Changes to the University of Wisconsin bias incident reporting model have come under discussion with the intent to bring more streamlined responses to incidents and to foster a safer environment.
A bias incident is generally comprised of discriminatory or hateful acts that target individuals for their actual or perceived physical or identity-related traits, Assistant Dean and Director of Student Assistance and Judicial Affairs Ervin Cox said.
These incidents may not be illegal, he added, but do degrade or threaten a certain group or individual.
Cox said a new model has been a priority since last winter, but it came to the forefront following a bias incident this summer on Langdon Street.
Currently, if an incident arises, the victim can fill out a printed form and submit it to the university, said Cox. He added they would like to have an online submission form as a component of a new model to increase accessibility.
Cox said his current draft of the new response model would establish two teams – an investigation group to gather the facts of an incident and a response team to formulate the university’s response. The investigation group would pull in other parties as needed, depending on the nature of the incident.
Cox said the idea came after researching models of other universities, which he said typically have a single bias response team. He said a two-team model is more effective.
“I think the word ‘nimble’ has been used a couple times to describe it,” Cox said. “People can start working on figuring out what happened, and other people just worry about what the response should be.”
Associated Students of Madison Diversity Committee Chair Tangela Roberts said the new model aims to streamline the reporting process and provide more awareness.
“There’s a lot of students who don’t understand the current model or how to report incidents,” she said.
Additionally, Cox said the need for a new model stems from a concern for unreported incidents and a desire to foster an open and welcoming community.
“The university is concerned about incidents because we believe things happen and go unreported,” he said. “Students who are targeted by bias incidents might not feel they have a voice, and we want to give them a voice.”
Robin Matthies, Assistant Director of the LGBT Campus Center, has been working in conjunction with Cox, ASM and UW Housing to formulate a new reporting protocol.
She said the issue came into light more after the surge of LGBT suicides reported in the media last October. She stressed the need for students to report any bias incidents.
“We’re looking at two things – the reporting model and the campus climate,” she said. “We want to make campus a safer and more welcoming place for everyone.”
At present, the draft is still under discussion and taking input from the Office of Student Life, the LGBT Campus Center, ASM, the Madison Police Department and University Housing.
