Bias Assessment and Response Team (BART)

Relevant Excerpt

Bias Definition

An incident of bias typically involves a person or group being harmed or threatened (i.e., physical injury, psychological pain or distress, emotional unrest, inequitable practices that impact one's ability to perform, etc.), by the alleged offender's bias, which could reasonably and prudently conclude is motivated, in whole or in part, by an actual or perceived aspect of identity:

Age

Race/Color

Ancestry/Ethnicity

National Origin

Citizenship Status

Religion/Beliefs

Sex

Transgender Status

Gender Dysphoria, Identity or Expression

Sexual Orientation

Pregnancy

Disability

Marital or Civil Union Status

Domestic Partnership Status

Domestic Violence Victim Status

Familial Status

Relationship with or Association with Member(s) of a Protected Class

Genetic Information or Predispostion

Military or Veteran Status

Bias acts are often disruptive to the community and harmful to individuals or groups of people. Some incidents may be in violation of criminal, civil, or Institute policy. Incidents which are a violation of civil or criminal law may be reported and responded to by law enforcement authorities. Incidents which may violate Institute policy, will be reviewed and responded to by the appropriate designees. Incidents that are not in violation of law or Institute policy, but may affect other members of the Institute community, may warrant an informal and educational response through the Bias Assessment and Response Team.

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Reporting and Response Process

If you experienced or witnessed an incident of bias, we encourage you to use our reporting tool in order for our team to assess and respond to incidents of this nature. Remember, acts of bias are perpetrated physically, verbally, through various forms of media and/or other actions. An incident of bias typically involves a person or group being harmed or threatened (ie: physical injury, psychological pain or distress, emotional unrest, inequitable practices that impact one's ability to perform, etc.), by the alleged offender's bias (that one could reasonably and prudently conclude is motivated, in whole or in part, by an actual or perceived aspect of identity).

Bias incident reports are routed to the Bias Assessment and Response Team (BART), and are reviewed in partnership with the appropriate responding office within one to two business days. If not anonymous, the reporter will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt from the online reporting tool via email upon submission. Some reported incidents may require additional information and therefore the Chair for the Bias Assessment and Response Team will contact the student reporter, if not anonymous.

Investigations and referrals for resolution of reported incidents may take place within other offices such as Student Rights and Responsibilities, Human Resources, the Department of Public Safety and/or outside law enforcement agencies, if appropriate.