How Are Bias Incidents Reported?

Students, faculty, or staff may report bias incidents in three ways. Anonymous reports will not be accepted. However, absent requirements of law, risk to personal safety, or other exceptional circumstances, confidential information will not be disclosed. Where an incident is subject to College disciplinary or judicial procedures, the confidentiality requirements of those procedures will govern.

Personal Report
A student or College employee can report a bias incident in person to a number of university offices.

• To report alleged misconduct against faculty members, please contact:

Office of Equal Opportunity

Tammy Currie

(757) 221-1909

Human Resources (if the complainant is a staff member)

Earleen O'Roark

(757) 221-3115

Dean of Students (if the complainant is a student)

Patricia M. Volp

(757) 221-2510

Relevant program director, chair, or dean

Provost

P. Geoffrey Feiss

(757) 221-1993

• For all other reports, please contact:

Office of Equal Opportunity

Tammy Currie

(757) 221-1909

Office of Multicultural Affairs

Chon Glover

(757) 221-2301

Dean of Students

Patricia M. Volp

(757) 221-2510

Arts and Sciences

Undergraduate Dean Sue Peterson

(757) 221-2498

Human Resources

Lynn Riggs

(757) 221-3153

School of Business

Program Director

(757) 221-4100

School of Education

Dean Tom Ward

(757) 221-2358

Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Graduate Dean Iris Anderson

(804) 684-7105

 

Online Form
A student or College employee who would like to report a bias incident may use the online form. For immediate response, use the phone report or personal report (listed above) or, in the case of an emergency, call 911. Follow-up contact, if requested, will occur within 24 hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Phone or Fax Report
A student or College employee may make a report by phone or fax, regardless of the severity or immediacy of the incident. To place a report, call the Bias Incident Reporting Team Chair at (757) 221-1236 or by fax at (757) 221-1240 (fax form). If reporting during a weekend or holiday, contact the William and Mary Police at (757) 221-4596, or in the case of an emergency, call 911. The Police will contact the Chair or Vice-Chair of the Bias Incident Reporting Team within one hour of receiving the call.

What Happens When a Bias Incident Is Reported?

Regardless of the means of reporting (phone, personal, or online), the Bias Incident Reporting Team Chair will initiate the following process. At all steps in the process, the Chair and the Reporting Team will act in accordance with applicable College disciplinary or judicial procedures, and with confidentiality foremost in mind (as discussed above).

1. The Chair will review the report and make an initial determination as to whether the reported conduct or event may be a bias incident, and whether it may be subject to existing College disciplinary, investigative, or judicial procedure, in which case he will refer the reporting individual to this procedure. (These determinations are for the Reporting Team's purposes only and have no binding or other effect on any investigation or proceeding that may occur under College judicial or disciplinary procedures.)
2. If the Chair determines that the reported conduct may constitute a bias incident, he may then convene the Bias Incident Reporting Team to address any needed support for individuals directly affected by the bias incident or any appropriate campus-wide response if the incident affected the community more broadly. The Team will always convene if the alleged bias incident:
   • involves physical harm, or its potential.
   • has the potential for broad impact to the campus or wider community.
   • includes the presence of bias-related symbols.
3. The Team will convene within 24 hours of the Chair's determination with whatever members are available. The Chair will remove personally identifying information pertaining to any member of the College community involved in a report before it is conveyed to the Bias Incident Reporting Team.
4. The Reporting Team will determine the following:
   • Support
     What support is and should be given to the individuals involved in the reported incident? A priority of the Bias Incident Reporting Team is to maintain communication with all parties involved so they know their needs will be addressed and concerns heard. The Team will select an individual (not necessarily a member of the Team) to be the primary contact with these individuals.
   • Review and Participation
     What is being done, who should do it, and what is already known? Are there resources (individuals, campus groups, etc.) that need to be included in this process?
   • Addressing the Community
     The Reporting Team will consider and make recommendations to the appropriate campus officials as to whether a statement to the community is appropriate, what it should contain, and how it should be delivered.
5. The Chair of the Bias Incident Reporting Team will maintain a database of aggregated information regarding reported bias incidents without any personally identifying characteristics.