Campus Climate and Incident Response

Campus Climate & Incident Response Team

The University of Oklahoma is a community of care. We are committed to providing an inclusive campus experience with a sense of belonging for all. The Campus Climate Incident Response Team (CCIRT) is our commitment to addressing instances of bias on campus.

The information you submit in your report may be shared with offices including Student Affairs, the Office of Student Conduct, EEO, Title IX, Human Resources, OUPD.

SUBMIT REPORT

About Campus Climate & Incident Response

The Campus Climate Incident Response Team is here to assist you in the event that you experience an incident of bias on campus. This site will allow you to report an incident and review the response and resolution processes that are available on campus.

The purpose of the University of Oklahoma’s bias response team is to:

To provide support, healing, and individually tailored restorative options to members of the OU community who are negatively impacted by bias incidents. 
To facilitate a restorative, mediated process between parties involved in a bias incident (both the reporting party and the person who caused the harm).
To create and maintain a safe and inclusive campus climate for all OU community members and visitors. 
To track bias incidents and patterns that negatively impact the campus community and respond so that the community and our members may thrive.

The Campus Climate Incidient Response Team is here to serve the campus community as a resource and our goals are to improve campus climate using a restorative process as we provide a healing space for those who are targets of or witnesses to a bias incident.

Reports to this body cover incidents and harms experienced on campus that do not have a formal resolution process (incidents that do not meet the criteria for a policy violation). Resolution through this body may align with other offices or entities on campus as part of the process, and participation in this is entirely voluntary.

What is Bias?

Bias is a human tendency to categorize individuals based on easily accessible information, including (but not limited to) age, race, disability, gender identity or expression, and/or attire. Bias is not inherently bad, however, it can become problematic when categorizing individuals leads to discrimination, harassment, or bias incidents. 

What is a Bias Incident?

A bias incident is an act directed toward an individual or community based upon actual or perceived background or identity including: age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Bias incidents can occur in a variety of settings, but have one important factor in common: they create a hostile working, learning, or living environment and frequently have a negative psychological, emotional, or physical effect on an individual or community.

Freedom of Speech

The University of Oklahoma is committed to the free, spirited and safe exchange of ideas. The Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities acknowledges that the University cannot punish or censor student speech based on its content. While we encourage the exchange of ideas and free speech we also acknowledge that we are not free from the consequences or harms of such speech. When bias, hate or harmful speech occurs it can inhibit a person’s ability to thrive on campus and we are here to provide an opportunity to heal.

Non-Discrimination Statement

The University is committed to creating and maintaining a community where all persons who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in an atmosphere free from all forms of harassment, exploitation, or intimidation. The University condemns discrimination based on sex or gender, sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual orientation discrimination, discrimination based on gender identity or expression, and sexual misconduct, including but not limited to dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. Any such activity committed by a member of the University community may subject the individual to University sanctions as well as civil and criminal penalties.

Persons who have complaints alleging discrimination based upon sex or gender, which may include sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual orientation discrimination, discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression, and sexual misconduct may file their complaints with the University’s Equal Opportunity Officer / Institutional Equity and Title IX Coordinator or the University’s Sexual Misconduct Officer identified below. The University reserves the right to independently address known concerns falling under this policy, regardless of whether a complaint has been filed, in order to end the discrimination, prevent its recurrence, and remedy its effects.

ou.edu/eoo/policies-procedures/non-discrimination

The Resolution Process

Resolution Process

The team is committed to providing healing to those who choose to use this process. Based on a restorative justice model, we acknowledge that this is founded in Indigenous ways of healing and aim to bring a sense of resolution to a person who has experienced harm in our community.

Campus Climate & Incident Response Team uses an informal process to address incidents. In this framework the areas that would most be used by this body are:

Conflict Coaching
Facilitated Dialogue
Mediation
Restorative Practices

The incident resolutions within this body are designed to address the identified harm, identify ways that individuals and/or the community have been harmed, and develop a resolution agreement to address the harm and prevent future incidents

Participation is voluntary for all involved parties (reporting party, respondent, witnesses etc.)

Process should be initiated by the person who was targeted or witnessed the incident

Participants who choose to abide by the resolutions proposed will use a guiding document to align outcomes and actions.

The CCIRT will not compel anyone to pursue a resolution or dictate the pathway to resolution

Informal Resolution Process can be ended at any point, by either party

Information shared or obtained during resolution will be treated as private; however, other impacted parties may be involved as necessary (Residence Life, The Office of the Provost, Deans etc.).

These materials have been developed by the following guiding bodies: The ASCA Association for Student Conduct Administration (Advanced Restorative Justice Track) and the University of Michigan; and are in line with OU Office of Student Conduct, Human Resources, Title IX and EEO guidance on informal resolution.