Closed
After a period of 90 days with no new information, cases are considered closed. However, if new information becomes available or there are other updates those will be posted here. Individuals who believe they have been the target of bias, intolerance or discrimination may report an incident to the public incident report form (bias and intolerance) or the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (sexual misconduct and discrimination).
Please direct any questions or concerns in regard to this bias incident to the RBIRT Manager at RBIresponse@utah.edu.
What happened
On December 1, 2020, during morning rounds, a Resident Assistant (RA) at Kahlert Village found vandalism in the common area of their floor. The vandalism consisted of posters being ripped, some holiday decorations damaged, and on the common white board someone wrote a slur directed at the LGBT+ community.
What is being done
Housing and Residential Education (HRE) has reported the incident to the University’s Racist and Bias Incident Response Team, and to University Police. HRE has posted several “Hate has no home here” posters with messages supportive to the targeted community in the immediate vicinity of the vandalism. Additionally, HRE has increased efforts to ensure safety within the facility.
The appropriate security footage has been reviewed, and no perpetrator was able to be identified. Typically, perpetrators of incidents like this are difficult to identify, however, if any university community members are identified, the Office of the Dean of Students, HRE, Human Resources, or other appropriate administrator will contact them to discuss policies and relevant sanctions, and provide education about the impact of these messages.
What to do
If you come across an item that is defaced or damaged or notice other vandalism, note the location and notify a campus official. If you are interested in learning more about the variety of resources the U offers to support diversity and inclusion, please visit the Office of the Dean of Students in the Union Building, Room 270, deanofstudents@utah.edu, 801-581-7066.
The U is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion
The University of Utah strongly condemns bias, discrimination, racism, bigotry and hate in the strongest possible terms and is no place for violence. We support fostering an inclusive campus and are committed to diversity. U administrators want to assure students, faculty and staff that they are dedicated to creating a safe, welcoming and equitable campus where we work together to engage, support and advance a living, learning and working environment that fosters values of respect, diversity, inclusivity and academic excellence.
Students, faculty, staff and visitors who believe they have been the target of bias, intolerance or discrimination may report an incident through the public reporting form (bias and intolerance) for supportive measures, or the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (sexual misconduct and discrimination).
Support and resources
Counseling and support services are available from several entities on campus:
- American Indian Resource Center: 801-581-7019
- Black Cultural Center: 801-213-1441
- Center for Ethnic Student Affairs (CESA): 801-581-8151
- Center for Student Wellness: (victim-survivor advocates, bystander intervention training): 801-581-7776
- Dream Center: 801-213-3697
- Employee Assistance Program (staff): 801-587-9319 or 800-926-9619
- Independent Review Committee: complaints about public safety personnel may be reported to the Independent Review Committee at irc.utah.edu
- LGBT Resource Center: 801-587-7973
- Office for Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and Title IX: 801-581-8365
- Office of the Dean of Students: 801-581-7066
- University Counseling Center (students only): 801-581-6826
- University Neuropsychiatric Institute crisis line (available 24/7): 801-587-3000
- Women’s Resource Center: 801-581-8030