Bias Incidents

IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED A HATE CRIME AND/OR ETHNIC INTIMIDATION

Students/employees are encouraged to report any prohibited conduct that may constitute a crime to local law enforcement immediately. Police have unique legal authority to seek and execute search warrants, to collect forensic evidence and to make an arrest when supported by probable cause to believe a crime has been committed. Police can also assist when seeking a Personal Protection Order (PPO). Listed below are contact numbers for local law enforcement and Hope College’s Campus Safety:

• Police Emergency: Dial 9-1-1
• Holland Police Department (non-emergency): 1.800.249.0911
• Hope College Campus Safety Department: 616.395.7770

Immediate Medical Attention

Holland Hospital Emergency Department

602 Michigan Avenue
Holland, Michigan 49423

Contact Hope College Campus Safety to arrange appropriate transportation based on your needs by calling 616.395.7770.

Non-emergency Medical Attention is available at Hope College. The Hope Health Center can provide service to any Hope student who is registered for the current semester as a degree seeking student.

Hope College Health Center—Dow Center

168 East 13th Street
Holland, MI 49423
616.395.7585

The Health Center is able to assess:

• Injuries
• Mental health concerns

For more information, please visit: hope.edu/healthcenter

REPORTING PROCEDURES AT HOPE COLLEGE

Filing a report of discrimination or harassment at Hope College allows for supportive measures (see next section). If you chose to file a campus report, the Equal Opportunity Coordinator (or designee) will reach out to you to discuss the incident and your reporting options prior to opening a formal investigation under the Equal Opportunity, Harassment and Nondiscrimination Policy.

To file a complaint at Hope, you can submit a report online at hope.edu/reportdiscrimination. You may choose to submit this form anonymously; however, our ability to respond to the incident may be limited. There is no time limit on reporting. Even if you are not interested in reporting right away, you continue to reserve the right to report at any time in the future. (If reported after significant time has passed, it could impact our ability to respond, such as in circumstances when the responding party may no longer be affiliated with Hope College.)

You may also contact any of the following people to file a report:

senior director of equity and compliance

Taylor Sinclair
sinclair@hope.edu
Anderson Werkman 251

Campus Safety

616.395.7770
pubsafe@hope.edu

The full policy and process can be found here. All parties have equal rights throughout the process, including the right to have an advisor/support person, the right to call witnesses, the right to be informed about the outcome in writing, and the right to appeal. If there is a finding of responsibility, sanctions could range from a written warning to expulsion. 

SUPPORT RESOURCES

Students who are unsure of whether they want to report to law enforcement or Hope College may want to speak with confidential resources. Confidential Resources on campus will not file a report or begin an investigation. They are individuals who are specifically trained to provide non-judgmental, compassionate care. There are a number of confidential sources for crisis counseling at Hope College, in the local community, and through national hotlines.

Hope College Resources

• Center for Diversity and Inclusion: diversity@hope.edu
• Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS): 616.395.7945
  * If you are in crisis and need to speak with a counselor immediately, call 395.7945. Counselors are available 24/7. Additional crisis hotline information and phone numbers are available on the CAPS webpage. 
• Campus Ministries and Chaplains: 616.395.7145
• Hope College Health Center: 616.395.7585

KEEPING YOU SAFE AT HOPE COLLEGE

Hope College will implement appropriate and reasonable supportive measures to the parties upon notice of alleged harassment, discrimination and/or retaliation. Supportive measures are non-punitive, non-disciplinary individualized services offered as appropriate, as reasonably available, to restore or preserve access to Hope College’s education program or activity. 

Supportive measures may include, but are not limited to:

• Referral to counseling and health services
• Referral to the Employee Assistance Program
• Referral to community-based service providers
• Altering campus housing assignment(s)
• Altering work arrangements for employees
• Providing campus safety escorts
• Providing transportation accommodations
• Class schedule modifications
• Education to the community or community subgroup(s)

Additional Support and Resources

How to File Restraining & Personal Protection Orders (PPO)

PPOs are filed at the Ottawa County 20th Circuit Court in Grand Haven, Michigan. For questions about filing, please contact the Ottawa County Clerk’s Office at 616.846.8315.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER FILING A REPORT

After filing a report, the Equal Opportunity Coordinator (or designee) will reach out to you to discuss the incident and discuss your options for supportive measures and/or moving forward with a formal complaint seeking investigation. Opening an investigation is not required in order to receive supportive measures. 

If you would like to move forward with an investigation, the complaint will be reviewed to determine if the allegation could be a violation of the Equal Opportunity, Harassment and Nondiscrimination policy. If so, the EO Coordinator will meet with you to review the process details before notifying the other party of the complaint. During the investigation, no contact limitations will be put in place during the investigation. The policy has a statement that prohibits retaliation for filing a complaint. An investigator will be assigned to the case and will meet with all parties separately. Parties will have the right to provide evidence and questions they want asked of the other party, to have an advisor/support person present, to review all relevant evidence and a draft of the investigation report before it moves forward for decision making.

If the allegation does not reach the threshold of a potential violation through this policy, it is possible the complaint could be forwarded to Student Development to review under the Student Handbook or to Human Resources to be reviewed under the employee handbooks. If the complaint does not meet the threshold of policy violation under any college policies, many supportive measures can continue to be provided. Additionally, the complaint is also tracked in case additional issues arise and to track the experience of our community, which informs the work we do around culture and inclusion. 

In addition to formal resolution through investigation, the process also allows for options of Informal Resolution. These options can be discussed in more detail, but might include facilitated discussion/resolution, mediation, education for the responding party, involvement of the Chief Officer of Culture and Inclusion, etc.