Syracuse University seeks to foster an inclusive campus community where all members feel welcomed and supported. The University is committed to responding quickly and thoughtfully to bias incidents on campus. Bias incidents are defined by the University as expressions of hostility against a person or property of another because of the targeted person’s real or perceived legally protected personal characteristics, including creed; ethnicity; citizenship; sexual orientation; reproductive health decisions; national origin; sex; gender; pregnancy; disability; marital status; political or social affiliation; age; race; color; veteran status; military status; religion; domestic violence status, genetic information; gender identity; gender expression or perceived gender. This process applies to incidents reported through the STOP Bias portal. When the University receives a report of a bias incident, the following process occurs:
- The incident is reviewed by the Associate Director of Bias Response and Education or designee.
- If the incident is potentially criminal in nature, the incident will be referred to the Department of Public Safety for assessment and possible investigation.
- If the Respondent is a faculty or staff member, the incident is referred to the Office of Equal Opportunity, Inclusion, and Resolution Services. If the Respondent is a student/student organization, the Associate Director of Bias Response and Education or designee will reach out to the reporting and impacted parties to gather more information and provide support.
- If the incident rises to the level of a violation of the Student Conduct Code and if the impacted party(ies) would like the incident to be addressed as a Code violation, the case will proceed according to the process outlined in this handbook.
- Educational interventions may be most appropriate if the incident does not rise to the level of a violation of the Code, the impacted party does not elect to initiate the conduct process, or there is not enough information to proceed.
- The University may decide to proceed with the conduct process without the assistance of the impacted party(ies) if the incident poses a threat to the campus community or impacts bystanders or the community at large.