Bias Incidents: Reporting & Response

addressing bias incidents and discriminatory harassment

Reed College is a community of students, faculty, and staff governed by an honor principle and committed to fostering a diverse and antiracist living, learning, and working environment. In our community, all members have the right to work, learn, and live in an environment free of discriminatory harassment and bias. As such, Reed is committed to addressing bias incidents and discriminatory harassment through active responsiveness, care, and education.

Defining Bias Incidents

Reed defines bias incidents as acts or behaviors motivated wholly or in part by the offender’s bias or prejudice against age, ancestry, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military or veteran status, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.

In our expanded definition, Reed College defines bias incidents as any action of mistreatment or subtle acts of exclusion (verbal, physical, in written or digital form) taken by an alleged offender(s) and motivated in whole or part by an actual or perceived aspect of diversity or identity of the harmed or impacted party. Identity includes, but is not limited to, ability, age, ancestry or ethnicity, color, creed, gender, sex/gender identity or expression, immigration or citizenship status, marital status, national origin, neurodiversity, race, religion, religious practice, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and weight.

Please note that bias incidents may include but are not limited to conduct that also constitutes discrimination and/or harassment as defined in our relevant policies. Allegations of discrimination or harassment or violation of other college policies will be referred to the appropriate offices for response.

Reed College utilizes our Reporting Bias System to track and address bias incidents, considering the unique circumstances of each case and the individuals involved, whether known, unknown, or unidentified.

Bias-Motivated Speech

Bias-motivated speech is defined as verbal/orally communicated ideas that can be reasonably understood as biased (words said in person, in conversation, in digital form, printed) and includes the following behaviors:

• Verbal attacks, language, or speech that perpetuates a stereotype
• Use of slur/epithet (in one of the above forms)
• Microaggression (also can be used to capture micro‐assaults, micro-insults, and micro-invalidations)

Bias-Motivated Expression

Bias-motivated expression is defined as the use of signs, symbols, or artifacts that communicate bias. This may include, but is not limited to, drawings, graffiti, words written in permanent or temporary form, use of costumes, cultural or ethnic‐based visual expressions, and includes the following behaviors:

• Use of slur/epithet (in one of the above forms)
• An expression that perpetuates a stereotype
• Vandalism (destruction of property or graffiti)
• Microaggression (also can be used to capture micro‐assaults, micro-insults, and micro-invalidations)

Bias-Motivated Conduct

Bias-motivated conduct is defined as physical acts or behaviors with components of bias speech or expression (violent behavior, aggressive or persistent interactions) and includes the following behaviors:

• Intimidation
• Verbal attack
• Physical assault
• Physical attack
• Microaggression (also can be used to capture micro‐assaults, micro-insults, and micro-invalidations)

Non‐Bias Incidents

Non‐bias incidents refer to reports of inappropriate speech, expression, and/or conduct that were not based on an identity or personal characteristic included in the definition of bias activity.