Team to combat prejudice

This fall, the Office of Student Ethics and Anti-Harassment Programs is launching a new bias incidents team devoted to addressing religious harassment.\nPamela Freeman, associate dean of students and director of Student Ethics and Anti-Harassment Programs, said incidents of anti-Semitism and other religiously biased incidents have been tracked since the inception of anti-harassment teams but traditionally have been reported to the Racial Incidents Team. \nAn increasing number of religiously biased incidents prompted the creation of a new, independent team.\n"There is enough religious bias out there manifesting itself in the form of harassment, enough students experiencing it, and they wouldn't know where to report (these incidents) because you wouldn't know to report to the Racial Team," Freeman said.\nEarlier this year, a Jewish student's car was vandalized -- swastikas and the word "Jew" were spray-painted in red.\nBill Shipton, who chairs the Racial Incident Team, echoed Freeman's sentiments.\n"The number of incidents that seem to relate to religious bias have increased enough," Shipton said. "For years, we thought about putting 'Religious' in the team's title, but it seemed clumsy. So we decided to create the Religious Bias Incidents Team."\nFreeman said it is difficult to anticipate the types of religious bias the team may encounter but that they wanted to make it very clear that when something happens to students they can report it to the team.\nFreeman said the new Bias Incidents Team will follow the same procedures as the pre-existing teams. Students will be able to report or bring before a team a particular incident, and team members and the victim can discuss and advise options for proper response. \nShipton hopes this new team can do what the existing teams have done for the campus, namely to provide a readily identifiable place for students to report incidents, to provide a place to collect data and to provide support for victims. \n"We want to provide, within reason, whatever support the student wants and needs," Shipton said. "If the student wants a sit-down meeting, we try to arrange it. If the student is terrified and needs to talk to someone or help report to police, we help make that happen. If it occurred in a classroom and the student wants to contact the academic department, we can help."\nRabbi Sue Shifron, director of the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center, praised the University for addressing issues of anti-Semitism.\n"I think IU's administration and faculty and staff have been wonderful about responding to anti-Semitism," Rabbi Shifron said. "I think these incidents happen -- they happen everywhere -- and I think it's great that the University has taken a strong stand, as usual, to promote education and help."\nIn 1988, the Office of the Dean of Students established the Racial Incidents Team to receive student reports involving discrimination on race, national origin or religion.\nFreeman said these teams were started at the request of students involved in advocacy groups and student government to have an administrative response. \nA typical team consists of 10 members or fewer, mostly faculty and staff, with an attempt to have as diverse a group as possible, Freeman said. Members are invited by invitation based on previous credentials.\nUndergraduate students do not serve on the teams, but there are typically one or two graduate students.\nFollowing the Racial Incidents Team, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Anti-Harassment Team was created in 1990. The Gender Incidents Team was created in the fall of 2000.\nStudents may report incidents in the Office of Student Ethics and Anti-Harassment Programs, in the Office of Residential Programs and Services, in the Office of the Dean of Students, in the Office of Women's Affairs and in the residence halls.\nIncidents related to race, religion, nationality or sexual orientation harassment can be reported at 855-4463 or via e-mail at reportit@indiana.edu. Incidents related to gender harassment can be reported at 855-3849 or via e-mail at sexism@indiana.edu.\n-- Contact senior writer Tony Sams at ajsams@indiana.edu.