Bias Incident Policy & Reporting

Relevant Excerpt

Bias Incident.  An act, whether intentional or unintentional, consisting of conduct, speech, or expression, that is motivated by bias and personally directed against an individual or group based on perceived or actual characteristics such as race, color, mental or physical disability, genetic information, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, age, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, veteran or military status, membership in the Uniformed Services.  For purposes of this Policy, the term Bias Incident is inclusive of conduct constituting a Hate Crime.  While a bias incident can occur anywhere on and around campus, including the classroom, speech or expression that is consistent with the principles of academic freedom does not constitute a Bias Incident.

Bias Incident Prevention and Response Team (the “BIPR Team”)[1].  A team of incident response staff charged with advising and supporting the College in Bias Incident Response. The response team also serves as a liaison to campus partners in education and programming offices.  As part of its charge, the BIPR Team monitors and identifies trends pertaining to campus cultural climate and provides broader recommendations for accomplishing institutional, cultural, and structural equity.

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IV. Response Protocol
Upon receiving a report of a Bias Incident, Wheaton will respond in a prompt, equitable, and effective manner by following the protocol outlined below:

Review and Initial Response. The Bias Incident Response Officer will lead initial response, including timely review of the report and coordinating outreach to any identified recipient(s). Initial response measures may include but are not limited to: evaluating and responding to the immediate needs of the Recipient(s); connecting the Recipient(s) to appropriate offices for support; where appropriate, assisting in the development of any community-wide notice or response (in consultation with the Recipient(s) and appropriate administrators); and recommending preventative and responsive education and programming, where appropriate.

Consultation with BIPR Team Members. When received through the reporting mechanisms outlined above, the Bias Incident Response Officer will also promptly contact the appropriate member(s) of the BIPR Team to coordinate next steps. BIPR Team members (listed above) include those in leadership positions from the offices of Student Affairs, the Provost, Human Resources, and Campus Safety.

Coordination with Disciplinary Offices and / or Local Law Enforcement. Appropriate administrative offices will review Bias Incident Reports to determine whether the conduct reported could constitute a violation of College policy or law. For example, Bias Incident reports identifying a student as an Alleged Perpetrator that may implicate Wheaton’s Honor Code or Community Standards will be reviewed by the Office of the Dean of Students and addressed through the Student Conduct process.  Similarly, the College may coordinate with local law enforcement on any Bias Incident report which may violate Massachusetts law.

Educational Response. Where a Bias Incident report does not violate Wheaton policy or the law, the College may address the report through an educational response that may include conflict resolution, where appropriate, and non-disciplinary approaches for addressing the Alleged Perpetrator’s conduct and the Recipient’s experience. Additionally, where a Bias Incident does violate Wheaton Policy, the Disciplinary Offices adjudicating the violation may issue appropriate sanctions, including educational sanctions.