History of Bias Assessment and Response Team (BART)
In Winter Quarter 2006, Student Life Vice President Rich Hollingsworth and Vice Provost for Minority Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer Mac Stewart initiated university discussions on bias response after the Dracket Tower letters and Oprah Winfrey Facebook concerns at ATI Wooster.
The President's Cabinet confirmed the need for a response team in Fall 2006.
In Winter Quarter 2007, Student Life Vice President Rich Hollingsworth and Vice Provost for Minority Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer Mac Stewart charged a team of 8 staff and faculty (initially called the "Diversity Consultation Team") to create a process for coordinating university responses to hate and bias-related incidents that impact the university community. The 8 core members eventually decided to be called the Bias Assessment and Response Team (BART). Below is the charge given to the team.
Purpose of BART
The Bias Assessment and Response Team (BART) will receive, monitor, refer, and, as necessary, coordinate university responses to hate and bias-related incidents that impact all or a significant portion of the university community. Incidents may involve bias or hate grounded in race, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, age, or disability that occur within the university community.
BART is not intended to replace or subordinate any existing processes for reporting and addressing acts of discrimination, harassment, or violence, including but not limited to processes of the Office of Human Resources, OSU Police, and Office of Student Judicial Affairs.
Charge (approved by President's Cabinet)
- Develop, implement, and continuously improve a voluntary mechanism(s) for members of the university community to report hate-based incidents.
- Identify and make referrals to established mechanisms for addressing acts of harassment, discrimination, and violence as appropriate.
- Coordinate communication about reported incidents and the resolution/response with individuals, groups, offices, or other stakeholders on and off campus who are impacted by the incident.
- Monitor and, when necessary, follow up on departmental responses to hate-based incidents.
- Document and monitor patterns of incidents and inform appropriate academic and academic support leaders so that policies, practices, and programs may be reviewed and modified to improve response to and reduce or eliminate hate-based behaviors.
- Make recommendations to senior university leadership on the nature and timing of the larger institutional response to hate-based incidents.
- To the extent required by law, respect the privacy and maintain the confidentiality of individuals involved in discrimination, harassment, or violence
NOTE: The reporting vehicle, processes for monitoring, and communication protocols are to be developed so as not to compromise any existing reporting and resolution mechanisms.
Reporting Mechanisms
- Website
- Incident Forms
- Direct contact with or referrals to core team members.
Process
- Convene initially to develop reporting and monitoring process, team operating procedures, etc.
- Convene as needed to coordinate response and communication when a hate-based incident that has the potential to impact campus climate for all or a significant portion of the university community and or is likely to generate interest outside the university community.
- Meet quarterly to review effectiveness of reporting mechanisms and responses, track patterns, identify trends, and assess the team's effectiveness.
- Create an annual summary report on incidents reviewed and actions taken to share with the various diversity councils or committees and with university leadership.
Membership
Original Advisory Committee
| Dennis Alexander | Psychologist, Counseling and Consultation Service |
| Vern Baisden | Assistant Vice President, University Public Safety |
| Jose Castro | Professor of Engineering |
| Georgina Dodge | Assistant Vice Provost, Office of Minority Affairs (co-convener) |
| Olga Esquivel-Gonzalez | Program Director, Office of Human Resources |
| Jan Neiger | Associate General Counsel, Legal Affairs |
| Rebecca Nelson | Director, Multicultural Center and Assistant Vice President, Student Life (co-convener) |
| Karen Patterson | Senior Director, University Relations |