Reporting Responding Reconciling

We are here to build a more welcoming environment for all, driven by the goals to have:

• Open dialogue so we can all be our true selves.
• A growing comfort in communicating about and resolving belonging-related incidents within our community.

We aim to build an improved sense of community in our department through a framework in which we can:

• Listen to your concerns and learn about belonging-related incidents that occur
• Help you address any barriers to inclusion through an internal resolution process
• Help you respond to overt acts of racism, discrimination, and hate through engagement with the appropriate external campus-wide office (e.g., Title IX)

The response subcommittee aims to improve communication and the feeling of community within the department and help all our members grow in their conflict resolution skills. The subcommittee also seeks to connect members of our community who have been harmed in ways that break campus policies and laws to appropriate offices on campus to take appropriate action.

We will prioritize your right to confidentiality as much as is possible. However, all members of our community are mandated reporters, so if you tell us about sexual harassment, stalking, or sexual abuse, we are mandated by law to report what we were told to Title IX.

If you would rather talk to a confidential resource before talking to us, you can contact any of the following resources: https://wecare.illinois.edu/resources/students/#confidential (confidential resource for students or confidential resources for employees.)

Some general FAQ:

How do we define Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Diversity refers to all aspects of human difference, social identities, and social group differences, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, creed, color, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual identity, socio-economic status, language, culture, national origin, religion/spirituality, age, (dis)ability, and military/veteran status, political perspective, and associational preferences.

Equity refers to fair and just practices and policies that ensure all campus community members can thrive. Equity is different than equality in that equality implies treating everyone as if their experiences are exactly the same. Being equitable means acknowledging and addressing structural inequalities — historic and current — that advantage some and disadvantage others. Equal treatment results in equity only if everyone starts with equal access to opportunities.

Inclusion refers to a campus and department community where all members are and feel respected, have a sense of belonging, and are able to participate and achieve to their potential. While diversity is essential, it is not sufficient. An institution can be both diverse and non-inclusive at the same time, thus a sustained practice of creating inclusive environments is necessary.

How can I join to serve in the committee?

You can apply to serve on the committee at the end of the Spring semester, to then serve for the following calendar year.

Who are the facilitators and mediators?

Facilitators and mediators are trained faculty and staff of the Aerospace Engineering department. Their goal is to listen and engage with members of our department to help them work through conflict and / or answer questions.

What other committees/organization work in conjugation with Aero’s Space to Belong?

We are working most closely with the Office of the Vice Chancellor’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team.

Can the committee give severe punishment?

The aim of the committee is not to punish members of our community and it does not have the authority to do so. If a serious allegation is made by or of members of our community, the committee will connect the appropriate office on campus to the people involved in the incident so that an investigation can commence.

Do I have to eventually face the person I’ve complained about?

You do not have to talk with the person who may have harmed you if you do not want to. Meeting between parties to try to understand each other and resolve harm is optional and is contingent on all parties actively wanting to participate in that process.

Are there any plans to enhance the working of the committee in near future? Are these procedures going to change?

The committee is growing in number to be able to do more in the department. We are always looking for recommendations on things that we can help with – please reach out to us with ideas.

How can we forward our suggestions and feedback to the committee?

You can send an email to AEcares@illinois.edu or meet in person during our office hours.

More specific FAQ:

If someone went through with the reporting structure, what’s the end outcome of the report? What can someone hope for in the end?

There are several end outcomes that we hope people who use this process will experience. First, we hope that people feel heard, listened to, and taken seriously. Second, we aim to provide information and guidance to the person who comes to us about what an appropriate next step is. The next step could be filing a report with another office on campus who can investigate serious situations, or it could be working with us to resolve the situation internally. If it is reported to another office on campus, we hope that the student will feel that their allegation is investigated thoroughly and that they are supported and safe in the Aerospace Engineering department as they go through the investigation process.

If it is handled internally, we hope that people feel they are able to identify what they experienced, why it was harmful, and what would help them heal. We hope that we can prevent that incident from recurring by talking with the other people involved and explaining why that incident was harmful. We hope that we can break down barriers to communication, and empower our community to directly talk to each other about the language that hurts us versus bringing us together.

