PEOPLE & CULTURE

Bias Reporting Form

What is a Bias Incident?

A bias incident is any intentional or unintentional act or behavior directed toward an individual or group based on any facet of the individual’s or group’s identity. Bias incidents may take the form of, but are not limited to:

Racist slurs
Derogatory comments
Offensive terminology
Cultural appropriations (taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture in a way that indicates the culture is subordinate to yours: e.g., costumes, rituals, mimicking behavior)
Microaggressions (subtle, nonverbal, layered insults/assaults based on race, gender, class, sexuality, language, immigration status, phenotype, accent, or surname, often carried out automatically or unconsciously against a person in a group that is discriminated against or subject to stereotypes.)

Bias Incident Reporting Process

Lancaster Bible College takes all reports seriously. Employees and students may submit a report here. This reporting form is not an immediate response service. If you need to report an emergency, please contact Public Safety.

717.560.8247 or call 911

A report may be submitted by current or former students and employees (faculty and staff). The College is committed to evaluating your report thoroughly, fairly, and promptly, but the timing and manner in which the College addresses the report will vary depending on the information provided and whether you wish to remain anonymous. Those submitted by current students and employees will be prioritized.

All reports will be used to identify patterns of behavior and address areas where culture is counter to the College’s community standard of respect for one another. This will help the College be more strategic in educating and/or preventing acts of bias in the future.

Below are the steps that will be taken in response to your report:

STEP 1
Once submitted, your report is electronically routed to the Executive Vice President and a designated reviewer.

STEP 2
The designated reviewer will contact you within five (5) business days to explain the process and gather any additional information needed. When appropriate, the reviewer will also present available support measures. Note: Anonymous reports will be investigated and used to address education/prevention as the College moves forward.

STEP 3
The reviewer will present all information to the Bias Response Team. The team will perform an investigation and determine an appropriate remedy. A final review of the outcome will be conducted by the Executive Vice President.

Note: If the Bias Incident Report reveals alleged violations of other LBC policies, including the Anti-Discrimination and Harassment Policy, the report may follow the investigative procedures under those policies.

Preserving Evidence

It is important to preserve evidence related to the concern. If you experience or witness a diversity-related concern, document it the best you can:

If you experience a written slur or discover graffiti, do not erase it until police have seen it. Also, photograph any physical evidence such as bodily injury, damaged property, or a license plate.
If the incident is verbal, write down what was said, and get the contact information of any possible witnesses.
Act immediately to preserve evidence, as speed and accuracy of response are critical.

Please make your report as accurate and truthful as possible. Be professional, accurate, and factual. Recitations of observations and facts are more useful than characterizations, labels, or assumptions regarding intent.

The College will make all reasonable efforts to maintain the privacy of the parties involved in an investigation for a complaint as well as the privacy of the details of an investigation and, except where permitted by law, the sanctions imposed. This may include redacting private, sensitive information unrelated to the facts and circumstances of the case pursuant to the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and other privacy protections. In cases involving students, all documents provided as part of an investigation may not be disclosed to any other party under FERPA as such documents constitute education records which may not be disclosed outside of the proceedings, except as may be required or authorized by law. All investigations will be considered private matters that will not be discussed outside the process for the duration of the investigation; this includes any witnesses.