Title VI

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects students from race, color and national origin discrimination. It extends to students who experience discrimination, including harassment, based on their actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics or citizenship or residency in a country with a dominant religion or distinct religious identity. Institutions have a responsibility to address discrimination against groups when the discrimination involves:

  • Racial, ethnic, or ancestral slurs or stereotypes;
  • A student’s skin color, physical features, or style of dress that reflects both ethnic and religious traditions; and
  • Where a student came from or is perceived to have come from, including discrimination based on a students foreign accent, a student’s foreign name, including names commonly associated with particular shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, or a student speaking a foreign language.

Harassing conduct can be verbal or physical and does not need to be directed at a particular individual.

If this has happened to you or someone you know, you can get support via the BIAS Complaint Form, located here. Also on this website is the Silent Witness Form.

View SUNY Morrisville's Nondiscrimination Policy.

EVERYONE should feel they belong at SUNY Morrisville. There is no place for hate here.

What Happens If You Submit a Bias Complaint Form for a Title VI Issue/Concern

  1. The form goes directly to the Title VI Coordinator who collaborates with the Bias Response Team to investigate the issues/concern/complaint. The Vice-president of Student Affairs & Inclusive Engagement/CDO/Title Vi Coordinator does an initial review of the report. This normally takes place within two business days. Information is shared with other offices as necessary, including Human Resources, Student Conduct, and University Police.
    1. An email confirmation to those reporting, including written notice of available campus resources.
  2. the report is assigned to the appropriate campus officials for investigation or follow up. 
  3. The appropriate campus officials investigate the reported incident. They contact the complainant and any witnesses. All contents of the report are reviewed using existing SUNY, College, federal, state, and local policies, procedures, and guidelines; including the Student Code of Conduct, Title VI, the SUNY Morrisville Discrimination Policy. Investigations are completed as thoroughly and as promptly as possible. 
  4. The officials report back to the Title VI Coordinator on the status of the report.
  5. The database is updated.
  6. The parties are notified of findings/outcomes.

What Does a Title VI Coordinator Do?

  • The Title VI Coordinator investigates and monitors outcomes, identify any patterns, and assess their effects on the campus climate. The Title VI Coordinator will periodically assess available data from reports, investigations, and findings of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation at least annually. This assessment will facilitate the identification of any patterns, recidivism, or collective incidents that may warrant additional inquiry or response to eliminate a hostile environment in a university program or activity.
  • The Title VI Coordinator determines whether, and in what manner, the university proceeds in responding to a report of Title VI Misconduct when a request for anonymity, no action or informal resolution is made.
  • The Title VI Coordinator oversees all hostile environment assessments conducted on each report of Title VI Misconduct, whether the conduct occurs on campus, off campus or on social media.
  • The Title VI Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that training is provided annually to all personnel responsible for investigating reports of Title VI Misconduct, all university police and other law enforcement personnel, and all university students, faculty, and staff.
  • The Title VI Coordinator is responsible for annually searching university websites and publications to ensure accuracy of information on policies and procedures regarding discrimination, including harassment, or retaliation, or links to such policies, procedures, and forms are operational.

Contact