On Sunday, May 18, an individual reported an I-Phone stolen on campus property and that same phone was used later that evening to send threatening, harassing, bias behavior text messages to a student. College personnel have spent the past 48 hours responding to those targeted and investigating initial leads in the hope of identifying the individual(s) involved. At this point we are seeking the assistance of community members in resolving this incident.
If you were the individual who sent the text messages, please contact either the Dean of Students Office (x7526) or Campus Safety (x8888) to take responsibility for your actions.
If you have information about who sent the text messages or information that could lead to that individual, please contact Director of Campus Safety Carol Brewer (x8888) immediately. If you know something, say something.
Gustavus Adolphus College aspires to be a community of persons from diverse backgrounds who respect and affirm the dignity of all people. As such, and consistent with our core values and civic responsibilities, respect for each individual is central to how we conduct our work and build relationships within our community. Therefore, harassment, discrimination, and behavior which fails to respect the dignity of another are not compatible with this shared vision of our identity and mission as a liberal arts, residential, Lutheran college and will not be tolerated. Any student(s) found engaging in these behaviors will be adjudicated through the conduct system.
Definitions
- Hate or bias-motivated behavior: Any act or expression directed against a person, group or their property that is motivated in whole or in part by a belief or perception regarding their real or perceived identities.
- Bias incident: an expression of hostility, whether spoken, written, symbolic or other form, which is motivated by some form of prejudice based on the victim’s actual or perceived identity (i.e. sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, national origin, gender identity, ability, religious affiliation, etc.). A bias incident is a violation of campus policy and will be investigated and adjudicated.
- Hate crime: A criminal act that involves one (or more) of three specific crime groupings (assault, property damage and harassment/stalking), that is directed toward an individual or group that is (or perceived to be) a member of a protected class as defined by the Minnesota Human Rights Act and is motivated by an offender’s bias. A hate crime is a violation of campus policy and will be investigated and adjudicated. All hate crimes are bias incidents, but not all bias incidents rise to the level of a hate crime.
For more information or to report a hate or bias motivated incident, please go to: https://gustavus.edu/deanofstudents/incident_report.php