Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson announced last Thursday the creation of a web site for reporting discriminatory acts on campus.
The web site, which does not have a finalized web address, was planned in response to criticism by students last spring that there did not exist a standardized system for reporting hate incidents on campus. Before the web site, students reported bias-related incidents through a host of channels, including Residence Life Staff, the Department of Public Safety and the Center for Minority Educational Affairs.
Olson said that a committee of students, faculty and staff determined that an online-based system of reporting would be the most effective medium for the campus community.
“The planning discussions this summer made it clear that a web site would be accessible to the campus community and would be easy for students, faculty and staff to find and use,” he said.
“Todd Olson has definitely done what he said he was going to do, ” Veronica Root (MSB ‘04), former Black Student Alliance President, said. “But this issue goes beyond Todd Olson. There is still much to be done.”
At an August meeting with campus press, Vice President for Safety and Security David Morrell anticipated the launch of the web site as an effective way to respond to criticisms of bureaucratic confusion when it comes to bias-related incidents.
He said that a web site would make such incidents more public, so that plaintiffs and other students could see an account of what happened, and the results of any official investigation.
The site will initially be linked from the Student Affairs page, be.georgetown.edu and my.georgetown.edu.
Additional Reporting by Eric Mittereder
