Bias Crimes and Prevention

Fashion Institute of Technology is committed to a campus environment that supports diversity, equity and inclusion and provides support to individuals who report hate/bias-related crimes and incidents.  To that end, the college is in compliance with a number of laws aimed at the prevention of hate/bias-related crimes including (i) the federal Hate/Bias Crime Statistics Act of 1990; (ii) New York State Education Law, Section 6436 of Article 129-A; and (iii) the New York State Hate Crimes Act of 2000 (Article 485 of the New York State Penal Law). 

To support the prevention of bias/hate-related crimes, FIT has implemented a number of policies and procedures to help receive and coordinate our response to reported bias/hate-related crimes and incidents.

Hate/Bias-Related Crimes

Hate crimes, also called "bias crimes or bias-related crimes," are criminal activities motivated by bias or attitude against an individual victim or group based on perceived or actual personal characteristics, such as race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. 

To help ensure an environment free of such acts, and to protect all members of the FIT community from hate crimes that occur within the campus's jurisdiction, the college has enacted policies and procedures to inform the FIT community how these crimes can be prevented, and are addressed, on campus.

Penalties for hate/bias-related crimes are very serious and can range from fines to extended prison sentences, depending on the nature of the underlying criminal offense, the use of violence, or previous convictions of the offender. In addition to criminal penalties, students found responsible for committing a hate/bias-related crime or incident may be subject to sanctions, including suspension and expulsion from the college, as set forth in the relevant FIT policies governing student conduct.

Hate/Bias-Related Incidents

The Department of Public Safety, in concert with other entities on campus, also assists in addressing bias-related incidents that do not rise to the level of criminal activity. These activities are referred to as hate/bias-related incidents. A hate/bias-related incident is when an individual verbally harasses or discriminates against another person or group based on their identity, but the incident does not involve a physical attack, a threat of attack, or property damage. These incidents are taken very seriously, but they are not necessarily crimes. 

Such incidents, whether crimes or not, may additionally implicate conduct prohibited by FIT’s Code of Student Conduct, FIT’s Sexual Misconduct Response policy, and/or FIT’s Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment policy. FIT will make the determination as to which policy is most appropriate when investigating reports of hate/bias-related incidents.

Reporting

If you are a victim of, or a witness to, a hate/bias-related crime on campus, you should report it to the Department of Public Safety at 236 West 27th Street, or by calling (212) 217-7777.  The Department of Public Safety may be required to notify law enforcement, based upon the nature of the report. 

While FIT encourages these crimes to be reported to the Department of Public Safety, they may also be reported to:

Reports can also be made to any senior administrator of the college, or to any other administrator identified as an option for reporting in FIT’s Campus Safety and Security policy. 

Hate/Bias-Related Crime Statistics

Statistics concerning hate/bias-related crimes on campus are available on the Safety Statistics webpage via the Annual Clery Act Security and Fire Safety Report.  

A hate crime occurred just outside campus involving two non-affiliated individuals. The suspect made derogatory remarks about the victim’s national origin (Asian), followed by a physical assault after the victim responded.

Crime statistics are also reported to the United States Department of Education and maintained on their website. To view statistics specific to FIT: 

Resources and Support Services