91´óÉñ

College of Education Bias Incident Reporting & Response Protocol
 

Have you experienced hate, bias, or discrimination?

Have you witnessed something that you think may be grounded in bias? 

You have options at both the COE and University levels to get support and take action.

The College of Education's Bias Incident Response Team aids students, faculty, and staff who have experienced or witnessed an incident of hate, bias, harassment, and/or discrimination. 

The work of the response team includes: 

• Serve as liaisons with Belonging & Community at 91´óÉñ and the Bias Incident Support Services (BISS) team for all trauma-informed care and reporting to other relevant campus offices
• Ensure that all incoming and current students, faculty, and staff have materials about this response team as a resource (at faculty/staff retreats, student orientations, etc.)
• Provide a welcoming space for students, faculty, and staff to share private information and experiences
• Work with Belonging office on an as-needed basis to support students, faculty, and staff through whatever process they need in their particular case
• Work with BISS team to ensure that college leadership (deans, department chairs, etc.) are updated regularly on the number and nature of reported incidents in the college

If you have experienced or witnessed an incident, you may take any of the following steps:

1. Report the incident to a member of the college's bias incident response team for allyship, guidance and support.
2. Contact the college's TerrapinSTRONG partner, Mary Taylor-Lewis, who will document the incident for tracking purposes. Members of the bias incident response team will also communicate reported incidents to the TerrapinSTRONG partner for tracking.
3. If and only if you are comfortable doing so, you may report the incident via the 91´óÉñ’s .
4. You may also contact these university offices for support :, the , the and the .

All College of Education bias incident response team members are trained on the university’s and are able to share possible next steps with you following a hate-bias incidents report. Possible outcomes of reporting include 1-on-1 ongoing support, engaging the person impacting others, engaging leadership to address systemic issues and conflict resolution.

If you come to a bias incident response team member to report a hate/bias incident, they WILL:

• Listen
• Believe and trust in the experience of any individual reporting an incident
• Take seriously all incidents shared
• Support and guide individuals to the appropriate resources, reporting mechanisms, and support services on campus
• Maintain your privacy
• Submit an anonymous incident report to the 91´óÉñ Bias Incident Reporting System

If you come to a  bias incident response team member to report a hate/bias incident, they WILL NOT:

• Contact the person/people causing harm
• Promise outcomes that cannot be fulfilled by COE and/or University
• Share your name, report, or any other information with any other members of the bias incident response team, faculty, staff, or students without your express permission, except if legally required*

*Under Title IX law, faculty and staff are legally bound to report any incidents of sexual harassment/misconduct and recommended to do so for incidents of discrimination to the Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct.

You are NOT required to come to the college Bias Incident Response Team to access resources and support on campus. University-level resources are always available to you, including the Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Graduate Studies, the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, your department chair, the , the , the , and the .

Our aim is to create a support system with a clear set of options that empowers the individual experiencing harm to choose their own path to healing, reconciliation, and reparations. Our process is about integrating with - not duplicating - the resources available at the campus-level Bias Incident Support Services office. 

View the College of Education’s Hate and Bias Policy.

College of Education Bias Incident Response Team Members (2025-2026)

College of Education Bias Incident Response Team members come from across the COE community and represent our various constituencies, and have participated in training from Belonging & Community at 91´óÉñ.

Mary Taylor-Lewis, TerrapinSTRONG partner, mktlewis@umd.edu.