Reporting Acts of Intolerance
Why Report?
It is important to report all acts of intolerance no matter how insignificant one might perceive an incident to be.
- Incidents that are seemingly minor initially – name calling, homophobic graffiti, racist slurs – can escalate into more serious incidents, including violence, if unaddressed.
- If unchecked, perpetrators may feel comfortable in continuing their behavior and may feel justified in pushing the envelope a little further each time.
- Non-reporting fosters an atmosphere where bias and prejudice is accepted and tolerated.
- Bias-motivated incidents send a message to not only the individual(s) on the receiving end, but to all members of the targeted group.
- Even if the perpetrator is unknown or action to address the incident is limited, reporting allows the Office of the Dean of Students to maintain statistical records of acts of intolerance in order to better assess the campus climate and implement appropriate remediation measures.
Why People Do Not Report
- Some victims feel as though no action can or will be taken.
- Other victims do not know how, where, or what information to report.
- Many victims are afraid of the potential repercussions of the perpetrator(s).
How to Report
- If injured or if there is concern of immediate danger, call 911 or 9-911 from a campus phone.
- Contact the Office of the Dean of Students 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (217) 333-0050.
- Submit an anonymous report online at www.odos.uiuc.edu/tolerance/reportIntolerance/.
- Send an e-mail message to stophate@uiuc.edu.
- Report to any university official.
Procedures Following Reporting *
- Complete Acts of Intolerance Report form.
- Convene Bias Incident Investigation and Response Team within 48 hours of report to determine appropriate course of action.
- Contact victim, if appropriate, and/or person reporting incident.
- Contact appropriate units regarding incident (i.e. UIPD, Office for Student Conflict Resolution).
- Devise and implement a comprehensive response plan. Action plan may include interviewing relevant parties, mediation, facilitated discussions/meetings between parties, programming, mass notice, or any other action deemed appropriate to addressing and remedying incident.
- Reconvene team to evaluate case handling.
- File report.
* Note that this is a generalization of the process that the Office of the Dean of Students will take upon receiving an act of intolerance report. The steps listed are not exhaustive, nor will each case require that all steps be taken and in the order listed. Each case will be assessed on an individual basis.
