This reporting form is not intended for emergency response. If you need to report an emergency or incident that poses an imminent risk of harm, please call the SBU's Office of Safety & Security at 716-375-2525 or dial 911.
St. Bonaventure University strongly encourages the reporting of all bias incidents on campus or at university-sponsored events or activities occurring off campus. When off campus, if you need to report an emergency or incident that poses an imminent risk of harm, call 911.
On-campus support
St. Bonaventure is committed to offering on-campus/in-person support to students who experience a bias incident. If you would like additional support, have further questions or concerns, please visit Room 221A of Reilly Center (second floor) to speak with the Equity Institute Coordinator Jessica Foskolos. If you prefer email, please email Jessica Foskolos.
What to expect next
If you submit anonymously (you do not provide your contact information) we will not know who to follow up with. St. Bonaventure University strongly encourages you to seek additional support of Equity Institute Coordinator Jessica Foskolos and services offered by:
- The Center for Student Wellbeing (health and counseling services)
- University Ministries (spiritual care for students of all religious affiliations)
- Certified peer educators in the Equity Institute, who are located in the Damietta Center, Reilly Center 218-219: 3-5 p.m. Monday & Wednesday; noon-5 p.m. Thursday; and noon-4 p.m. Friday.
If you do disclose your contact information, you will be notified within 24 hours of receipt of the report.
While many, if not most, bias incidents rise to the level of a violation of the discrimination policy or the bias-related harassment policy, the presence of a violation is not necessary for an occurrence to be considered a bias-related Incident. An offender may not be a student, may not be identified, may not be found responsible, etc. It is no less important to recognize, report, investigate and reconcile such incidents.
What is a hate crime?
A person commits a hate crime when they commit a specified offense of New York State Penal Law (PEN § 485.05 Hate Crimes) and either:
- intentionally selects the person against whom the offense is committed or intended to be committed in whole or in substantial part because of a belief or perception regarding the race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious
practice, age, disability or sexual orientation of a person, regardless of whether the belief or perception is correct, or
- intentionally commits the act or acts constituting the offense in whole or in substantial part because of a belief or perception regarding the race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability or sexual
orientation of a person, regardless of whether the belief or perception is correct.
St. Bonaventure University will report any known incidents categorized as a hate crime to the appropriate law enforcement agency in accordance with the Clery Act, and will follow standard university procedures outlined in the Code of Conduct under “Implementing
the Code of Conduct” whenever possible.
What is a bias incident?
St. Bonaventure University recognizes a bias incident as any act committed against a person or property, not rising to the level of a crime, motivated by the offender’s conscious or unconscious bias against a person's or group’s perceived
race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, religion, socioeconomic class, nation of origin, age, veteran status or marital status.
Bias incident management and response
When a bias incident report is received, an initial assessment of the report is done to determine whether the reported incident rises to the level of a hate crime. Once the initial assessment is complete, a response team will be appointed based on
the incident reported, the reporting party (if known), and the responding party (if known). The appointed response team will review the report and determine and execute a proper course of action.
If you report anonymously, the university will not have your contact information to follow up with you regarding the report. When provided contact information with a report, the university will notify reporting individuals within 24 hours of receipt
of the report of the following information:
- Acknowledgement of receipt of the report
- Determine safety concerns
- Options for reporting party to include:
- Safety and Security services
- Bias incident reporting form
- Equity Institute
- Center for Student Wellbeing services
- Code of Conduct procedures
- University Ministries
- Restorative practices
- Mediation
- Participation in educational programs and workshops
- Other informal and formal means of truth-finding and reconciliation
- Provide a copy of Bias Related Harassment and Discrimination Policy (if student is reporting)
- Information about what is happening with the report and general timeline for further information.