A bias incident involves any discriminatory act against an individual or a group based on their age, religion, disability (physical or mental), race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, socioeconomic status or any other identity.

Harassment can be defined as continued unwanted actions of one party against another, which may include threats and demands.

University policy defines sexual harassment as:

1. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature by a person who has authority over the recipient when:
   • submission to such conduct is made either an implicit or explicit condition of the individual’s employment, academic status, or ability to use University facilities and services; or
   • submission to or rejection of the conduct is used as the basis for a decision that affects tangible aspects of the individual’s employment, academic status, or use of University facilities.
2. Unwelcome and unsolicited language or conduct that is of a sexual nature and that is sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive that it could reasonably be expected to create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or learning environment, or has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s academic or work performance. This also includes acts of sexual violence, such as sexual assault and sexual exploitation.

The College of Engineering incident reporting tool allows us to identify concerns and patterns specific to our community. Information collected through this process also helps us work strategically with those who need additional guidance on creating a more inclusive environment.

All UW students, staff and faculty can submit a report regardless of their affiliation with the College of Engineering. For example, students in non-engineering majors who engage in any of our affiliated courses or opportunities are encouraged to contact us if concerns arise. You can also submit a report if you are a member of the College of Engineering and would like support following an encounter of bias, discrimination or harassment in a non-engineering experience at the UW.

Yes, you can submit a report for an incident that happened in the past. Even if it did not happen recently, notifying us of a concern allows the College to identify possible patterns of behavior.

We understand that anonymity and safety may be a concern for some who file under an incident report. If a case involves suspected child abuse or neglect, we do have legal reporting obligations. Under Executive Order 56, University employees are mandatory reporters for cases of suspected child abuse or neglect.

In cases that we don’t have legally mandated reporting requirements, we are required to ask for contact information initially for safety purposes, however, your identity is kept confidential. We are able to offer an anonymous option for cases where mandatory reporting is not required, and no names will be shared in conversations connected to your report moving forward. This can include advocating on your behalf in various meetings with your permission and input if desired.

If you have experienced incidents of sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking, or sexual harassment and are looking for fully anonymous or confidential support, we strongly encourage utilizing SafeCampus and the LiveWell Confidential Advocates.

Unfortunately, many instances of bias, discrimination and harassment are not reported. This process was created as a centralized way for community members to communicate where harm is being done and to identify places where further attention is needed. Submitting a report not only provides the option for you to receive tailored support from trained advocates, but it allows the College to better understand where targeted interventions are needed to improve our community as a whole.

Your report is first received by only a small number of staff members within the Dean’s Office at the College of Engineering who have been appropriately trained to handle various types of concerns. Depending on the nature of the report and your preferences moving forward, other pertinent individuals or offices may also be looped in.

1. An initial email will be sent to confirm receipt of your report.
2. If you said in the form that you are okay with being contacted, we may reach out for additional information. If you do not want to be contacted, you will not be contacted. You can also choose to remain anonymous. For anonymous reports, we commit to maintaining confidentiality and will not share your name in any conversations moving forward.
3. After gathering information, the committee will determine what kind of follow up is appropriate. The committee may take certain actions directly such as working with facilities to remove graffiti, reaching out to affected communities to provide support, or working with departments on possible next steps. Formal investigations are discussed below.
4. The incident report committee does not perform formal investigations. Our mission is to provide you with support and advocacy. In most cases, you can decide if you would like a formal investigation started. However, in some cases (e.g., sexual misconduct, hate crimes) we may be compelled by law to report to an investigative body like Safe Campus.
5. The College of Engineering will partner with the university’s central Bias Incident Advisory Committee to catalog reports and further track for trends.

If you indicate in your report that you do not want to be contacted further, the Incident Response Team commits to not asking any additional questions unless you initiate further conversation first. Depending on the details of the initial report, this may mean we are more limited in what actions we can take. If you would like to amend your contact preferences for a report, please email coeoie@uw.edu.