Reinforcing the university’s ‘safe space’

This quarter, UW Tacoma introduced the biased incident reporting form, which allows students, faculty, and staff to report incidents where bias was witnessed.

The university now requires all faculty to include information about the new report on all syllabi.

UW Tacoma’s Office of Equity and Inclusion defines bias incidents as “acts or behaviors motivated by the offender’s bias against any combination 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.”

Threats include vandalism, destruction of property, intimidation, harassment, and physical assault. The report also has an area to provide proof of the incident in order to further better the claim against the individual.

There is also the chance that the information provided may not be taken care of immediately, therefore the University urges students not to report on the form for emergency situations. “Every effort will be made to evaluate your report promptly, however, the timing and manner in which the university addresses the report will vary depending on the information provided and whether you wish to remain anonymous,” stated the report.

“If you’re passive about uncomfortable situations or need help in how to deal with something, this could really help you out,” said UW Tacoma student Allie Kruse.

Kruse believes this form can be helpful for people who don’t want to confront a situation head-on.

“It’s important to spend your time in a place where you feel safe. We spend so much of our time here and it should be enjoyable for everyone,” said Kruse.

For more information on the form and when it’s acceptable to use it, visit the Office of Equity and Inclusion.