachment C for a sample ODDEP intake form. ODDEP will also complete a comprehensive action plan report. See Attachment D.
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