Bias Incident Response Protocol
SUNY Westchester Community College values and respects the self-worth of all individuals in our community and affirms their right to have a safe, nonthreatening, and respectful environment. The College is committed to a campus environment that supports diversity, equity and inclusion and will provide support to individuals who report incidents of bias or hate.
To assist in this process, the College has a Bias Incident Response Team charged with the responsibility to receive and coordinate the University’s response to reported bias incidents and, if necessary, issue recommendations to the appropriate University officials.
When the team reasonably believes that the report details a violation of federal, state, local or campus policies and practices, it will forward the report to the appropriate agencies or campus units, including the Campus Security, Student Life, Academic Affairs and/or Human Resources.
This first-line team, composed of appropriate University officials, will receive reports from faculty, staff, students, visitors, vendors and contractors if they have experienced or witnessed an incident of bias or hate while on campus or at off-campus facilities, activities or events.
The work of the Bias Incident Response Team will not substitute, replace or override existing campus or external complaint processes, investigation protocols and services available to the College’s community.
Individuals can ask questions about reporting options or any question related to Bias incidents Policy to the Chief Diversity officer, Dr. Rinardo Reddick at Rinardo.Reddick@sunywcc.edu or at 914-606-6313.
Bias Incident Response Team
The Bias Incident Response Team comprises members from relevant College divisions and departments, including, but not limited to: The President’s Office, Student Life, Campus Security, Human Resources, Academic Affairs, and Strategic Marketing & Communications. The Chief Diversity Officer chairs the Bias Incident Response Team. The Chief Diversity Officer may convene the College’s Bias Incident Response Team to address an incident report.
The CDO coordinates the College’s response to reported bias incidents and, if necessary, issues recommendations to the appropriate College officials. The work of the Bias Incident Response Team will not replace or override existing campus or external complaint processes or investigation protocols and services available to the College community.
Definitions of Bias Acts & Hate Crimes
What is a bias act?
A bias act is conduct that adversely and unfairly targets an individual or group based on the social identity categories of national origin, ethnicity, race, age, religion, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, color, creed, marital status, any combination of these characteristics or any other group protected by law.
The perpetrators may be known or unknown. The act may be verbal, written or physical, and occur on a WCC campus or within an area that affects the campus community. Activities protected by the First Amendment will not constitute bias acts.
What is a hate crime?
Per New York State Penal Law § 485.05: A person commits a hate crime when he or she commits a specified criminal offense and either intentionally commits the act or intentionally selects the person against whom the offense is committed in whole or in substantial part because of a belief or perception regarding the race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability or sexual orientation of a person, regardless of whether the belief or perception is correct.