蜜桃社

Bias Incidents: Reporting & Response

Reporting Process

Individuals who are in immediate danger or threat should contact the 蜜桃社 Office of Community Safety for immediate assistance. Community Safety Officers (CSOs) are trained for bias incidents, which they report to the dean of students. The dean of students serves as the liaison between community safety and the Bias Education & Response Team (BERT).

Making a Report

Who can report?

  • Someone who directly experienced a biased incident
  • Someone who witnessed an incident
  • Someone who was told about an incident (i.e., a third party reporter). For example, a student may report a bias incident to their House Advisor, who may then report it to a BERT member. The HA in this scenario is considered a third-party reporter.

All members of the community are encouraged to make reports when they have concerns. Please note that while a community member may share information with a trusted friend, faculty member, or colleague, this does not constitute an official report. An official report occurs when a report is made to a BERT member or through the .

How do I report?

There are two primary ways to make an official report of a possible bias incident:

  1. Complete the .
  2. Contact a member of the Bias Education & Response Team (BERT) by email, phone call, or a scheduled in-person meeting.

Bias incidents may be reported at any time, regardless of when the incident occurred. However, reports submitted within the same academic year may allow for the most effective response. Reports of an incident that occurred outside of the same academic year will be reviewed but response may be limited.

It is the goal of the BERT to capture all reports though an online system. In certain situations—in which a third-party or offended target(s) are unable to make a report through the online form—BERT members will enter information through the online form for data collection purposes.

Can I remain anonymous when reporting?

Anonymous reporting is an option. An anonymous report may be submitted by someone who was told about an incident. The ability to thoroughly respond to an incident is limited when a report is submitted anonymously; it can be challenging to gather additional information, verify details, and follow up with individuals for further support.

Does a report equal a formal complaint?

  • Reporting a bias incident is not the same as filing a formal complaint through an institutional grievance process (though, for some incidents, a formal complaint may function both as a bias incident and a formal complaint).
  • Reporting to the college does not constitute a report to law enforcement, although the college can assist the offended target(s) in reporting to law enforcement, if requested, and at times may contact law enforcement without the consent of the offended target(s) if it is necessary to protect the safety of the community.

Confirmation from the Bias Education & Response Team

Reporters will receive an immediate confirmation letter once a report has been made. After an initial intake by members of BERT, the reporter can expect to receive an intake letter, which will include the designated BERT date of review. Reporters can expect to receive the intake letter within three days of submitting the report.

Date of Review

BERT meets weekly to ensure that reports are reviewed, assigned, responded to, resolved, and recorded in a timely manner.

  • The BERT Date of Review is the designated meeting date on which the report undergoes official review by BERT.
  • The BERT Date of Review will always be the next available meeting date, which is not always the next meeting date.
  • In instances of high volume of reports, BERT’s capacity may limit the ability to provide an immediate review.

During the official review, BERT provides an initial assessment to determine if the incident meets the community’s definition of a bias incident, and whether there is a potential violation of college policy. Once a determination has been made, the report will be assigned to a member of BERT. Reports may also be assigned based on knowledge of the matter (e.g., history of the occurrence, expertise, etc.) or the workload capacity of the BERT member assigned to the report.

Response from BERT

The assigned BERT member is responsible for sending a review letter to the reporter(s) and/or offended targets(s) within three business days from the designated BERT Date of Review. This review letter will include the report determination, as well as appropriate next steps. It should be emphasized in the outreach that the bias response process is not an adjudicative process and does not determine whether a college policy has been violated. This process is intended to seek a meaningful resolution that addresses the current impact of bias and mitigates future bias, to the best extent possible.

Possible response from the BERT member or designee may include:

  1. Follow-up with any parties involved (offended targets(s), offending witness(es), or offending respondent(s)) to gather more information, discuss desired outcomes, and/or share community resources.
  2. Refer the incident to another process, such as Human Resources, the Title IX Office, Dean of the Faculty’s Office, CARE team, or the Judicial Board.
  3. Consult with other departments and offices to gather more information that may inform appropriate next steps and/or resources.
  4. Convene available members of the team and other relevant individuals to assess community safety and develop a strategy for community care and response.

Outcomes

The bias incident response process is intended to be educational, responsive, and supportive for all involved; it is not an adjudicative process and does not determine whether a college policy has been violated. This process is intended to seek a meaningful resolution that addresses the current impact of bias and mitigates future bias, to the best extent possible.

The outcome of a report will depend on the incident. Every incident is different and not every outcome is appropriate, depending on circumstances. Possible outcomes include the following:

Informal Mediation

When appropriate, community members are encouraged to speak directly with the parties involved to work together toward a mutually agreed resolution of the incident. Informal mediation could be one-on-one conversations with the individual(s) involved, or mediated by a Reed faculty or staff member between individuals involved.

Formal Mediation

When appropriate, community members are encouraged to speak directly with the parties involved to work together toward a mutually agreed resolution of the incident. Therefore, when appropriate, a resolution using an educational process such as conflict mediation or restorative justice may be explored. Formal mediation is facilitated by Honor Council, the Restorative Justice Coalition, or third-party organization.

Community Response

When incidents are not directed toward any one individual in particular, but a targeted community or group, a community response may be appropriate. A community response may include a community-wide communication, providing resources, educational programming, and/or community care. BERT will determine the impact, scope, and reach of the incident and determine which type of appropriate community response is needed. BERT will assess community safety and will develop a communications strategy, if needed, and submit a recommendation for community care and response to the President’s Staff. BERT will often work with subject matter experts, institutional leadership, member(s) of the targeted community, and/or Public Affairs, if applicable and as needed, to ensure that the impact of the bias incident is appropriately addressed, reinforce the College’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism, acknowledge matters that may be institutionalized or systemic, and/or identify the educational opportunity for the Reed community to learn and grow.

Further Education

This may involve targeted intervention to address specific issues raised by the incident. Individual(s) may be required to participate in further education related to the bias incident. This may involve participating in a workshop, seminar, training, reflection, or class.

Resource Referrals

When appropriate, individuals involved may be directed to campus and community resources to address specific needs related to the incident, or to support the individuals impacted. Resource referrals may include but are not limited to the Health & Counseling Center, Disability and Accessibility Resources (DAR), or cultural/identity-based resources.

No Further Action

This can happen when the report is submitted as an “FYI” and the reporter has asked for no further action OR if there is insufficient information to move forward on a report OR if the incident that is reported does not constitute a bias incident OR if no resolution using an educational process can be reached.