Acts of Intolerance

Acts of intolerance have the purpose or reasonably foreseeable effect of creating an offensive, demeaning, intimidating, or hostile environment for a person or group of persons. Acts of Intolerance, often called Hate Incidents, may be based on a person's race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, ethnicity or social/political affiliation. Examples of Acts of Intolerance may include, but are not limited to, the following: threats, physical assaults, or defacement, damage, or destroying property of another person or organization, or property of the College, including destruction of religious symbols. Such violations are regarded as being very serious in nature and are a violation of the Student Code of Conduct. Other types of acts of intolerance (e.g., offensive language directed towards a particular individual or overheard about a group because of their racial identity, religion) are not, in most cases, violations of the Student Conduct Code. However, such behavior can be strongly condemned and an effort made to educate an individual about the impact his/her behavior has had on the community.

In the event that you become aware of such an incident, the following should occur:

• A student staff member should immediately contact the Resident Director of the complex/building or on duty. If the incident comes to a staff member's attention during the day and a Resident Director cannot be reached, contact Office of Residence Life (ORL) in the Student Services building (x2216) and ask to speak to the Director or the Assistant Director.
• The Resident Director or the ORL staff member should then immediately call Public Safety. It is important that they are contacted immediately so that physical evidence, if it is available, can be preserved exactly as it was found.
• Leave physical evidence (e.g., writing on a wall, burned sign) intact and where it is found; removing this evidence may be damaging to a police investigation.
• Public Safety will come to obtain information. If a victim(s) of the act is(are) determined, Public Safety will also want to speak to this(these) individual(s). Public Safety can make a more extensive investigation into an Act of Intolerance that is directed toward a person or group because of their race, religion, or ethnicity. Actions against an individual or group for these reasons is considered a criminal matter in the State of Massachusetts.
• Pay particular attention to the needs of the victim(s). It is important to remember that an individual may perceive her/himself as a victim in an incident even if the Act of Intolerance was not specifically directed at her/him. Staff members need to be particularly aware of and sensitive to the victim's feelings, which could include anger, hurt, fear for physical safety, embarrassment, etc.
• Follow up after an incident will depend to some extent on the nature of the incident. If a responsible person is identified, the appropriate ORL full-time staff member will talk with the student, with an emphasis on helping this person understand the impact his/her behavior could have or did have on the community. The decision about whether or not judicial charges are filed related to the Act of Intolerance will depend almost entirely on the nature of the incident.

Please remember the following important things:

• This type of act does not only affect the person and/or the member of that targeted group, it affects the entire community.
• Allow yourself to feel the frustration of these incidents, but in your role as a staff member, try to "keep your head" and encourage residents to do the same.
• Ensure that inaccurate information is not spread among residents while still being mindful that incidents are confidential in nature.

The Nichols College Office of Residence Life strives to create a welcoming climate for all students. Your efforts in helping to continue to foster that type of environment are greatly appreciated.