Support and resources related to the Israel-Hamas war are available to all students, faculty, and staff. These support services include the university’s many existing and robust reporting systems for conduct concerns.
All members of the Tufts community are encouraged to report incidents of discrimination and harassment and are expected to cooperate fully with the investigation of these cases. The university prohibits retaliation against individuals who file such reports and all those who participate in the investigative process.
Students, employees, and community members can file complaints with Tufts University Police Department (TUPD), the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO), or the relevant Dean of Students Office. An individual can report an incident to any of these offices and they will make sure it gets to the appropriate stakeholders.
How Incidents Are Reported
Incidents related to the Israel-Hamas war often are related to race/color, national origin, ethnicity, religion, or the intersection of two or more of these or other categories protected by Tufts’ Non-Discrimination Policy. Instances of discrimination or harassment are reported to the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) by filing an electronic report, directly contacting OEO, or speaking with an OEO liaison. Community members with first-hand knowledge or information about an incident related to the Israel-Hamas war also can file an anonymous complaint against an individual or organization using OEO’s secure online portal. While anonymous complaints may provide awareness of a situation or incident, Tufts is limited in the actions it may take with anonymous information.
Safety concerns or concerns about a crime can be reported directly to TUPD by phone or in person, or anonymously by using TUPD’s secure online portal.
AS&E community members, including students, are encouraged to report potential student code violations directly to Community Standards.
All of these offices and departments work in close collaboration with one another and will refer cases to each other as needed.
How Tufts Responds to Reports
The nature of the complaint dictates which office or department will respond. In general, TUPD reviews complaints involving criminal allegations and determines the appropriate response based on the type and particulars of the incident. OEO reviews complaints involving discrimination or harassment based on protected categories such as race/color, national origin, ethnicity, and/or religion and uses investigative processes outlined on their website, and the appropriate Dean of Students Office reviews complaints involving code of conduct violations for their school. (Tufts University has eight schools.) Formal complaints within the School of Arts and Sciences, the SMFA at Tufts, and the School of Engineering (AS&E) will follow the student code of conduct resolution procedure.
Sanctions
If an investigation into a report related to the Israel-Hamas war results in a finding against a member of our community, the university will use its existing sanction and disciplinary procedures to address the individuals and/or organizations involved. Sanctions and disciplinary processes exist for all students, faculty, and staff at Tufts University. Human Resources determines sanctions for staff, the appropriate Dean or Provost’s Office determines sanctions for faculty, and the appropriate student services office at each school determines their students’ sanctions.
Under AS&E policies and procedures, students or student organizations charged with a violation will go through a process that determines whether or not they are found to be responsible for those violations. If a student or student organization is found responsible, disciplinary sanctions may include warning, reprimand, disciplinary probation, suspension, and expulsion, as well as a range of educational components. Sanctions are determined on a case-by-case basis and are individually tailored to each student or student organization and the facts and findings in the case.
Confidentiality
We understand that some members of our community would like more detail about how cases are addressed and resolved. Due to federal and state privacy laws, and consistent with its longstanding practice, the university does not share information about its investigative findings or sanctions with third parties, including those who are reporting or inquiring on behalf of a Tufts student or employee.