Equal Opportunity, Non-Discrimination, and Anti-Harassment Policy: Prohibited Conduct and Definitions - Bias Incident

Relevant Excerpt

h. Bias Incident

Bias Incident refers to any event of intolerance or prejudice, not involving violence or other criminal conduct intended to hurt and intimidate, committed against a person, property, or society that is motivated by an offender’s bias against a specific characteristic of an individual or group because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, physical or mental disability. Examples of bias incidents include hate speech, gay bashing, racist epithets, religious slurs, sexist jokes or cartoons, hate mail, offensive graffiti, or disparaging remarks on social media sites.  Such incidents create a socially divisive atmosphere for members of the Bates community targeted and negatively affect the campus climate. Since “bias incident” is an umbrella term, incidents will be resolved based upon the actual category of prohibited behavior listed above (harassment, bullying, etc.).