Bias Education and Support Team

The BEST Incident Report Form is accessible to students via MyOxy. Please note the following:

1. BEST is not part of the College’s disciplinary systems and participation is not mandatory by any member of the campus community. Violations of College policy are handled separately as described below.
2. If you are a non-student and have a concern or issue, please consider contacting the following offices for support: Dean of Students Office or the Office of Civil Rights & Title IX. For emergencies, please contact Campus Safety at (323) 259-2599.
3. If you have any questions or concerns regarding experiences within the classroom, we encourage students to reach out to their faculty member or instructor. Students are also able to contact the Department Chair or Kristi Upson-Saia, Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs.

If you have witnessed or experienced a potential violation of the College’s Sexual and Interpersonal Misconduct Policy and/or the Discrimination, Harassment, & Retaliation Policy, please report it to the Civil Rights & Title IX Office. For more information on these policies, including how to report potential violations, please visit the Civil Rights & Title IX website or contact Alexandra Fulcher, Oxy’s Civil Rights & Title IX Coordinator.

To report a violation of the Code of Student Conduct, please contact the Office of Student Conduct.

BEST members seek to address the impact of bias incidents through appropriate resources, restorative practices, and community care. Typically, this process begins with an invitation from a member of BEST to the reporting student to discuss their report, and to determine viable education or non-punitive outcomes that promote healing and an overall positive community environment. Examples of outcomes BEST has worked with students on include: 

• Coordinating restorative conversations between students who may have experienced harm or disagreement; 
• Working with campus partners to address vandalism or violations in or around campus buildings or spaces; and 
• Working with student clubs and organizations to offer suggestions to improve their own guidelines and bylaws to be more inclusive of all students.

Spring 2025: A total of five reports were received:

• Student staff member reported the presence of an insensitive message found in a residence hall bathroom.  The message was immediately removed.  Residential Life staff met with all community members to discuss the incident and offer support.  Additionally, an email was sent to all community members alerting them of the incident and reminding them of our community expectations.
• Student anonymously reported bullying behavior via the Fizz social media app.  BEST developed a cyberbullying campaign to educate students on how to take best care of themselves on social media.  The campaign consisted of an email that was sent to all community members, as well as posters that were distributed throughout all campus spaces, including residence halls, dining halls, and academic buildings.
• Student reported another insensitive message found in the residence hall bulletin board.  This was a different residence hall than the previous report pertaining to insensitive messages.  The insensitive message was removed.  Residential Life staff met with all community members to discuss the incident and offer support.  Additionally, an email was sent to all community members alerting them of the incident and reminding them of our expectations of community expectations.
• Student reported a poster found in Clapp Library - While the poster was not deemed to be insensitive, it was posted without authorization from Library staff.  The poster was removed.
• Student identified an object that was positioned in a way to be culturally insensitive in relation to the ongoing Israel/Hamas crisis.  The matter was forwarded to the Dean of Students Office and Office of Civil Rights & Title IX.  Staff reached out to the reporting student to offer supportive resources, and this behavior alongside other campus incidents connected to the Israel/Hamas crisis continued to be reviewed by College staff.  The Dean of Students also sent an email to the community regarding this and other similar incidents occurring within the community during the month of April.  Additionally, BEST, in consultation with the ICC, Civil Rights & Title IX, and ORSL will continue to provide relevant antisemitism and Islamophobia programs and training to all Oxy community members, and will continue to coordinate these opportunities for the next academic year.

Fall 2024: A total of zero reports were received.

Spring 2024: A total of 20 reports were received. 19 of these reports were either anonymous or written by non-Oxy community members. The reports were in reference to various aspects pertaining to the Israel/Hamas crisis, and the actions and expressed opinions of Oxy community members. Consistent with similar reports written in Fall 2023, the reports were shared with the Taskforce on Promoting Safety and Community, and throughout Spring 2024, several workshops focused on Antisemitism, bias prevention, and Islamophobia were offered to all Oxy students and community members.  As the reports were anonymous and/or not written by Oxy students, BEST was unable to provide direct follow up to any impacted students.  One other report was submitted that focused on a student to student concern involving perceived bias.  All students were consulted with by members of BEST, and restorative mediations were offered to impacted students in order to provide potential healing and learning.

Fall 2023: A total of 2 reports were received. Both of these reports were anonymous and were in reference to students feeling unsafe and uncomfortable due to a protest/sit-in and offensive language based in religious identity, that was reported to have been said by members participating in the protest. BEST reviewed this information and shared it with other members of leadership at the College. As the reports were anonymous, BEST was unable to reach back out to the impacted students.  As a result of these reports and other reports submitted to other offices, the College developed the Promoting Safety and Community Taskforce, that is charged with coordinating various action steps to promote healing and accountability.  Within the taskforce, educational programming and restorative opportunities will be provided in an effort for faculty, staff, and students, to learn more about the incident.

Core Team

The Core Team meets regularly to review all BEST reports, provides initial contact to impacted students, and refers students to campus resources best situated to provide on-going support and potential resolutions

• Isaiah Thomas (co-chair), Assistant Dean of Students & Director of Residential Education, Housing Services, and Student Conduct
• Vanessa Gonzalez-Wright (co-chair), Director of the Intercultural Community Center
• Caro Brighouse, Associate Dean of Student Academic Affairs
• Alejandro Aguirre, Director of Counseling Services, Emmons Wellness Center
• Andrew Guerrero, JEID Education Specialist
• Carly Acuna, Case Manager, Dean of Students Office

Affiliate Team

The Affiliate Team represents a group of staff and faculty that represent various offices and departments on campus.  This team assists in providing students on-going support and potential resolutions for impacted students

• Susan Young, Director of Religious and Spiritual Life
• Ben Greenberg, Associate Director of Jewish Student Life
• Sabrina Willison, Sr. Associate Director of Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement
• Asya Cook, Assistant Director of Residential Education
• Cori Vallembois, Assistant Athletic Director for Operations
• Paloma Franco, Staff Therapist and Training Coordinator, Emmons Wellness Center
• Danielle Harris, Associate Director of Racial Equity, Intercultural Community Center