Bias crimes and prevention

Hate crimes, also called bias crimes are very serious crimes in New York state. Bias crimes are criminal activities motivated by the perpetrator's bias attitude against an individual victim or group based on perceived or actual personal characteristics, such as their race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or disability. Penalties for bias--related crimes are very serious and range from fines to imprisonment for lengthy periods, depending on the nature of underlying criminal offense, the use of violence or previous convictions of the offender. Perpetrators who are students will also be subject to campus disciplinary procedures where sanctions including dismissal from the College are possible. This campus has a zero tolerance for hate crime.

Examples of hate crimes

Examples of hate crimes may include, but are not limited to threatening phone calls based on bias, hate mail (including electronic mail), physical assaults, vandalism, destruction of property, and fire bombings.

Procedures for responding to bias-related incidents

These procedures apply, to the extent reasonably practicable under the circumstances, during both business and non-business hours. When a student, faculty or staff member becomes aware of a bias-related incident or hate crime, the following procedures are to be applied:

All bias-related incident reports shall be considered confidential

1. Contact University Police 315.312.5555 for on-campus incidents, or the Oswego City Police 911 for off-campus incidents. Provide your name, location, the nature of the incident and whether you or those involved have sustained injury. Ask the responding agency to provide a camera at the scene. Photographs should be taken of the physical injuries, offensive graffiti and evidence or vandalism.
2. If possible, REMAIN on or near the location while you wait for the police to respond. Do not touch or move any physical items from the scene. Retain any physical evidence of the incident (e.g., messages written on doors, physical objects, etc.).
3. When the Police arrive, PROVIDE a detailed description of what occurred. Include time, location, any persons observed at the scene, and any subsequent actions. University Police will be responsible to report all documents and information to the Office of Affirmative Action. If Oswego Police are called, it is strongly encouraged to also report the incident to University Police 315.312.5555 and the Affirmative Action Office at 315.312.2213.
4. Request assistance from the police to secure services from the Office of Student Conduct 315.312.3378, Affirmative Action Office 315.312.2213, and/or the Dean of Students 315.312.3214. Provide the agency you contact with a copy of your deposition. Special requests such as relocation from the residence hall, a request for the responding agency to contact a parent or guardian, or other such provisions may be requested.
5. University Police will contact the SUNY Oswego Maintenance Department to remove graffiti, repair damage and clean the area as soon as practicable, after appropriate evidence gathering procedures are completed.

Learn more about the Bias Prevention and Response Team.