If I have seen, heard, or experienced harassment, discrimination, bias, or hate, what are my reporting options?
For concerns regarding students or student groups, please complete the Harassment, Discrimination, Bias, and Hate Incident Reporting Form or contact the Title IX & Bias Response Office (T9BR) at t9br@mit.edu or (617) 715-4080. For concerns regarding faculty or staff, please contact Human Resources, review Human Resources’ Complaint Process and Resolution website or consult with your Academic or Administrative Department.
**Regardless of affiliation (i.e., student, faculty, staff) in the event of an emergency, a concern about someone’s safety, or if they believe a hate crime may have been committed, individuals are encouraged to contact the MIT Police.
Can I file a report if I am not a member of the MIT community?
Yes, individuals who are not affiliated with MIT may complete the Harassment, Discrimination, Bias, and Hate Incident Reporting Form or contact the Title IX & Bias Response Office (T9BR) at t9br@mit.edu or (617) 715-4080.
What should I do if I want talk to someone about my experience, but I’m not sure it’s harassment or discrimination?
Students can discuss their concerns with a trusted individual. Students may find it helpful to speak with Institute Community Partners. Institute Community Partners include confidential resources such as Mental Health and Counseling, MIT chaplains, Ombuds Office, and Violence Prevention and Response.
What should I do when I witness or overhear something that might be harassment or discrimination? What are my options?
To share information about incidents involving students or student groups, community members are encouraged to use the Harassment, Discrimination, Bias, and Hate Incident Reporting Form or contact the Title IX & Bias Response Office at t9br@mit.edu or 617-715-4080. If you have an urgent concern or a concern that arises outside of business hours, please contact one of MIT’s Emergency Resources listed on the bottom of the page. Students may also want to share what they have witnessed or overheard with a trusted individual, including a Community Partner. Community Partners include confidential resources such as Mental Health and Counseling, MIT chaplains, Ombuds Office, and Violence Prevention and Response.
How does MIT define harassment?
MIT Policy 9.4 defines harassment as unwelcome conduct of a verbal, nonverbal or physical nature that is sufficiently severe or pervasive to create a work or academic environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile or abusive and that adversely affects an individual’s educational, work, or living environment. In determining whether unwelcome conduct is harassing, the Institute will examine the totality of the circumstances surrounding the conduct, including its frequency, nature and severity, the relationship between the parties and the context in which the conduct occurred. Some examples of harassing conduct, include: public and personal tirades; deliberate and repeated humiliation; deliberate interference with the life or work of another person; the use of certain racial epithets; deliberate desecration of religious articles or places; repeated insults about loss of personal and professional competence based on age.
What is a microaggression?
Microagressions are “[c]ommonplace verbal, behavioral or environmental indignities, whether unintentional or intentional which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative slights and insults to people from marginalized groups…” - Derald Wing Sue, Ph.D, Teachers College, Columbia University
- Microassaults: Conscious and intentional actions or slurs, such as using racial epithets or displaying swastikas.
- Microinsults: Verbal and nonverbal communications that subtly convey rudeness and insensitivity and demean a person's racial heritage or identity.
- Microinvalidations: Communications that subtly exclude, negate or nullify the thoughts, feelings or experiential reality of a person of color or member of another marginalized community.
These definitions are adapted from the work of Dr. Sue.
Who should I contact if I want additional information about the reporting process for incidents involving students or student groups?
Community members can contact the Title IX & Bias Response Office (T9BR) at t9br@mit.edu or (617) 715-4080. Please note that T9BR only checks email and voicemail during business hours. If you require immediate assistance, please contact one of the emergency resources listed at the bottom of the page.
If I file a report and provide my contact information, what is the typical timeframe in which I can expect to be contacted?
If the Bias Response Team (BRT) receives a report with a reporting party’s contact information, a member of the BRT will follow up with the reporting party to discuss the situation, review available resources, and determine the desired outcome. The BRT will typically contact the reporting party within three business days. Please note that response times may vary depending on the unique facts and circumstances of each report. If you require more immediate support or assistance, please contact one of the emergency resources listed at the bottom of the page.
What happens if I make an anonymous report?
Typically, the report will be documented and used for data gathering purposes. When deciding whether to take action on an anonymous report, the BRT will weigh the reporting party’s request for anonymity with the Institute’s commitment to provide a reasonably safe and non-discriminatory environment. If the BRT determines action is needed, any potentially identifying information about the reporting party will be kept confidential to the extent possible.
Who will my report be shared with?
In most cases, reports involving students or student organizations will only be shared with members of the BRT or Community Partners with expertise in the relevant area(s). The BRT’s primary concern is providing ongoing support and interventions for the affected individual and/or community. However, if a crime has been committed, or someone is at risk of harm, the Institute has an obligation to act in order to keep you and others in the MIT community safe. If the BRT determines action is needed, any potentially identifying information about the reporting party will be kept confidential to the extent possible. Reports involving faculty or staff members may be forwarded to Human Resources.
Can the BRT keep my identity a secret? What if I do not want my identity disclosed to the student or student organized identified in the report?
Keeping a reporting party’s identity confidential may limit the BRT’s ability to meaningfully investigate and respond to a report. Typically, the report will be documented and used for data gathering purposes. The BRT will weigh the reporting party’s request for confidentiality with the Institute’s commitment to provide a reasonably safe and non-discriminatory environment. If the BRT determines action is needed, any potentially identifying information about the reporting party will be kept confidential to the extent possible. If the reporting party’s identity needs to be disclosed, the BRT will notify the reporting party before any action is taken.
Does the BRT force reporting/impacted parties to share their experience with the Institute or pressure a student to pursue disciplinary action?
No, the student always retains control over who to talk to and what level of information to share. Students are not pressured to file a complaint with the Committee on Discipline (COD).
Will the accused student/student group see the report?
Incident reports involving students or student organizations will be kept confidential. Only those who need to know will be informed, such as members of the BRT or Community Partners with expertise in the relevant area(s)If a complaint is initiated with the Committee on Discipline (COD), the accused student or student organization will have access to redacted copies of all relevant materials submitted, including the report.
Is there a time limit for making a report?
There is no time limit for making a report. The Institute encourages reporting an incident as soon as possible in order to maximize our ability to respond promptly and effectively. The Institute may not be able to take action against individuals who are no longer students, but it will still seek to develop a response plan designed to maintain a reasonably safe and non-discriminatory environment.
Can I request a training for a particular group or individual and how do I go about it?
Inquiries regarding training should be directed to the Title IX & Bias Response Office (T9BR) at t9br@mit.edu. Each training request will be documented for data collection purposes. T9BR, in conjunction with community partners, will strive to fulfill training requests subject to staff availability.