Working closely with appropriate administrators, students, faculty, committees, organizations, and offices, BEST plays an educational role in fostering an inclusive campus climate and supporting targeted individuals when bias and hate incidents occur.

BEST provides a simple tool for those who have experienced or observed incidents of bias, by serving as a hub for the following:

• Evaluating and responding to immediate needs of the reporting party
• Connecting student, faculty, and staff reporters to appropriate resources for support and further action
• Assisting in and consulting on the development of community level responses to the incident
• Educating the campus community about the nature and impact of bias and hate incidents
• Collecting and tracking campus trends pertaining to campus cultural climate
• Providing recommendations and advocacy towards institutional, cultural, and structural equity for marginalized and oppressed individuals and groups in our community

BEST is one of several critical mechanisms that the University utilizes to ensure appropriate responses for students, faculty, and staff when incidents occur that violate our community expectations. The team is not responsible for investigating or adjudicating alleged incidents of bias or hate crimes. Requests made outside our scope of support, with your permission, will be routed to the appropriate resource.

Alleged student conduct that may be a violation of University policy will be referred for action through existing disciplinary or judicial procedures. Alleged faculty or staff conduct that may be a violation of College policy will be referred to the Provost or to the Director of Human Resources, respectively.

In order to aid in this process, our team has developed a confidential online reporting form to be completed should an incident occur.

A Bias Incident is characterized as a behavior or act-verbal, written or physical-which is personally directed against or targets an individual or group based on perceived or actual characteristics such as race, color, religious belief, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status, or age. Behavior reflecting bias may constitute a violation of Lasell University policy. Examples of what may constitute a bias incident include, but are not limited to:

• Threatening phone calls, mail/email, social media
• Jokes based on stereotypes
• Excluding or barring participation from university-sponsored clubs or events, based on one's perceived identity
• Using a racial, ethnic, homophobic, gender-based or other slur to identify someone
• Graffiti or other vandalism
• Harassement based on identity
• Physical assault

Massachusetts State Law: Hate Crimes

Acts constituting hate crimes, as defined by Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 22C, Section 32, include "any criminal act coupled with overt actions motivated by bigotry and bias including, but not limited to, a threatened, attempted or completed overt act motivated at least in part by racial, religious, ethnic, handicap, gender or sexual orientation prejudice, or which otherwise deprives another person of his constitutional rights by threats, intimidation or coercion, or which seek to interfere with or disrupt a person's exercise of constitutional rights through harassment or intimidation."

Chapter 265 Crimes Against the Person - Section 39 states in relevant part that it is illegal to commit a crime against one's person or property with the intent to intimidate such person because of such person's race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability.

Adapted from Bentley University

Student Non-Discrimination Policy:

It is the policy of Lasell University that all students, faculty and staff should be able to enjoy a work and/or educational environment that is free from discrimination and harassment. This policy applies to discrimination and harassment on the basis of: (1) age, (2) race, (3) color, (4) national origin/ancestry, (5) ethnicity, (6)religion, (7) sex, (8) sexual orientation, (9) gender identity or expression, (10)mental or physical disability, (11) genetic information, (12) veteran status, (13) membership in or application to the uniformed services, and (14) any other characteristic protected by applicable law. In accordance with applicable law, Lasell University will not discriminate on the basis of these characteristics in connection with employment, admission or enrollment or participation in any of its programs or activities.  Read more >>

Employee Non-Discrimination Policy:

Lasell University is committed to equal opportunity in every aspect of hiring and employment. Lasell proactively reviews its policies and practices to assure that decisions with respect to every dimension of employment are made without regard to age, color of skin, disability, gender expression and identity, genetic predisposition, marital status, national origin, race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran's status, status as a victim of domestic violence, and all other protected groups and classes under Federal and State Laws and executive orders.