Indiana University is committed to creating welcoming, inclusive, and respectful campus communities where everyone can thrive and do their best work—a place where all are treated with civility and respect. Through a university-wide reporting website and system, the IU community can notify campus officials of a bias incident they have experienced directly, witnessed, or of which they are aware.
Cedric Harris, assistant dean for student support and bias education, stated that IU's bias incident reporting system and website are secure and private, offering students one space to learn about and report bias incidents. The community can also call, email, or stop by Harris's office to report a bias incident. In addition, individuals can file a report through one.iu.edu or using IU's mobile app.
According to the website, the definition of a bias incident is any conduct, speech, or expression, motivated in whole or in part by bias or prejudice meant to intimidate, demean, mock, degrade, marginalize, or threaten individuals or groups based on that individual or group's actual or perceived identities.
"We take every report we receive seriously," Harris said. " When things come in, outreach is made to offer support and acknowledge the report." Responses vary on the individual making the report and the context. "Sometimes we have students who make reports and want to remain anonymous," he explains. "Sometimes, students report incidents involving professors they don't want us to move forward with until they've finished the class. And other times, we get reports of statements or comments on social media. We take each report seriously."
Harris says that in many bias incident cases between students, having the two students sit down and talk to each other often helps resolve the issue. "They learn about the hurtful impact they had on the other person and what they can do to repair the harm," he says. "We're all in the same situation, doing the best we can to support and be in support of our students. And it's important that you report something if you see it because it is easier to take action when we know about it."
To learn more about bias incident reporting, please visit their website. Additionally, Harris provides virtual and in-person bias education sessions for students, staff, and faculty and encourages anyone interested in a session to contact him at cwharris@indiana.edu.