As most students know, it has come to the attention of the College that there have been bias incidents occurring on campus within the past few weeks. For those of you who don’t know, a bias incident is “an incident that targets somebody based on a part of their identity,” according to Dorothy Pleas, director of multicultural affairs. Different forms of identity include race, gender, sex, religion and socioeconomic status.
According to the College’s Strategic Plan, we as a community “Work toward a campus community that is welcoming and supportive of diversity and inclusion, is free from discrimination and models civil dialogue on social issues.”
One incident on consisted of the “n-word” being written on a dry erase board on the door of a student’s room in Patterson Hall. To address the situation, there was a mandatory hall meeting for all Patterson Hall residence earlier this week. The meeting was led by Pleas, the Patterson-Ward Area Hall Director Stephania Rodriguez and the Director of Residence Life Marcus Hamp.
“This is not the type of thing that the College will look the other way on,” said Hamp. “The College is extremely committed to this being an inclusive and welcoming and safe environment for all students.”
Rodriguez, Pleas and Hamp mentioned that it is important for students to be active bystanders on campus and to report any instances in which bias incidents occur.
“If you know something, you are expected to tell us just so we can help make it right,” said Hamp.
In terms of reporting, Campus Safety is a great resource to talk to and report bias incidents. Pleas spoke about Bias Incident Response forms that can be filled out to report such incidents, or students can go to the Office of Student Affairs on the fifth floor of Old Main. Students can also go see Pleas in her office on the second floor of WAC or talk to their area hall director.
“It’s (the students’) responsibility to make this a safe community for all people,” said Pleas.
While many people thought that bias incidents such as these were in the College’s past, they still continue to occur today, and not just as isolated incidents, either.
A recent email sent out by the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Kevin McCarthy disclosed the recent event of an individual making “monkey-type noises” at a black student on campus.
“Racial incidents of any kind are harmful, disturbing and disappointing,” said McCarthy. “While we communicate this information in the spirit of transparency, creating a campus inhospitable to hatred and welcoming to all requires an active and ongoing investment from every member of the campus community.”
Flyers were also seen distributed around campus comparing racial slurs that were used in the College’s 1925 yearbook to the recent incident involving the n-word. However, the flyers were removed because they were not approved by the WAC Front Desk, according to McCarthy.
McCarthy also included the following announcement in his email for students to see:
“The Black Student Association (BSA) and the Office of Multicultural Affairs will host a discussion about the recent bias incidents and the flyers this Thursday, April 18, at 7 p.m. in the Wentz Science Center, Classroom 101, during BSA’s meeting time.”
“We are continuing to take steps to address the situation,” said Rodriguez. “Being a good bystander and really trying to make a good impact on a community is what’s important.”
For more information on reporting bias incidents, refer to the emails that were sent out or directly report incidents to Campus Safety or the Naperville Police Department. The College’s Bias Incident Reporting Form can be found here.
