Hate/Biased-Related Crime Prevention Statement

Under the New York State Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2000, the College is required to inform students about the provisions of the law and how hate crimes (also known as bias-related crimes) can be prevented on campus. The new law helps reinforce the message that hate crimes will not be tolerated.

A hate/bias-related crime is committed when a person intentionally selects another person against whom a specified offense is committed or intended to be committed because of a belief or perception regarding such other person’s race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, age, disability, religion or religious practice, or sexual orientation, regardless of whether the belief or perception is correct. A hate/bias-related crime is also committed when a person intentionally engages in a specified offense such as murder, assault, kidnapping, stalking, harassment, arson, robbery, vandalism, or other crimes against another person because of a belief or perception regarding such other person’s race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, age, disability, religion or religious practice, or sexual orientation, regardless of whether the belief or perception is correct.

Penalties for hate/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. Hate/bias crime incidents that rise to a felony level are reported to the local law enforcement authorities. Sanctions imposed by the College may include, but are not limited to, disciplinary probation, suspension, expulsion, criminal prosecution, and civil prosecution depending on the severity of the crime.

A student who believes that s/he has been a target of a bias-related crime is encouraged to immediately report an incident to the Campus Security Office and to the following individuals dependent on the enrollment status of such student: the Associate Dean for Students and Minority Affairs for the School of Medicine; the Senior Associate Dean, the School of Public Health; or, the Dean of the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences. The incident, with the assistance of the College’s Office of the General Counsel, will be reviewed, investigated, and a determination made as to how the allegation will be handled.

Counseling and personal support is available to victims of hate/biased-related crime through the College’s Office of Student Affairs. Another source of assistance is the Help Lines listed in the College’s Student Handbook.

Students are informed about crime prevention measures through the New Student Orientation Program and communications from the Campus Safety Office.

Copies of the New York law are available upon request from the College’s Office of General Counsel.