We hope that, ideally, all involved parties can feel some resolution at the end of the process, whether through an apology or other reconciliation process. We also aim to gather anonymized and generalized data to help guide training and education of our department members to improve the culture of the department in the long-term.

What types of incidents should I report?

All members of our community are mandated reporters, so if you tell us about sexual harassment, stalking, or sexual abuse, we are mandated by law to report what we were told to Title IX. If you would rather talk to a confidential resource before talking to us, you can contact any of the following resources: https://wecare.illinois.edu/resources/students/#confidential. We hope that you will come to us, however, so that we can get you the resources you need to address what happened.

Our intention is to help our community work through conflicts that make some of us feel like we don’t belong. If you aren’t sure if what you experienced is serious enough to “make a report,” come talk to us. Part of our job is figuring out whether an incident broke campus policies or laws. Even if what you experienced did not break school policies, we can help you think through what happened and / or talk with other people involved so that everyone can learn from the experience and move forward.

What is the procedure if a false complaint has been filed against me?

If a serious and false allegation is made against you, there will be a formal investigation by the appropriate office on campus, which will make sure to protect you from inappropriate consequences.

If a report is made in which you are involved but the allegation does not indicate that campus policies or laws were broken, you would be contacted by the committee for a discussion. The aim of the committee would not be to investigate the truth of the claim or to punish anyone, but rather to help everyone understand each other’s perspectives and to try to reconcile and communicate.

I wish to report my professor, would it not make things worse for me if he/she/they got to know?

In a case where there is an imbalance of power between parties and no campus policies or laws were broken, we will work with the harmed[AG4]  individuals to make a plan to protect the harmed party while still trying to help the professor learn, grow, and ultimately succeed in creating a space where everyone feels they belong. Strategies we can implement can include waiting until the end of a semester before approaching a professor for a discussion, anonymizing who made the report (bystanders can report, not just harmed parties), and generalizing the incident to discuss a general principle with the professor, rather than the specific incident.

If a campus policy or law was broken, we will work with the harmed party and the appropriate campus office to protect the harmed party while an investigation begins.

I don't have any proof or witness that I have been a victim, can I still report the incident? How will the committee proceed in this matter?

If the incident did not break campus policies or laws but still caused harm, we will simply help discuss what happened to resolve the conflict. No evidence or witnesses are needed. If the incident involves an allegation that campus policies or laws have been broken, the appropriate campus office will work with you to investigate the situation. You do not need to come in with evidence or witnesses to back you up.

What is the time frame associated with filing a report?

You can file a report any time after an incident occurs. Once you’ve filed a report, you should hear from us to schedule a discussion within a month (this should be a very conservative estimate: hopefully it’ll be within a week or two). Depending on the nature of the report, the process of discussion and reconciliation could take anywhere from two months to six months. If the incident is alleged to have broken campus policies or laws, the time frame is in the hands of another office on campus.

How are the mediators/facilitators trained? Is it safe to trust them?

The facilitators are trained using official material from the Title IX office, the Office of Access and Equity, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team. Our training is on-going. We will try our very best to be open, respectful, and kind to anyone we talk with. However, we are not social workers or therapists and we are mandated reporters. If you have a serious concern or you are not certain you want to report sexual misconduct, you may want to reach out to a confidential resource to discuss the incident. https://wecare.illinois.edu/resources/students/#confidential

What if I have a complaint against someone from the committee?

If someone on the committee is involved in the incident that you want to talk with us about, we recommend that you send an email to one of the other faculty or staff on the committee to schedule a private meeting.

What if I have a problem with a particular mediator? Is there a provision to change the mediator?

If you have a personal history with a particular facilitator that makes them an inappropriate choice, please let us know by emailing one of the other faculty or staff on the committee. If you are unhappy with how the facilitation is being handled, we first suggest directly talking about that with the facilitator. If that does not resolve the issue, you can reach out to another member by email if you want to have a separate private conversation.