Bias Education and Support Team and incident reporting
Augustana College is committed to strengthening a diverse, inclusive, and thriving campus community for our students, faculty, staff, and administration. Acts of bias, discrimination, and hate violate our community principles of openness and respect, and these acts will not be tolerated. It is our shared responsibility and commitment to one another to prevent and appropriately respond to bias incidents.
What is a bias incident?
A bias incident is conduct, speech, images, or expression that targets a victim on the basis of actual or perceived identity characteristics, including race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ancestry, color, disability, age, gender identity or expression, military status, or other social identities. Bias incidents may be intentional or unintentional. A bias incident does not need to rise to the level of a violation of college policy or the law to be reported and addressed.
What do I do if I have experienced or witnessed a bias incident?
First be sure you are safe and take care of yourself and others in the way that you need. Contact Public Safety if you do not feel safe. You may choose to report a bias incident so that the Bias Education and Support Team can help connect you with resources and investigate the Incident. Reporting a bias incident also can be done anonymously to help the team monitor the campus climate.
You can make an anonymous report as it helps the team to gather information, but there may be limited ability to gather information and respond to anonymous reports.
College employees are expected to notify the Bias Education and Support Team of any bias incidents that are experienced, seen or heard. As always, Counseling Services and Campus Ministries serve as confidential resources on campus and are not obligated to share information.
How do I submit a Bias Incident Report?
There are multiple ways that you can report a Bias Incident, including
Submitting this online form (which may be done anonymously)
Contacting a member of the Bias Education and Support Team directly:
- Dr. Gauri Pitale – Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (Convener)
- Dr. Wesley Brooks – Dean of Students
- Dr. Paul Croll – Professor in Sociology, Anthology and Social Welfare
- Dr. Jennie Hemingway – Director of Access Compliance and Chief Title IX Coordinator
- Dr. William Iavarone – Director Counseling
- Tom Phillis – Chief, Public Safety
- Laura Schnack – Associate Dean of Students
- Amanda Tumbarello – Residential Life
- Laurel Williams –Instructor in Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Dr. Lina Zhou – Professor in Business Administration
*In the event of a conflict of interest, the convener of the Bias Education and Support Team will ask any involved individual(s) to recuse themselves from all discussions involving that particular case.
What happens after I submit a report?
The Bias Education and Support Team reviews every report that is made to assess the situation, including possible resources needed and college policies that may be involved. The team will work to offer support and resources on and off campus needed by individuals impacted by the incident. (See PDF of the reporting and assessment process.)
Based on the assessment, the team also works to better understand the incident through gathering evidence and meeting with individuals involved. The college also may take action to resolve the incident as appropriate through a range of options, including student conduct processes, employee conduct processes, criminal prosecution, and educational intervention. Please note that the action taken may be influenced by the wishes of the individual(s) impacted and college policy.
If a reported incident is suspected to be a hate crime, it will be shared with Augustana Police and Public Safety. A hate crime is any crime committed that is motivated by bias or based on the victim's perceived membership in a specific group. Examples of hate crimes include vandalism, assault and other crimes against a person or property. In some cases, hate crimes also will be shared with the Rock Island Police Department. Hate crimes are a violation of college policy and may be handled as both a criminal offense and a violation of college policy.
Additional resources
Dean of Students Office, 104 Founders Hall, 309-794-7533
Campus Ministries, Ascension Chapel, Founders Hall, 309-794-7213
Office of International Student and Scholar Services, Gerber Center, fourth floor, 309-794-8270
Office of Student Inclusion and Diversity, Gerber Center, fourth floor, 309-794-8270
Office of Residential Life, Andreen Hall main office, 309-794-2686
Student Counseling, 206 Founders Hall, 309-794-7357
Augustana Police and Public Safety, Sorensen Hall, 309-794-7711