On Sept. 23, 2003, New York Gov. George Pataki signed a state bill that requires institutions to educate and inform all incoming students about the Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2000 and how bias crimes can be prevented on their campuses. This law will take effect in the next six months, to allow institutions the opportunity to prepare. Cornell already has a program in place and is likely to be looked to as a model for others who are in the process of developing such programs.
Cornell's Bias Activity Protocol is part of a universitywide system that responds to bias-related activity. It supplements existing discrimination-related procedures and supports the efforts of units that address bias activity. The protocol's primary goal is to advise the university community of the occurrence of bias incidents and crimes, provide support to individuals who have experienced bias activity and develop programs that will help to prevent bias activity. The protocol is not intended to be punitive in nature.
Cornell has defined a special category of bias activity, in which the perpetrators are not known, as "bias incidents," to distinguish them from other types of bias activity, such as bias crimes or bias/discrimination complaints. Cornell defines a bias incident as an act of bigotry, harassment or intimidation by unknown perpetrators that occurs on the Cornell campus or within an area that impacts the Cornell community and that one could reasonably conclude is directed at a member or group of the Cornell community based on that individual's actual or perceived age, color, creed, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity/presentation, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status or any combination of these or related factors.
Under federal, state and local laws, a bias/hate crime is defined as any criminal offense or attempted criminal offense that one could reasonably and prudently conclude is motivated, in whole or in part, by the alleged offender's bias against an individual's actual or perceived age, ancestry or ethnicity, creed, disability, gender, gender identity or presentation, height, immigration or citizenship status, marital status, national origin, race, religion, religious practice, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation or weight. These categories are broader than those identified by the university definition for bias incidents.
Anyone who witnesses or experiences bias activity (or finds evidence of or hears about past bias activity) on the Cornell campus or in an area that impacts the Cornell community should immediately contact a member of Cornell's Bias Reporting Team. The names and contact information are listed online at http://www.ohr.cornell.edu/biasResponse/index.html. The team member will complete an Alleged Bias Activity Report and forward it to the Office of Workforce Diversity, Equity and Life Quality (OWDELQ). OWDELQ will share a summary of the report with the university's Bias Response Committee, which will coordinate a response to the reported activity. The Cornell Police will determine whether the report rises to the level of bias/hate crime. It is important to note that an individual who makes a report is not compelled in anyway to do anything once the report is filed and that the reporting party has the authority to guide how the process is handled, including the option to remain anonymous. Criminal or suspicious activity occurring on or adjacent to the Cornell campus also can be reported confidentially on the Cornell Police Web site at: http://www.cupolice.cornell.edu/witness.htm. The Silent Witness Web site is not continuously monitored but is checked regularly. Emergencies or criminal activities in progress should be reported immediately by calling 911.
For more information about the Bias Response Program, look online at: http://www.ohr.cornell.edu/biasResponse/index.html or contact OWDELQ at 255-3976. This column was written by Gwendolyn Dean, coordinator, LGBT Resource Center; Sonja Baylor, program specialist, Office of Workforce Diversity, Equity and Life Quality; and Bill Boice, director, Cornell Police.
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