Create Community – Be the Difference

Marquette is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and respectful community that allows students, faculty and staff to achieve their fullest potential. Marquette's Statement on Human Dignity and Diversity states that "Each member of the Marquette community is charged to treat everyone with care and respect and to value and treasure differences." You can Be the Difference in creating an inclusive and respectful community by taking action against incidents of bias. It is important that we all take responsibility to report incidents that do not support the kind of community that respects the dignity of all people based on their social identities.

The list below provides some definitions and reporting resources for students.

Bias Incidents

A bias incident is any discriminatory or hurtful act that appears to be motivated or is perceived by the victim or victims to be motivated by race, ethnicity, religion, age, national origin, sex, ability, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, socioeconomic status or language. To be considered a bias incident, the act is not required to be a crime under any federal, state or local statutes. Colleges and universities may handle bias incidents through grievance procedures, such as the student conduct process, or through educational programs to enhance awareness and enable prevention of such acts. Please see Marquette’s Grievance Policy and the Online Student Handbook, At Marquette, for further information.

Hate crimes are bias incidents and are considered to be criminal behavior. Hate crimes must be reported to MUPD. If you are unsure if the bias incident that you wish to report is a hate crime, please contact the MUPD.

How to Report

If you have experienced or witnessed a bias incident, please use the online report form that is available. Once you have completed and submitted the online form, you will be contacted by a member of the Marquette community who serves as a representative of the Bias Report and Support System Team.

If you or others are in danger or in the case of an emergency, call MUPD at (414) 288.1911 or call 911.

What Happens After I Submit a Report?

Following the submission of a report involving a bias incident, there are members of the campus community who will listen and support you as you provide details of the incident. In addition, you will be provided with information about options and campus resources that can provide additional support and what to expect given the action you wish to take.

Follow-up will also occur to make sure you have received the support and information you need to resolve the incident.

Outcomes of a report could include referrals to another campus resource that can offer support (e.g. MUPD, Counseling Center, and others).

Why Should I report?

While bias incidents sometimes target specific individuals, they often violate an entire group or community. Graffiti on the wall, defaced fliers, anonymous emails and slurs or language meant to harass individuals convey a message of intolerance.

How Will Reports Be Used?

Reports summarizing incidents of bias will be made available to the Vice President for Student Affairs and the Provost. In addition, summary reports indicating the types of bias that have been reported will be made available to members of the university community. These summary reports will also inform choices about future education and prevention programming efforts to address and reduce bias incidents at Marquette. In the event that the reported incident is a violation of university policy or federal, state or local statute, the university mat be required to take specific action to address the incident and its effects.

Bias Report and Support System

The Bias Incident Report and Support System was designed to promote an inclusive community at Marquette by providing a central, streamlined approach for reporting incidents of bias and/or discrimination involving students. Departments represented on the Bias Incident Response Team include Office of Student Development, Office of Residence Life, Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, and Department of Human Resources.

The Bias Report and Support System has three primary goals:

• Support students who have witnessed or been the target of bias-related incidents.
• Refer to resources that can provide ongoing support.
• Inform the Marquette community about the frequency and nature of bias incidents that are reported.