SUNY Oneonta regular basis; the policy and reporting procedures may be found on this page. Reports of bias acts will be reviewed by the Bias Acts Response Team; see names and contact information for the team members.
At SUNY Oneonta, hate crimes and bias acts can be reported to the Bias Acts Response Team (BART) who will respond to the individuals and/or communities affected.
Important Definitions
- Hate Crime: According to New York State Penal Law §485.05, a person commits a hate crime when he or she commits a specified criminal offense and either intentionally commits the act or intentionally selects the person against whom the offense is 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.
- Bias Act: A bias act is conduct that adversely and unfairly targets an individual or group based on the social identity categories of race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, or criminal conviction, or any other characteristic protected under State or Federal law or SUNY policy.
Hate crimes may be prosecuted by University Police, Oneonta Police, or other law enforcement agencies. In the case of criminal prosecution, BART can continue to support the targeted person throughout the process.
Nature of Incidents
Hate crimes and bias acts may be verbal, written, or physical and occur on the SUNY Oneonta campus or within an area that affects the campus community. SUNY Oneonta's response to bias related speech will not be in violation of First Amendment free speech rights. A report can and should be submitted to BART whether the perpetrators are known or unknown.
BART’s Response
In responding to a report, BART will offer remedial actions such as passive or active programming about bias acts and/or facilitated meetings among those who have perpetrated bias acts and those who have been targeted. The remedial actions are arranged on a case-by-case basis. Responses may also include investigation and adjudication, as appropriate, by the University Police Department, the Office of Student Conduct, the Office of Human Resources, and/or the Affirmative Action Office.
Information about SUNY Oneonta’s responses to bias acts and hate crimes is disseminated through the Office of Human Resources, the Office of Equity and Inclusion, the Office of Community Standards, and the University Police Department.
Anyone who believes that they have been the victim of a hate crime or bias act, or those who have witnessed incidents of hate crimes or bias, are encouraged to seek assistance at any of those offices.
For information about bias acts and SUNY Oneonta’s response, please contact a member or office of the Bias Acts Response Team.