Campus Climate and Bias Reporting Protocol
Carnegie Mellon is committed to fostering an environment where our community can grow, learn and ultimately thrive together.
Sometimes things impact our community that don’t violate any formal policies or require disciplinary action, but still cause harm and necessitate thoughtful education and restoration. To that end, the Campus Climate and Bias Reporting Protocol (CCBRP) is a non-disciplinary mechanism for reporting and informally resolving incidents of alleged bias focusing on education, restoration, and strengthening and upholding our core values as a university community.
A student, staff, faculty member, third party, or campus visitor may report a Bias Incident to the Office for Institutional Equity.
How to Report Bias and Seek Support
Report via Email or Telephone
Contact the Office for Institutional Equity and Title IX at institutionalequity@cmu.edu or 412-268-7125.
Campus Climate and Bias Reporting Protocol Team
To support the CCBRP process, a group of trained professional community members from across the university will skillfully assess and address reported incidents of bias. Their mission is to be educative, coordinated and strategic in helping members of our community navigate bias situations. They are not an investigatory, disciplinary or adjudicating body and have no authority to initiate or conduct investigations. The Assistant Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Title IX Coordinator will oversee their efforts, serving as the first point of contact for all reports, and will appropriately route reported incidents that are considered Title IX violations or reports of discrimination through the appropriate channels.
Harrison Apple
Associate Director, STUDIO for Creative Inquiry
College of Fine Arts
Dareen Basma
Associate Dean of Diversity, Inclusion, Climate and Equity
Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy
Abigail Cruz
Staff Therapist and Diversity Equity and Inclusion Initiatives Coordinator
Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS)
Holly Hippensteel
Associate Vice President for Community Standards and Diversity Initiatives
Division of Student Affairs
Byron Martin
Assistant Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer
Elizabeth Rosemeyer
Assistant Vice Provost and Title IX Coordinator
Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer
Tendai Ushendibaba
Coordinator, Office of Community Standards and Integrity
Division of Student Affairs
Definitions
Bias Incident
A bias incident occurs when our campus culture is disrupted through perceived negative conduct, speech or expression by a group or individual in the CMU community directed toward a group or individual in the CMU community based on perceived or actual race, color, national origin, sex (including gender, marital status and pregnancy), handicap or disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, ancestry, belief, veteran status, genetic information or any combination of these factors. Bias incidents, whether intentional or unintentional in their occurrence, may contribute to creating an unwelcoming environment for individuals and groups at the university. Bias incidents may include microaggressions.
Discriminatory Harassment
Unwelcome conduct of a verbal, nonverbal, or physical nature that is sufficiently severe or pervasive to create a work or academic environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive on the basis of any protected class. A discriminatory harassing environment can be created by pervasive conduct or by a single severe episode. To be a violation of policy, harassment must be deemed severe, persistent, or pervasive from both a subjective and objective standard.
Disparate Treatment Discrimination
Treating an individual or class of individuals differently on the basis of a protected class. To establish disparate treatment discrimination it must be shown that: (1) the respondent engaged in a tangible action on the basis of an individual’s membership in a protected class; (2) the individual was treated differently than other similarly situated individuals who are not members of the same protected class; and (3) there was no legitimate non-discriminatory reason for the treatment.
Disparate Treatment Discrimination does not include unwelcome conduct of a verbal, nonverbal, or physical nature that is not severe or pervasive under the definition of discriminatory harassment.
Hate Crime
A hate crime is a criminal offense that manifests evidence that the victim was intentionally selected because of the perpetrator's bias against the victim. 34 CFR 668.46(c)(4)
Microaggression
Verbal, nonverbal, behavioral, or environmental slights, snubs or insults, which can be intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages or viewpoints based on actual or perceived membership in a protected class. Learn more about microaggressions.