Bias incidents are acts or behaviors motivated by the offender’s bias against any combination of, but not limited to, identities such as age, ancestry, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, military status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.
Yes. If you want remain anonymous be sure you are not logged into your UW NetID on the computer or device you use. The committee does not collect data outside what is submitted on the form, so if you do not include your name or contact information, it will not be known to the committee. If you do not choose to include personal information, then you will not be contacted about any actions that may result from your report.
You can submit a report online at http://www.tacoma.uw.edu/equity/report. You may also contact Safe Campus (available 24/7), which has access to a variety of resources and can direct you to support.
The reports are first reviewed by select staff who ensure serious crimes and violations that require mandatory reporting, such as sexual harassment, are given immediate and appropriate attention. Once that first review is conducted, reports are sent to the Bias Incident Review Committee (BIRC), which will review the report and decide best actions.
The information submitted to this form is kept in the same place as Admissions data — it is highly secure. Only the reviewing staff and members of the BIRC will view it directly. If the concerns submitted require outside consultation, the descriptions of the incident will be shared with those outside groups. This may include faculty, administration, staff liaisons to programs, or any group needed to formally investigate and resolve reports. Outside of this review process, reports are kept confidential and can only be accessed via a formal public records request.
The institutional response may include, but is not limited to:
- Notice to the community about the incident
- Individual outreach to affected party
- Offers of support and assistance to affected individuals/communities (typically in form of counseling)
- Educational workshops or seminars
- Removal of graffiti or flyers
- Connecting affected parties to relevant resources
- Cataloging of incident(s)
- Starting proceedings under the student conduct code, the general campus conduct code, or processes under other UW policies
You can see what happens to your report once it has been submitted on our Review page.
