Bias report intake moves to Office of Compliance

The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Office of Compliance is now coordinating and managing the administrative intake and recordkeeping of bias reports on campus, moving the reporting process from the Office of Student Assistance and Support (OSAS) within Student Affairs.

This change seeks to expand the reach of UW–Madison’s bias, harassment and discrimination reporting and centralize the response process to include faculty and academic and university staff.

The Office of Compliance continues to be responsible for investigating formal complaints of discrimination and harassment based on a protected class.

The transition to the Office of Compliance occurred over the course of the fall semester. The shift follows changes in the regulatory landscape of Title VI, the federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin, including shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics. The university response offers a streamlined process responsive to the full campus community.

OSAS continues to work closely with the Office of Compliance on reports and handles student support and issues directly impacting student experience as part of the university’s response to bias reports.

“Our goal continues to be that all reports are handled efficiently and with the highest standard of care,” says Office of Compliance Director Jaimee Gilford. “The transition has gone well so far, thanks to our strong partnership with OSAS, the Office of Human Resources and the Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement, and we are committed to making this change as smooth as possible for all stakeholders across campus,”

Individuals who witness or learn of a discriminatory or harassing incident can aid in ensuring a thorough and effective response by completing the form available at the Office of Compliance home page, https://compliance.wisc.edu. When completing the form, please include any support services already recommended to the targeted individual.

Incidents of discrimination, harassment or bias can be reported anonymously using the same form; however, anonymous reports may limit the University’s ability to respond to the incident.

Questions about the bias reporting can be emailed to oc_casemanager@wisc.edu.