A bias incident is action taken that one could reasonably conclude is motivated, in whole or in part, by the alleged offender’s bias against or preconceived negative opinion or attitude about an individual or group based on their protected class status, including, but not limited to, age, arrest or conviction status, color, creed, disability (actual or perceived), ethnic or national origin (including shared ancestry), familial status, gender identity or expression, genetic condition, height, immigration or citizenship status, marital status, military status, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or weight.

Examples of bias incidents include:

• Defacement and vandalism
• Use of oral or written racial slurs or epithets
• Ridiculing a person’s language or accent
• Insulting a person’s traditional manner of dress
• Hate messages and symbols
• Language and imagery objectifying a person based on protected status
• Ridiculing a person’s gender expression
• Derogatory comments based on identity

The examples listed above do not fully encompass the many ways in which bias-related incidents may occur.

NOTE: Advocacy of differing political viewpoints, expression of personal preferences, interpersonal disputes, and academic-based disputes generally do not constitute bias incidents.

Everyone. 

Anyone who directly witnesses or experiences bias activity on the Cornell campus or in an area that impacts the Cornell community should intervene in the moment as appropriate (e.g., contact Cornell Police at 911, if a crime is in progress, or interrupt the behavior in as much as the observer feels skilled and safe), and be sure to also report the incident to COCR as soon as possible.

The Skorton Center for Health Initiatives provides information about Bystander Intervention programs that are designed to encourage intervention.

To report an incident, individuals can use one of the following methods:

• By submitting an incident report online
• By contacting the Cornell Office of Civil Rights at civilrights@cornell.edu, (607) 255-2242, or in-person at 500 Day Hall.

Yes, you have the option to report anonymously. However, you will also have the option to identify yourself if you would like to be contacted directly. Please note that in preserving your anonymity, we are limited in the conversations we can have and the actions we can take.

Information such as names of the individual parties involved are typically confidential.  If a bias incident report alleges conduct that is criminal in nature or is otherwise illegal or in violation of University policy, we are required to report it to Cornell police and/or the appropriate University official for review and action. One of our functions is to make recommendations on programs, policies, and ongoing educational interventions, and thus the general nature of reported incidents may be publicly discussed.

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) requires universities to annually disclose crime statistics, including bias-related hate crimes. This information can be found in the Annual Security Report: https://www.cupolice.cornell.edu/campus-watch/annual-security-report/

For all reports containing contact information for the impacted party, a member of the COCR team will contact the impacted party to share resources, and schedule a meeting to discuss the impacted party’s desired outcome and explain the actions that will be taken to address the issues raised in the report.

Actions will generally be educational in nature and can include an education and accountability conversation with the involved student, faculty or staff person and/or the person’s supervisor, manager, department chair or HR representative; conflict coaching; or mediation.

If you choose to remain anonymous, the incident will be documented and used to consider future community education and programming. The accused may be contacted depending on the nature and extent of information provided in the report.

All reported incidents are included in the Annual Report on bias activity. The reports will be presented as aggregated de-identified data.

While all bias reports are assessed for prohibited conduct, they do not typically result in formal investigations unless there are facts that allege discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. Actions will generally be educational in nature and can include an education and accountability conversation with the involved student, faculty or staff person and/or the person’s supervisor, manager, department chair or HR representative; conflict coaching; or mediation.

Please review Cornell Policy 6.4 – Prohibited Bias, Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual and Related Misconduct for more information.