It is a SUNY Adirondack mandate to protect all members of the campus community by preventing and prosecuting bias or hate crimes that occur within the campus’ jurisdiction. Hate crimes, also called bias crimes or bias-related crimes, are criminal activity motivated by the perpetrator’s bias or attitude against an individual victim or group based on perceived or actual personal characteristics, such as their race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, or criminal conviction. Hate/bias crimes have received renewed attention in recent years, particularly since the passage of the federal Hate/Bias Crime Reporting Act of 1990 and the New York State Hate Crimes Act of 2000 (Penal Law Article 485). Copies of the New York law are available from the Office of the Dean for Student Affairs. Penalties for bias-related crimes are very serious and range from fines to imprisonment for lengthy periods, depending on the nature of the underlying criminal offense, the use of violence, or previous convictions of the offender. Perpetrators who are students will also be subject to campus disciplinary procedures where sanctions including dismissal are possible. In addition to preventing and prosecuting hate/bias crimes, SUNY Adirondack also assists in addressing bias-related activities that do not rise to the level of a crime. These activities, referred to as bias incidents and defined by SUNY Adirondack as acts of bigotry, harassment, or intimidation directed at a member or group within the SUNY Adirondack community based on national origin, ethnicity, race, age, religion, gender identity or expression, sex, sexual orientation, disability, military status, color, creed, or familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, domestic violence victim status, or criminal conviction. If you are a victim of, or witness to a hate/bias crime on campus, report it to Public Safety personnel by calling 518-743-SAFE (7233) or using a Blue Light phone. You can also contact the Dean for Student Affairs and/or Human Resources to make a report. Designated college personnel will investigate and follow the appropriate adjudication procedures. Victims of bias crime or bias incidents can avail themselves of counseling and support services from the campus by contacting the Counseling Office at 518-743-2278, or stopping by the Office, located in Washington Hall. SUNY Adirondack is required to annually report campus crime statistics to the U.S. Department of Education as required by Title 20 of the U.S. Code Section 1092(f). This information can be found on the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://ope.ed.gov/campussafety/#/. For general information on SUNY Adirondack security procedures, contact the Office of Public Safety at 518-743-7233. Further information about bias-related and bias crimes, including up-to-date statistics on bias crimes is available from the Office of the Dean for Student Affairs at 518-743-2277.
