Bias Incident Reporting

UW-Eau Claire views hate/bias incidents and all manifestations of prejudice and intolerance as antithetical to our mission as a university and a community, as well as a threat to each individual's right to a safe living, learning, and working environment. The Bias Incident Reporting (BIRT) Team provides an outlet to share, document, and appropriately address all such incidents toward the goal of better understanding our campus climate.

What is a bias incident?                         

Something a person does, says, or otherwise expresses that is motivated by bias related to age, race, ethnicity, sex, color, creed, religion, disability, veteran status, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, political affiliation, marital status, or any combination of these or other related factors.

What can I expect from the bias incident reporting process? 

Step One

If you are the target of bias/hate (or witness a bias/hate incident), fill out a bias incident reporting form. Be as detailed as possible. If you would rather stay anonymous, you will have that option (though, withholding information can potentially limit our ability to share next steps and any resulting action). Once the form is completed to the best of your ability and you have submitted it, the Bias Incident Reporting Team will be notified.

If a crime is happening now or just occurred and someone is hurt or in danger, call 911.

If you do not wish to submit a bias incident reporting form, call the Dean of Students office at 715-836-5626 or visit them in Schofield 240.

Step Two

Once the Bias Incident Reporting Team receives the bias/hate incident reporting form, an initial letter is sent out within 48-hours to the individual who made the submission. The letter contains personalized content reflecting the incident, along with a robust list of campus resources. First and foremost, the BIRT ensures the immediate safety and support of those affected by incidents of bias/hate. Next, the BIRT assigns the bias/hate case to the appropriate campus department for immediate review and next steps, which can include providing support to individual(s) and/or communities, forwarding the report for investigation, and strategizing the need for additional educational programming.

Step Three

After the completion of all available actions in Step Two, a final letter will be sent to the individual who initially submitted the bias incident reporting form. The final letter will include any actions taken (pursuant to confidentiality restrictions), and there will be an opportunity to ask any remaining questions about the process, outcome, or efforts to stem future incidents. Once the final letter is sent, the case will be closed. The case may be reopened at any time, should additional information become available. Further, anyone involved in a bias/hate incident can ask questions about the case at any time.

The Bias Incident Reporting Team includes:

Christopher Jorgenson (chair)
Executive Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Leadership
Angie Elizalde and Nelly Machado
Equity in Student Matters Commission (Student Senate)
Deb Newman
Housing and Residence Life
Caitlin Lee
Director, Multicultural Student Services
Gregg Heinselman
Dean of Students
Mike Knuth
Integrated Marketing and Communications
Kallie Friede
Director, Gender & Sexuality Resource Center
Catherine Emmanuelle
Director, Center for Racial and Restorative Justice
Winnifred Bryant 
Biology Department (chair)
Barb Hanson
Human Resources

Annual Bias Incident Reports 

BIRT Annual Incident Report 2022-23

BIRT Annual Incident Report 2021-22

BIRT Annual Incident Report 2020-21

BIRT Annual Incident Report 2019-20

BIRT Annual Incident Report 2018-19

*Earlier BIRT Incident Reports can be made available upon request to edi@uwec.edu.