About

BIRT's Charge

BIRT’s duties include ensuring that active bias-incident reports are reviewed, advising the president on proposed responses, and developing university communication protocols.

BIRT's Role

BIRT ensures responsible university departments respond to incidents reported and actively engage the university’s standard operating framework. BIRT strives to operate transparently and communicate effectively and may update the community if appropriate information becomes available. However, BIRT does not preempt nor replace existing procedures. BIRT does not conduct its own investigations and may not be aware of the final disposition of a case.

For example, BIRT may ensure an incident of racial bias or discrimination has been referred to the Department of Public Safety for investigation and follow up. Depending on the specific details of an incident, additional responsible departments may have a role in its handling and/or resolution, including, but not limited to the Division of Student Affairs, Judicial Affairs, and/or Human Resources. Responsible departments, not BIRT, may be in direct contact with affected individuals as needed or appropriate.

Excerpt from LMU's Non-Discrimination Policy Concerning Bias Incidents

The university does not tolerate hate crimes or bias-motivated incidents and will respond to them with appropriate sanctions, which may include: for students, expulsion, suspension, or exclusion from the campus; for faculty and staff, disciplinary action up to and including termination. Students, faculty, or staff who experience or witness any form of hate crime or bias-motivated incident should immediately report it to the Department of Public Safety.

Team Members

The Bias Incident Response Team (BIRT) is comprised of the members below:

• chair, vice president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• co-chair, senior vice president for Student Affairs
• co-chair, vice provost for Academic Affairs
• vice president for Human Resources
• senior vice president for Marketing, Communications, and External Relations
• vice president for Safety and Security