The University of Michigan this week began a new online log to share information about each incident of bias reported to the university’s Bias Response Team.
Online resources
A bias incident is conduct that discriminates, stereotypes, excludes, harasses or harms any member of the university community based on such identity factors as race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age or religion.
The university’s Bias Response Team, part of the Division of Student Life, is charged with creating and maintaining a respectful and welcoming environment in which all members of the university community can live, learn, work and thrive.
The Bias Response Team works with the Expect Respect program, both of which are housed in the Dean of Students Office.
Dean of Students Laura Blake Jones has provided leadership to make the log of bias incidents publicly available and to develop additional information on reporting options.
“We worked carefully with students and professional staff to create a bias incident log that shares information publicly while maintaining privacy for the affected students and other members of our community,” Blake Jones says.
The bias incident log posted online this week details incidents reported since July 1. The log will be updated weekly, Blake Jones says. Details in the log include the date of the incident, the nature of the incident, the method used to express bias, the location of the incident and a summary of responsive actions.
The Bias Response Team is a group of professional staff members who focus on the response and management of bias incidents involving U-M students. All members of the university community are able to report incidents.
“This team of skilled professionals represent many aspects of the university community and work to coordinate a comprehensive response to each individual incident,” says Assistant Dean of Students Nicole Banks, who leads the bias response effort.
The team is committed to providing support for students who have been targets of or affected by a bias incident. Team members work to ensure that appropriate university resources and expertise are consulted and utilized as incidents impacting students and the community occur. The team is responsible for providing a coordinated response that utilizes multidisciplinary expertise to support students involved in a bias incident.
The Bias Response Team is coordinated by and is currently composed of representatives from the following units on the Ann Arbor campus:
• Dean of Students Office
• Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs
• Office for Institutional Equity
• Office of Student Conflict Resolution
• Provost’s Office
• University Housing
• U-M Police
There are several ways any member of the university community is able to report a bias incident, either experienced or witnessed:
• The Bias Incident Reporting Line: 734-615-BIAS (2427)
• The Division of Public Safety & Security: 734-763-1131
• The Office of Institutional Equity: 734-763-0235
• In residence halls, students may report bias to their resident adviser, diversity peer educator or hall director. Reports also may be made in person through the Dean of Students Office in Suite 3000 of the Michigan Union.
• Online reporting is offered through this form.
Once a report is made, a member of the Bias Response Team will make contact to set up a meeting to discuss what happened and offer additional support and assistance. Team members explain the process for following up on a report and what response options are available. A plan of action is created and implemented with follow-up occurring as appropriate.
Karen I
This is a great benefit for the University of Michigan students. The support could not have come at a better time. It should also be extended to faculty and staff as well. This has been a pervasive problem for the employees of the University, in particular at ITS. ITS is a hotbed for bias against women minorities especially those who are lesbians or older. It is unfortunate that this is perpetuated by the CIO thus accepted as the norm for the University staff. As many other posts have stated, the CIO is not the right fit for the University culture and it is uncertain why the hypocrisy that must be maintained by keeping her as a highly paid executive. It is unfortunate that because we allow executives to behave this way it actually negates the authenticity of this program for the students. We still have hope that the president isn’t just creating superficial programs to help his campaign for renewal, and that he would truly correct the bias and discrimination in his entire organization – starting with the removal of Trosvig as CIO.
Mike M
What can you you do for staff to ensure our safety against retaliation and job loss when it is done by someone that is a direct report of the President himself? This is affecting many in the ITS organization, but the information is hidden when reported while the employee is still there, and when they do leave either there is no exit interview or one is fabricated. The President is responsible for all those who work for the University and those that attend the University. Is there any kind of internal audit or investigation that can occur under the K. Trosvig domain?
Bill M
The atrocities that occur on a daily basis to staff is relevant in this conversation because if they can’t be taken care of, what good are they to helping students? The IT organizations is in great need of support, especially those in the Central organization. Many were forced into ITS with the promise of better and brighter days with MiWorkspace, and there were some good days. Those days are over now with the new CIOz The IT organization is in rapid decline with no way of improving until someone goes in and cleans it out. It’s bleeding talent and now full of sludge. Decentralized IT is now key to success. Go to the cloud, and you no longer need a CIO. Now wonder she wants to take 10 years to get there, it keeps her and her cronies safe.
Adam S
There are clearly issues with the ITS organization. It seems that audit, whether internal or an external one, should look at how the organization is doing. When there are this many people problems, it seems that there are significant financial problems. If there are financial problems there are probably compliance problems. How can we trust these individuals with all the information we have on them starting with the VP in this organization. Has any compliance reports been filed through the hotline about ITS? At least start with those.
