Bias-Related Incident Reporting

On this page:

• Reporting Bias at Wright State
• What Is a Bias-Related Incident?
• Who Can Report an Incident of Bias?
• Report a Bias Incident
• What Happens Next?
• Bias Incident Response Team Representatives

Reporting Bias at Wright State

A bias or hate incident should never be part of the Wright State University experience. We want to address any issue that may arise on campus and provide you with resources to support your continued educational journey.

Wright State has policies, procedures, and protocols in place to attend to your health and safety; manage individual complaints, and adjudicate violations of university policy.

The Bias Incident Response Team (BIRT) will review incidents that do not require a formal university policy response.

Bias Incident Reporting Brochure (PDF) 

Bias Incident Response Team (BIRT)

The Bias Incident Response Team (BIRT) is composed of representatives from various Wright State offices who will work together and with you to review incidents as well as to develop and deliver interventions.

When a bias-related incident occurs, a coordinated, effective, and timely university response will be implemented.

Wright State’s intention is to foster civility, campus community, respect, and understanding to support a multicultural and diverse campus environment. Any bias-response intervention will be educational at its core and may involve:

• Discussion
• Mediation
• Training
• Counseling
• Consensus building
   

What Is a Bias-Related Incident?

A bias-related incident is any event directed toward an individual or group based upon actual or perceived identity characteristics or background, including but not limited to: race, sex (including gender identity/expression), color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, military status, or sexual orientation. Such acts may result in creating a hostile environment and may have a negative psychological, emotional, or physical impact on an individual, group, and/or community. Bias-related incidents may occur without regard to whether the act is legal, illegal, intentional, or unintentional.

To constitute a bias-related incident, sufficient objective facts must be present to lead a reasonable person to conclude that the event in question was motivated by bias toward the status of a targeted individual or group.

Types of incidents may include:

• Physical injury
• Damage to property
• Graffiti/signs
• Threatening mail/email/social media
• Threatening voicemail/message
• Telephone harassment
• Stalking
• Verbal harassment/threats
• Written threat

Who Can Report an Incident of Bias?

Students, staff, or faculty who experience, witness, or become aware of a bias-related incident are asked to report the incident immediately. Members of the Bias Incident Response Team (BIRT) may also report an incident after scanning the university environment and identifying a campus climate concern or behavior that does not support a welcoming and inclusive campus environment.

If the reported incident involves physical harm to you or your property, please file a police report with the Wright State University Police Department by calling 911 or 937-775-2111.

If you are a student and the victim of a bias incident, complete and submit a report online at wright.ethicspoint.com. A BIRT member will contact you as soon as possible to discuss the incident and determine an appropriate course of action.
 

Report a Bias Incident

All members of the Wright State community are encouraged to report all types of bias incidents precipitated by intolerant behaviors. When filing a report, you may do so anonymously or you may provide contact information.

If the incident involves physical harm:

Wright State University Police
937-775-2111 or 911
108 Allyn Hall

Contacts who will help you file your report:

Division of Inclusive Excellence
937-775-2087
280 University Hall

Counseling and Wellness Services
937-775-3407
053 Student Union

Division of Student Affairs
937-775-2808
224 Student Union

Community Standards and Student Conduct
937-775-4240
201 Student Union

Office of Student Advocacy and Wellness
937-775-3749
051 Student Union
24/7 on-call 937-260-0267

Although the expression of an idea or point of view may be offensive or inflammatory to some, it is not necessarily a violation of law or university policy. The university values and embraces the ideals of freedom of inquiry, freedom of thought, and freedom of expression, all of which must be vitally sustained in a community of scholars. While these freedoms protect controversial ideas and differing views, and sometimes even offensive and hurtful words, they do not protect acts of misconduct that violate criminal law or university policy.
 

What Happens Next?

Upon reviewing all available information, the Bias Incident Response Team will decide whether the report is actionable. If no action is possible or necessary, the incident will be documented and retained in compliance with the current records retention policy. If the incident is actionable, the BIRT will work with you to seek additional information, provide resources for support, and schedule a time to meet, if appropriate. The BIRT will also explore options for addressing your concerns and work with you to resolve the incident.
 

Bias Incident Response Team Representatives

Name	Title	Email
Mia Honaker, Co-chair	Administrative Assistant to the Vice President for Inclusive Excellence	mia.honaker@wright.edu
Tonya Mathis, Co-chair	Wellness/Well-Being Program Manager & HERC Director, Human Resources	tonya.mathis@wright.edu
Kyla Arroyo	Disability Specialist, Office of Disability Services	kyla.arroyo@wright.edu
Tara Hill, Ph.D	Associate Professor & Director of the School Counseling Program, Human Services	tara.hill@wright.edu
Genevieve Jomantas	Quality Matters Instructional Designer and Master Reviewer, Computing & Telecommunications	genevieve.jomantas@wright.edu
Gina Keucher	Program Director, Student Activities	gina.keucher@wright.edu
Denise Porter	Business Manager, College of Nursing & Health	denise.porter@wright.edu
Ayşe Şahin, Ph.D.	Professor and Chair, Mathematics & Statistics	ayse.sahin@wright.edu
Patricia Schiml, Ph.D.	Senior Lecturer, Psychology	patricia.schiml@wright.edu
Alpana Sharma, Ph.D.	Professor and Chair, School of Humanities and Cultural Studies	alpana.sharma@wright.edu
Chris Taylor, Ph.D.	Director, Community Standards & Student Conduct	chris.taylor@wright.edu
Betsie Turner	Administrative Project Manager Board Relations, Office of the President	elizabeth.turner@wright.edu
Becca Webb	Communications & Development Coordinator, College of Liberal Arts	becca.webb@wright.edu
Julie Williams, Psy.D.	Professor, School of Professional Psychology	julie.williams@wright.edu
Emily Yantis-Houser	Assistant Director, LGBTQA Center & Coordinator, Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies	emily.yantis@wright.edu
Miri Lader	Associate Dean for Student Affairs & Admissions	miri.lader@wright.edu