Voting Resources

For additional resources, please see the Dean of Students' website.

Office of Diversity and Equity

Bias Reporting 

  • At SUNY Geneseo, we are committed to helping every member of our community reach their full potential by fostering an environment that allows everyone to feel affirmed, regardless of identity or background. As expressed in our Community Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (https://www.geneseo.edu/diversity/commitment) bias-related incidents challenge and contradict this commitment. 
  • In the event that you experience or witness an incident that may be rooted in bias, you may choose to report it through this online form. Anyone can use this form and it is recommended that you file as soon as possible after the incident. You may report an incident even if you are not sure that it was motivated by bias. If immediate attention is needed, please call University Police (585-245-5222).
  • Link to Report Form - http://go.geneseo.edu/BiasRelatedIncident

What is a bias-related incident?

  • A threatening individual is any person who you deem to be a threat to yourself or others. This person may have weapons or may just make you feel uncomfortable. Trust your instincts.

What is a hate crime?

  • A hate crime is a criminal offense, committed against a person or property which is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s bias against the actual or perceived age, ancestry, color, disability, sex, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, race, religion, religious practices, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or military status of the targeted person or group.

What behaviors create a non-inclusive campus climate?

  • A non-inclusive campus climate results from the combined effect of a number of behaviors/practices which cumulatively create an environment that is not open and welcoming to a person or group based on their age, ancestry, color, disability, sex, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, race, religion, religious practices, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or military status. Offenders often remain anonymous.

Contact the Co-Chairs of the Bias Prevention and Response Team

University Police

Reporting Crimes

  • If you witness a crime involving a physical confrontation or violent act, or think a crime has occurred, call 911.

  • For situations that don't present an immediate threat to individual safety, you can report crimes anonymously to University Police.

  • For more information about Reporting Crimes, please visit the reporting crimes webpage.

Dealing with Threatening Individuals

  • A threatening individual is any person who you deem to be a threat to yourself or others. This person may have weapons or may just make you feel uncomfortable. Trust your instincts.

  • Call 911 regardless of whether you face an immediate threat. Be prepared to be able to tell someone what you're seeing. Stay safe. If possible, seek protection in a classroom or office that has locks and phone access, or leave the building immediately if safe to do so. Err on the side of caution. Only you can decide which course of action is appropriate.

Freedom of Speech

What does the First Amendment say?

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

What is freedom of speech and what does it protect?

  • Freedom of speech is the right of persons to articulate their opinions and ideas without interference or retaliation from the government. The term “speech” constitutes expression that includes far more than just words, but also what a person wears, reads, performs, protests, and more.

  • In the United States, freedom of speech is strongly protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, as well as by many state and federal laws. The United States’ free speech protections are among the strongest of any democracy; the First Amendment protects speech that some view as offensive, hateful, or harassing.

Which types of speech are NOT protected by the First Amendment?

The U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of speech by default, placing the burden on the state to demonstrate whether there are any circumstances that justify its limitation.

Established exceptions to the First Amendment include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Speech that would be deemed a “true threat”: Speech that a person reasonably would perceive as an immediate threat to their physical safety is not protected by the First Amendment. For example, if a group of students yelled at a student in a menacing way that would cause the student to fear a physical assault, such speech would not be protected.

  • Incitement of illegal activity: There is no right to incite people to break the law, including to commit acts of violence. To constitute incitement, the Supreme Court has said that there must be a substantial likelihood of imminent illegal activity and the speech must be directed to causing imminent illegal activity. For example, a speaker on campus who exhorts the audience to engage in acts of vandalism and destruction of property is not protected by the First Amendment if there is a substantial likelihood of imminent illegal activity.

  • Harassment: Harassment in an educational institution aimed at an individual on the basis of a protected characteristic (e.g., race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc.); that is also pervasive and severe; is a direct or implied threat to employment or education; or creates an intimidating, hostile and demeaning atmosphere, is not protected by the First Amendment. For example, posting racist messages on the residence hall room of an African American student would be regarded as harassment and not speech protected by the First Amendment.

What is "hate speech?" Is it illegal?

  • The term “hate speech” does not have a legal definition in the United States. Nevertheless, the term often refers to speech that insults or demeans a person or group of people on the basis of particular attributes such as race, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, or gender. While the University condemns speech of this kind, there is no “hate speech” exception to the First Amendment. “Hate speech” is constitutionally protected speech. “Hate speech” is illegal if it falls into one of the exception categories mentioned in the preceding question. On many occasions, the Supreme Court has explicitly held that prohibitions or punishments for hate speech violate the First Amendment.

  • Just because there is a First Amendment right to say something, however, doesn’t mean that it should be said. The First Amendment protects the right to say hateful things, but as a campus, SUNY Geneseo strives to be a community where no one chooses to express hate.

Policy and Regulatory References

Student Code of Conduct

Review the Student Code of Conduct.

Rules of Public Order

Review the Rules of Public Order.

Campus Offices to Contact for More Information or Assistance

Dean of Students

Office: MacVittie College Union, Room 354
Phone: 585.245.5706
Email: sancilio@geneseo.edu

Dean of Students website

Diversity and Equity

Office Phone: 585.245.5759
Office Email: odestudentteam@geneseo.edu

Chief Diversity Officer Phone: 585.245.5759
Chief Diversity Officer Email: routenberg@geneseo.edu

Diversity and Equity website

Student Conduct and Community Standards

Office: MacVittie College Union, Room 354
Phone: 585.245.5714
Email: pietropaolo@geneseo.edu

Student Conduct and Community Standards website

University Police

Office: Schrader Hall, Room 19
Emergency Phone: 585.245.5714 or 911 
Email: police@geneseo.edu

University Police website

*Thank you to the University of California Board of Regents for allowing us to adapt these FAQs from U.C. Berkeley's free speech website.

Related Pages
Office of the Dean of Students