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Klein said victims have the decision on whether their incidents are reported campus-wide, and victims label what an incident is and what an incident is not. If the campus is at a high saftey risk because of an incident the campus will be notified.

“Victims get the decision power, so they are not victimized again through the [judicial] process.
[Residential Life] says what we think the incident is, and the victim decides whether that is true or not,” Klein said.

According to university policy, a hate incident is “a speech, act or harassing action that targets, threatens or attacks an individual or group because of their actual or perceived race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religious affiliation, gender, disability, or sexual orientation.” The policy also includes incidents defined as hate crimes under federal or Minnesota laws and St. Paul city ordinances.

When hate incidents, sexual violence or other severe incidents occur, RAs, staff and security will report incidents to Klein no matter the time of day. Klein said the decision is then made as to what the response should be, whether or not that includes alerting the police or calling other community groups for aid.

“I then decide whether I begin making calls to crisis response teams that night. Community response teams can get together at a moment’s notice,” Klein said.

Hate incidents can be reported through several avenues. The victim can report the event to an RA, Safety and Security, the campus ombudsman or other staff or faculty members.

The policies outline what can be considered a hate incident and what is not considered a hate incident. Klein said that if a student feels that they have become a victim of a hate incident, they should report it, even if alcohol was involved.

“Intoxication is not an excuse. Victims need to know if they are under the influence of any alcohol or drugs that influence doesn’t give the ability to consent to anything. People are nervous and don’t want to tell authorities because they don’t want to get in trouble because they were drinking the night of the incident.
We ask those questions to get a full picture of what happened that night, but that is not the victim’s fault,” Klein said.

After an incident is reported, an investigation involving Safety and Security takes place. Next, the student or group accused is given five business days’ notice of pre-hearing, where they then enter a plea. The victim can then ask for mediation or go ahead with a hearing. If the accused pleads guilty to all charges, the next step is a sanction hearing, where a disciplinary sentence is given. If the accused pleas innocent to all or some of the charges, a hearing is held in front of a judicial board, which then decides if the accused is responsible. The entire judicial process is outlined in the university’s policies, which can be found online at www.hamline.edu/polices under “student judicial system.”
Victims can also seek the aid of the Campus Ombudsman, Molly McAvoy.

Ombudsman is a position that became full-time on July 1 of this year. The ombudsman serves as “a neutral, confidential, and informal” advocate for students. McAvoy explained that the ombudsman helps students through the process of reporting incidents appropriately, and helps explain campus policy. The ombudsman can be totally confidential with a student’s issue unless there is a direct threat of harm to that person. McAvoy’s office is located in Manor Hall, ext. 2555.