Greg W
Is this the same for employees? All my friends who are gay, Asian, Hispanic and Arabic decent are being bullied chased out of the University. Also any one who has moral character or is considered pretty and thin are also victims of mistreatment. Most specifically are those from ITS, but since they are either not given an exit interview or their exit interview is deleted or when they report it and it gets dismissed it looks less probablematic than it is. When you erase the voices and comments of those being mistreated, then it only leaves you with what you want to see and hear. A nice homogenous world that only operates in the black and white and straight. Check into ITS, look beyond the CIO, or better yet check her out and her favorites. What is she and her leadership doing to those that don’t fit in?
Mark P
I have noticed a lot of complaints about the central IT organization- not sure if it is HITS or ITS, but the trend is that IT is a hotbed of hostility and toxicity. This means that staff need support. The current regime of IT leadership is not the solution. Fixing this needs to start at the top. It’s time for a new CIO that actually fits the true diversity of the University of Michigan. Embrace not just the black and white, but all colors, ages, sexual preferences, etc. Until we change the leaders we just are keeping the same problem.
Girish Patel
Agreed. True diversity means more than just giving African Americans a chance. It’s everyone else. We deserve one too.
Enrico Pandamandam
Agree with Girish. All colors need a chance, diversity is more than an African American. IMO, more important than diversity is integrity, intelligence, skills, and a good personality. Then what is on the outside is not relevant.
Sue M
I hope this resource is for staff too, because many of us are NOT happy at ITS. We don’t have a voice, and when 95% of the leadership don’t care or don’t know what they are doing – it comes out to affect is in different ways. Some take credit for our work, others make monumental mistakes, and the rest either bully or manipulate. This is hurting the University. I hope you see it. If not, do a survey or audit.
Sam R
The issue with any kind of reporting or anonymous complaint is that there is not proof that it goes anywhere. How do you know if comments are read when there never appears to be any action. My friends in ITS have been having a very bad year with the leadership, especially since anyone worth leading is gone. They have written on the Record, sent letters, called the compliance line, gone to many HR officials across campus since the Administration and HR at ITS is biased, given exit interviews, and talked to anyone that would listen. Nothing happens. What is the purpose of reporting it?
R K
You mean there are not many good leaders left worth following. Correct, the cio office and the administration (HR) is compromised. Not effective or competent either.
Jane Jamieson
I think this is great. It fits our university way that we should be heard. It’s not always safe to speak up, but to have a mechanism is important. Maybe eventually, the leadership will read the concerns and respond, but to start it needs to go somewhere. My partner still works at ITS so I know how bad it is there, they have no one to go to when there are issues. There is no one to go to in leadership or HR at all, but it’s an enormous expensive group that adds no value.
David K
I think that in ITS, there’s quickly a new change of culture since the new CIO arrived. It’s the if you can’t beat her, join her. Even if your values are different and although it’s normal that many people have different values, what we are seeing is that people conforming and becoming the homogeneous organization she is striving for. So for those who a considered minorities, female, or LGBT they have to overlook their lack of welcome, accept the “treatment”, smile like we accept the mistreatment and just act as if we are accepting that this is the new ITS organization. This type of behavior will help reduce the number of complaints. I worked in the organization and I do see some leadership who fit the minority status and they have to in someways sell out their own kind and self worth to survive or leave. It’s depressing to see where we are going, but it’s important to note that this could be why complaints are deminishing. People are either leaving or are now muted/deleted or they’ve sold out because they either need the money or have been brainwashed.
Aaron Derek
ITS needs to help reduced the known bias by actually posting jobs on the public site so that hiring managers can not cherry pick for their homogeneous teams they are building. There has been a number of manager, director, and executive director positions that there has been no actual posting. They either do an email to a small team, quietly move people into roles because rules are not needed, or interims automatically get the role. What happened to Affirmative Action? All the positions that have interdepartmental postings or moving interims have been of the inner circle of the CIO. If the rumors and speculations are not true about the CIO, then there needs to be true transparency of an audit performed in both the financial and HR areas of the ITS organization. otherwise, the behaviors they are demonstrating are perpetuating the rumors that they are known for. We at the University of Michigan need to demonstrate unbiased behaviors, and we need to start where it is most prevalent.
Mandy G
The University made an easy decision, but most likely difficult execution of an important change today. The announcement of an interim CIO over ITS was announced because Trosvig is no longer in office! There is finally a chance to see improvements. We must not forget those who were close to the former CIO demonstrated the same toxic behavior prior to her arrival and will continue to do so until they are also helped out of ITS. The former CIO only gave shelter to those in the Administration and her Executive Leadership to prolong their poisonous deeds because they were all alike. We must continue the clean up with new Executive leadership before we can believe there is a difference. Bring in ALL NEW OR EVEN LESS IT leadership. We can do it! We are the leaders and best!!