Discrimination and Harassment Policies: Policies and Procedures for Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment

Relevant Excerpt

Reporting Incidents of Discrimination

Nondiscrimination incidents are any act, conduct, or communication that reasonably is understood to harass, deny, deprive, unreasonably interfere with or limit the education or employment of an individual or group based on an actual or perceived: age; citizenship status; color; creed; disability; domestic violence victim status; ethnicity; familial responsibilities; genetic information; marital status; national origin/ancestry; personal appearance; political belief or affiliation; race; religion; residence; source of income; veteran or military status; weight; or any other protected characteristic under applicable local, state, or federal law. The College will respond to reports of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation which it has knowledge/notice of and will take prompt action to eliminate such conduct, prevent its recurrence, and remedy any adverse effects in the College’s education programs and activities, including, as appropriate, by way of the Grievance Procedures outlined below.

Note that there are broader categories utilized here than what appears in the College’s Statement of Non-discrimination. The Statement of Non-discrimination only focuses on categories that are protected by law, while the College’s Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy covers categories that are not covered by law, but that are covered under College policies.

Mount Holyoke will act on reports of incidents of bias discrimination received through the on-line reporting form,by a mandatory reporter, or through direct reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Compliance or the Director of Civil Rights. When receiving reports, every effort is made to preserve the privacy of reports and to respect an individual’s desire for confidentiality; however, the College may be legally required to take action depending on the nature of the report. The reporting party will be informed if, in the course of satisfying this obligation, the College may be unable to comply with a request for confidentiality. Reports can be made anonymously with the on-line form and while anonymous reporting can help the College monitor campus climate and inform potential program planning it can be difficult for the Assistant Vice President for Compliance or the Director of Civil Rights to follow up on a specific incident without knowing the parties involved.