Hobart and William Smith Colleges
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Hobart and William Smith Colleges are committed to providing a non-discriminatory and harassment-free educational, living, and working environment for all members of the HWS community, including students, faculty, staff, volunteers, and visitors. HWS prohibits discrimination and harassment in their programs and activities on the basis of age, color, disability, domestic violence victim status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other status protected under the law. Discrimination on the basis of sex includes sexual harassment, sexual violence, sexual assault, other forms of sexual misconduct including stalking and intimate partner violence, and gender-based harassment that does not involve conduct of a sexual nature.

URL: http://www.hws.edu/policy.aspx

Reporting and Procedures for Dealing with Bias Related Crimes and Incidents

All members of the Colleges’ community are encouraged to report hate crimes and bias related incidents. In addition to reporting directly to the Office of Campus Safety, hate crimes and bias incidents may be reported anonymously on the bias incident reporting form located on the Colleges’ web site at: https://www.hws.edu/studentlife/birt.aspx

In addition, members of the campus community are encouraged to report hate crimes directly to the Geneva Police Department.

A bias indicator is an objective fact, circumstance, or pattern standing alone or in conjunction with other facts or circumstances that suggests that the offender’s actions were motivated, in whole or in part, by bias. The following are some of the factors that may indicate bias motivation.

1. Racial, ethnic, gender, and cultural differences exist between the perpetrator and victim.
2. Comments, written statements, and gestures were made.
3. Drawings, markings, symbols, and graffiti were left.
4. Organized hate groups or their members were involved.
5. The victim previously had received bias motivated harassing mail or phone calls.
6. The victim’s or witness’s perception of the incident is that it was motivated by bias.
7. The location of the incident indicates bias motivation.

A bias-related incident (not a hate crime) committed by a staff member will be referred to Human Resources for disciplinary action. Faculty members will be referred to the Provost. Students will be referred to the appropriate dean. If the offender is a visitor, that individual will be asked to leave the campus immediately. The visitor will be arrested if he or she refuses to comply and the visitor may be banned from future presence on the campus.

The Colleges provide in-person support, legal options, and respond to not just the individual, but to the community. If bias occurs in residence and the student reporter is comfortable, we hold a “Hate Happens Here” meeting where bias is discussed and deconstructed—in the past, faculty have been invited to participate. BIRT also identifies the specific decision-makers that need to be aware of the report and take appropriate action (such as disciplinary or employment related actions) and, when appropriate, provide an update to the complainant. Response includes one-on-one support and de-briefing, institutional and confidential supports, and assistance during any legal resources (such as making a police report).

Student Recruitment from Underrepresented Groups:
In 2017, Chair of the Board of Trustees Thomas S. ’68 and Barbara M. Bozzuto and their family established the Bozzuto Family First-Generation Endowed Scholarship with a $1 million gift. The scholarship was created to help ensure that “financial stress will not compound the challenges first-generation students face.”

For the past six years, the Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation has been helping local HWS students who are the first in their families to attend college reach their academic goals debt-free. The Farash First in Family Scholarship supports the full cost of attending college by covering tuition, room and board, textbooks, and any additional fees when combined with HWS financial aid.

Since 2012, The Colleges have partnered with Posse, one of the most successful college access and youth leadership development programs in the country. Posse helps to identify promising youth in public high schools around the country through a process that takes into account academic and leadership potential that may have been overlooked by standard practices. In doing so, Posse expands the pool from which top colleges and universities recruit students from diverse backgrounds.


Faculty Recruitment from Underrepresented Groups:
The Colleges are a member of the Consortium for Faculty Diversity and have used that body to recruit and retain faculty of color.
https://www.gettysburg.edu/offices/provost/consortium-for-faculty-diversity/contact-persons-at-member-institutions

There are also specific requirements listed in our Faculty Recruiting and Hiring
Handbook for hiring underrepresented groups.
For any department to request a hiring of a new faculty member they must provide:
-a statement on the department’s efforts to recruit and retain faculty from
under-represented groups in its recent searches
- a description of the steps to be taken to maximize the identification and recruitment of qualified candidates for the position from under-represented groups.

https://www.hws.edu/offices/oafa/pdf/faculty_search_hiring_handbook.pdf

Recognizing the educational and intellectual benefits of a multicultural teaching and learning environment, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of Academic and Faculty Affairs work collaboratively on initiatives to enhance, support, and increase the exposure to diverse and important perspectives on campus. Together, the two offices work on supporting the faculty in the hiring, recruitment, mentoring, promotion, and development processes as well as on initiatives to address issues around equality, equity social justice, and awareness across campus.

As part of the 2021 Strategic Diversity Plan Human Resources has been working with the local NAACP, Department of Labor, and individual community members to advertise positions for non-academic staff at diversity outlets and sources.

The Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) is funded by the New York State Department of Education and Hobart and William Smith Colleges and provides a broad range of services to students, who because of academic and economic circumstances, would otherwise be unable to attend college. HEOP is regarded as one of the most successful academic access and support programs of its type in the nation based upon student achievement and graduation rates according to the Teagle Foundation.

Academic Opportunity Program, is an access and academic support program that by nature is fluid in its operation by creating a web of support for traditionally underrepresented populations in higher education. Support services offered to students include the following: academic, personal, financial and career counseling. The Academic Opportunity Program staff can assist its students by providing essential counseling and advising support in the areas of academic, financial aid and social support. The staff also works closely with students to help them take advantage of many other campus resources available such as Career Services, the Counseling Center, faculty advisers, and the Center for Teaching and Learning.

Since 2017 the Colleges’ LGBTQ+ Resource Center has been around, with the Center actively promoting academic and personal growth for the HWS LGBTQ community. In addition, it also plans and coordinates campus-wide programs and services to enhance the community's understanding and appreciation of LGBTQ people, themes, and needs.
https://www2.hws.edu/lgbtq-hws/lgbtq-resource-center/

For Posse, see:
http://www.hws.edu/dailyupdate/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=16052

HWS All Gender Bathroom Campus Map:
http://www.hws.edu/studentlife/bathroom_map.aspx

LGBTQ support network:
https://www2.hws.edu/lgbtq-hws/lgbtq-resource-center/

HWS Justice League:
http://www.hws.edu/about/justice_league.aspx