'Trust your gut' to identify 'bias,' student gov recommends

The University of Minnesota’s student government is advising students who “feel like” they have encountered “bias” to “trust your gut” and file a bias report.

“The most best [sic] way to determine bias is your own feelings—if you feel like you may have experienced something that was wrong, then you likely have,” states an advertisement for the school’s Bias Response Referral Network on the Minnesota Student Association (MSA) website.

[RELATED: University tells students to dial 9-1-1 over bias incidents]

“It’s important to trust your gut when it comes to recognizing bias,” the website adds, noting that it “may also help to talking [sic] it over with trusted colleagues, friends, family, or others who may help...determine whether or not the incident was based on bias.”

Notably, when asking students if they think they have “experienced an incident of bias,” the MSA only offers the options of “Yes” and “I’m unsure,” excluding a “no” answer to the question and encouraging those who “feel like” they have been the subject of a bias incident to report it to the Bias Response Referral Network.

“Such incidents undermine the university’s efforts toward equity and inclusivity,” the network’s website explains. “They limit our community’s ability to excel in our teaching and learning, our research, and our service to our communities and state.”

Notably, the MSA has deemed “promoting an inclusive campus” to be one of its top five initiatives, saying that “in light of recent events in the national climate,” it remains “committed to supporting an inclusive campus for all people.”

[RELATED: University lowers ‘Civility Flag’ to mourn bias incidents]

“This includes urging the university to uphold the safety of undocumented and non-citizen students and working with administrators to protect student communities in the future,” the MSA makes clear, noting that it will continue to advocate for “the BRIDGE Act to extend DACA.”

“We will continue to find ways to support and protect our peers, classmates, and friends in our community, and listen to students’ concerns regarding these issues,” it concludes.

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