Bias Incidents

Non-Discrimination Policy

Willamette University does not tolerate discrimination in its activities or employment opportunities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, veteran status, actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or status with regard to pregnancy, disability or age. We are firmly committed to adhering to the letter and spirit of all federal and state equal opportunity and civil rights laws. Review Willamette University’s Non-Discrimination Policy

File a bias report

What constitutes a bias‐related incident?

Bias incidents acts or expressions against a person or group because of the person’s or group’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or status with regard to pregnancy, disability or age or any other basis is protected by law. Bias-related incidents can be an event, image, utterance, symbol, or behavior that demeans or degrades an individual or group from a protected category. This could occur physically, verbally, in writing, via social media or other electronic means. A bias incident can occur whether the act is intentional or unintentional, and may or may not be an unlawful act.

How to report an incident

If a situation requires an immediate response and/or is an emergency, call Campus Safety at 505-370-6911 in Salem, or 503-621-2061 at PNCA.

Reporting guidelines:

Prompt reports are important. All bias‐related incidents should be reported via the electronic Bias Incident Report form. Reports will be routed to the appropriate person to evaluate the incident and respond based on the nature of the incident.

Campus safety should be contacted to respond to graffiti that is identified as biased.

Support, inquiry, and/or advice are available in the following offices:

• Office of Student Affairs-Salem, student-affairs-office@willamette.edu
• Office of Student Life - PNCA, pnca-student-life@willamette.edu
• Human Resources (employees), hr@willamette.edu

Willamette University is committed to preserving a student’s privacy. Under certain circumstances, some information may need to be shared with other university departments in order to assist the student, provide for safety, or provide for the safety of the campus community. A University counselor and the confidential advocate are confidential resources.

What to Expect

A University official will review, evaluate, and respond to reported incidents of bias and provide those who have witnessed, experienced, or have been accused of an act of bias an opportunity to be heard, supported and advised. Data collected from the bias reports assists in monitoring campus climate trends and informs educational and outreach efforts for the Willamette community.

Based on the nature of the incident and in consultation with the individual(s) targeted for bias, a variety of responses could result that include:

• Conversations about the incident and impacted parties
• Referrals to appropriate campus offices that can effectively respond
• Referrals to support resources as appropriate
• Incident assessment and response plan
• Facilitated dialogue, brokered conversations, mediation, or educational interventions as  appropriate

Incidents that may rise to the level of institutional policy violations or criminal acts and require investigation are referred to appropriate disciplinary processes or authorities.

The Bias Response process is coordinated by the Office of Student Affairs and records are maintained in a secure database management system. The Assistant Dean for Community Care and Inclusion serves as the primary responder to bias incidents between students and is responsible for the day-to-day management and coordination of the response process. Reports involving employees are coordinated by Human Resources.