Headquartered in Humboldt State’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Siemens Hall 209, the Initiative provides a place for those who have experienced or witnessed an act of bias to talk about their experiences, receive support, and strategize ways to address the issue. The program also works to create learning opportunities within campus aimed at creating a respectful and thriving community.
Those who have experienced or witnessed bias are encouraged to contact the Bias Education Coordinator, Jennifer Eichstedt, at biaseducation@humboldt.edu, call by phone at (707) 826-BIAS, or stop by the office to schedule an appointment.
In Fall 2011, HSU became the first campus in the 23-campus California State University system to form a permanent Bias Response Team; however changes in CSU system-wide policies led to a revamping of the system into its current configuration. The new initiative is centered on education and less around response, while continuing to provide a safe and inclusive campus community.
The team is led by a faculty appointee, partnering with HSU administrators, staff, and other faculty from a variety of departments. Upcoming education programs include bias awareness trainings for student groups and the creation of a bystander training program in collaboration with Check-It, the student-led program aimed at reducing sexual assault, violence and stalking on campus. The Initiative will also address long-term campus issues such as what it means to be a Hispanic-serving institution and how to best support transgendered students on campus.
Bias Education Coordinator and HSU Sociology Professor Jennifer Eichstedt emphasizes that the first-of-its-kind unit in the CSU is “survivor-centered.” The team supports the right of survivors, or targets, of bias and hate to shape the responses to these experiences as far as the circumstances allow.
“We recognize that sometimes, because there are different targets in a bias incident, there are different needs that may be expressed, and we will work to meet those multiple needs, while protecting the identity of the target, to the best of our abilities,” Eichstedt said.
Bias is any form of physical, spoken, or written act of abuse, violence, harassment, intimidation, extortion, use of vulgarity, making remarks of a personally destructive nature toward another person, and any restriction or prevention of free movement of an individual. Bias occurs whether that act is intentional or unintentional and is directed towards an individual based on their actual or perceived membership in an identifiable group.
Bias is usually experienced by individuals, but also directed as intimidating messages to entire groups to which the individual belongs. Oftentimes, manifestations of bias may seem “minor” in nature, and often the source of bias is unaware of the impact of their behavior. Nonetheless, these actions—whether intentional or not—have the potential to create great distress in those to whom they are aimed.
Full details about Humboldt State’s Bias Education Initiative are posted at humboldt.edu/biaseducation.