Campus Bias Incident Response at F&M

Relevant Excerpt

F&M’s Bias Incident Response process aims to support the College’s commitment to creating a welcoming, inclusive and respectful campus community where everyone can thrive — an F&Mily where everyone is treated with civility and respect!

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What is a bias incident?

At F&M, bias is distinct from discrimination. Some actions or expressions, while not prohibited by law or policy, may nonetheless involve prejudice or intolerance and may compromise our commitment to an inclusive campus community. Bias is defined as an action, behavior or expression directed against an individual’s or group’s actual or perceived identity. A bias incident may take the form of a verbal interaction, cyber-interaction, physical interaction, or interaction with property. Bias incidents occur whether the act is intentional or unintentional and may be based on, but not limited to: age, race, color, ethnicity, sex, sexual identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, gender identity and expression, national origin, genetic information, citizenship status, political affiliation or veteran status. Bias incidents are harmful but do not always represent violations of policies or laws. The Diplomatic Congress has developed an informational guide for students seeking further clarification on terms that may be relevant to bias-related behaviors. In most instances the primary response to a bias incident is education.

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What happens after the report?

When a report describes a potential violation of law or policy, the report will be referred to either the Director of Title IX and ADA Compliance (students) or the Associate Vice President for Human Resources (faculty and staff). These include potential violations of civil rights legislation that cover such aspects as Title IX protections against sex discrimination in educational programs and activities; Title VI protections against race, color, and national origin discrimination by recipients of federal funds; Title VII protections against discrimination in employment; Americans with Disabilities Act protection against discrimination on the basis of disability; or potential violations of College policy.

In all other cases, the report will be referred to the College’s Bias Incident Response Team (BIRT), which is led by the Vice President for Community and Belonging. BIRT is a small diverse team composed of representatives from different College departments who meet regularly to provide support services, promote education and dialogue, and affirm the College’s commitment to inclusion and respect. BIRT is intentionally small to protect confidentiality. In addressing complaints that involve individuals, only those members representing those constituencies will be activated. For example, if an issue involves a staff member and a student, only the representatives from student affairs and human resources would meet with the VP of Community and Belonging to determine next steps. Responses to bias reports will vary depending on the severity of the event and can range from referrals to appropriate offices on campus to restorative conversations between the targeted individual and the respondent.