Carroll University is committed to cultivating and sustaining a safe, welcoming, and inclusive living and learning environment for every member of our campus community. The Campus Climate Response Protocol advances this commitment by providing a mechanism by which individuals may report incidents of real or perceived bias, exclusion, or inequity and seek support through campus resources in addressing those concerns.
The protocol further allows the university to observe and assess campus culture with an aim of making systemic changes and educational efforts that will promote inclusion, understanding, and the Carroll University Ethos of respect, integrity, and stewardship.
Carroll University is a community centered around its Ethos and fostering a socially justice institution. Climate is focused on how the policies, practices, and interpersonal relationships at Carroll affect the quality of life for students and employees. Focusing on climate aims to provide pathways to receive information on different segments of the student and employee populations based on identity. The University’s Campus Climate Team is comprised of cross disciplinary faculty and staff who are trained and equipped to address campus climate issues and/or concerns.
It is important for faculty, staff, and students to recognize behaviors that demonstrate otherwise and focus on addressing the harm that was done. The Campus Climate Response Protocol is one of the ways we are advancing this commitment by providing a mechanism by which individuals may report incidents of real or perceived inequities such as harmful bias, exclusionary practices, damaging stereotypes, etc., in and outside of the classroom.
Reporting an inequity should be centered around the following intent:
- Making a Connection – when you only need someone from the Campus Climate Response Team to listen to your experience.
- Sharing for Education – passing along an experience you have had in and off campus to help inform the training and programming opportunities offered to the campus community.
- Repairing the Community – a restorative meeting between the parties involved will be scheduled to understand intent vs. impact with the outcome towards restoring the environment.
- Building Understanding - selecting this means you would like a member of the Campus Climate Response Team (CCT) to request a voluntary meeting with the responding party(ies) to have an educational conversation.
Students, faculty, or staff who experience, witness, or learn of a potential campus climate concern should fill out this online referral form.
Campus inequity incidents may include a verbal, written, or physical act of intolerance or prejudice that does not involve violence or other conduct violating college policy, but which threatens, intimidates, or marginalizes individuals or groups because of their actual or perceived race, color, religion, sexual orientation, ability status, ethnicity/national origin, physical characteristics, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, and/or any other legally protected classification and lacks a reasonable relationship to an educational, political, and/or artistic end.
Examples of campus inequity incidents include but are not limited to homophobic or sexist jokes, racist epithets, slurs, or demeaning remarks on social media. Campus equity incidents may or may not be intended to cause harm (intent vs impact).
CCT is not a disciplinary body. CCT may discuss with a student and/or employee on how to file a complaint with the appropriate office if it appears that a violation of University policy has been alleged, but it is not the role of CCT to investigate or determine whether a reported concern involved a violation of University policy. Incidents of discrimination and harassment of a protected class involving employees are handled by the Department of Human Resources. Incidents involving students are handled by The Office of Student Conduct.