Sometimes an individual's behavior may not meet the UB policy definitions of discrimination or harassment but may still be experienced as unprofessional or inappropriate. A student may be harmed by interactions or experiences with an individual who did not intend to injure, harm or harass them. Students may also witness inappropriate or unprofessional behavior. In these situations, the School of Social Work recommends students follow any of the following procedures to report these incidents:
If you do not feel comfortable addressing the concern directly with the individual, we encourage you to report any incidents to Filomena Critelli, associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion, at fmc8@buffalo.edu, or Joshua Hine, assistant dean for student and academic affairs, at jchine@buffalo.edu.
If you prefer to place a confidential anonymous report outside of the School of Social Work, you may use EthicsPoint, a confidential reporting service. If your submission deals with client information, do not enter any client-identifying information beyond what is required in the template fields. Submission of your report indicates agreement to comply with HIPAA regulations.
Reports will be sent to UB by EthicsPoint anonymously and confidentially. EthicsPoint makes these reports available only to specific individuals within the university who are charged with evaluating the report, based on the type of violation and location of the incident. Each of these report recipients has had training in keeping these reports in the utmost confidence.
Visit www.buffalo.ethicspoint.com or call 844-678-0455 for more information.
In other situations, a student may be intentionally injured, harmed or harassed through acts of intolerance based on their race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, gender, pregnancy status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, predisposing genetic characteristics, marital status, familial status, veteran status, military status, domestic violence victim status or ex-offender status.
We encourage reporting from all students who have experienced or witnessed incidents that intend to injure, harm or harass as outlined on the University Student Life Gateway website.
The university makes a clear distinction between bias-related incidents prompted by intolerant behaviors and illegal discrimination, or discriminatory harassment based on protected factors including but not limited to sex, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status and veteran status. Matters of discrimination and harassment are handled by the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).
If you believe you have been discriminated against or harassed based on a factor listed in UB’s Discrimination and Harassment Policy, or if you witnessed discrimination or harassment of others, contact the Office of EDI, 406 Capen Hall, at 716-645-2266 for an appointment to report an incident. You may call the office anonymously if you prefer not to give your name. The investigatory process is outlined in full on the EDI website.