Bias Education & Response Team

Dickinson is committed to building "a supportive and inclusive community characterized by respect, equality and accountability," as outlined in its Strategic Plan III. No Dickinson College student, staff, or faculty member shall by discriminated against or be denied the benefits of any college program or activity on the basis of a characteristic protected by law or college policy.

What is a Bias Incident?

A bias incident is discriminatory behavior or expression based on race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical and/or mental ability, faith tradition, age, socioeconomic status, political affiliation, military status or other legally protected characteristics.

Reporting a Bias Incident

To file a CONFIDENTIAL Bias Incident Report (BIR) with BERT:

FILE BIAS INCIDENT REPORT

In an effort to ensure cyber security, all forms must be submitted electronically with Dickinson.edu credentials. BIRs may be filed at any time 24/7. Once a completed form is received, the BERT coordinator will contact the filer within 24-48 hours. Because all incidents are unique, each BIR filer will be contacted to determine a course of action, if there is one, for that particular incident.

PLEASE NOTE: This form is confidential, e.g., the information will be shared ONLY with designated Dickinson College staff who are BERT Reviewers and Responders. This information will not be shared with other individuals by BERT responders without expressed permission from the BIR filer. An example is involving staff with specific, relevant expertise other than BERT responders to resolve an incident. At every step of the response process, the BIR filer’s permission will be sought by BERT responders unless there is imminent threat or harm to the filer or others involved in the incident.

To report a Bias Incident ANONYMOUSLY:

SUBMIT DPS ANONYMOUS TIPS FORMUse this form to provide information anonymously regarding bias incidents, possible crimes, planned crimes, law/policy violations and/or other crime related information. The contents of this form are e-mailed directly to the Department of Public Safety and the sender appears as "Webmaster". Once the form is completed, click the Send Form button at the bottom of the page.

PLEASE NOTE: BERT will not respond to Bias Incidents reported anonymously and directly to DPS, unless the incident warrants BERT Responders’ involvement and are invited to participate in the follow up process by DPS.

Who Reviews and/or Responds to Filed Bias Incident Report Forms?

Although the following Reviewers receive an electronic copy of all filed BIRs, they may not be involved in the response process unless the incident warrants their participation.

Reviewers
BERT Coordinator – Director, Popel Shaw Center for Race & Ethnicity
Chief Diversity Officer
The Chief of the Department of Public Safety

Responders
The following are the types of bias incidents typically reported in BIRs. In addition to the Reviewers listed above, a copy of the BIR will be sent to the appropriate Responder based on the nature of the bias incident.

EXAMPLE: If the reported incident involves bias based on sexual orientation, the above Reviewers AND the Director of the LGBTQ+ Center will receive a copy of the BIR. THE BERT coordinator will contact the BIR filer and the responder will be the Director of the LGBTQ+ Center.

Questions About Reporting Bias?  

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the BERT Coordinator directly, Rev. Yvette Davis at davisy@dickinson.edu or you may send your inquiry to the BERT email address at BERT@dickinson.edu.