Minimize Unrest After Racially Charged Incidents Occur on Campus
Racially charged incidents are occurring on campuses at alarming rates. Annual Security Report data shows race continues to be a motivating bias in nearly half of reported campus hate crimes.
Whether responding to acts of bias, such as quoting racially insensitive literature in courses, or hate crimes, such as racially charged killings by police, colleges and universities are examining how to prevent community anger from erupting into violent protests. Administrators and presidents should consider these actions to address concerns and reduce the potential for campus unrest.
Note: President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order on Jan. 21, 2025, directing all executive agencies to combat “illegal private-sector diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)” programs, preferences, and activities. Several states have instituted laws that ban or restrict DEI initiatives at institutions. Additionally, in June 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court held that two admissions programs that considered race as a factor for admission couldn’t be reconciled with the guarantees of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Please consult legal counsel to determine applicable law in your state and determine the extent to which DEI initiatives are allowable at your institution.
- Assess the campus racial climate. Talk with students and employees to understand the issues and select the right corrective actions. Use focus groups, one-on-one conversations, or campus forums to elicit feedback. Regularly meet with student organizations to identify problems and create solutions.
- Open a campus dialogue on racial issues. Show a commitment to an inclusive campus by holding public forums on supporting underrepresented students. Provide opening remarks and attend the entire program.
- Revise performance review and recruiting systems to ensure equal opportunities for faculty and employees. Consult a lawyer if you’re considering recruitment and mentorship programs based on race.
- Build cultural centers on campus. Cultural centers show your institution welcomes different backgrounds, and the centers provide educational resources about cultural heritage. For example, many campus cultural centers offer publications, media, art, and speakers to teach the community.
- Create and publicize an online or telephone bias reporting system. Work with legal counsel to determine how your institution can best respond to problems identified.
- Stay responsive on social media. Work with public relations experts to craft a measured and prompt response to the first signs of social media unrest. Continue to monitor social media as the situation progresses. Respond when appropriate.
- Ensure campus speech and harassment policies don’t prevent freedom of speech. All institutions, public and private, should review their speech and harassment policies to ensure they don’t encroach on applicable free speech rights.
- Provide discrimination and harassment prevention training to students and employees. While training can impart greater understanding, it also can have adverse effects by focusing on potential liability or judging participants. Program effectiveness is critical. Before implementing a training program, review evidence of its effectiveness.
Recent litigation challenges the constitutionality of mandatory employee diversity training. Offer optional, evidence-based training. - Inform your campus community. Work with a public relations specialist to communicate with students, faculty, and staff any steps your college has taken to promote equal opportunities. Use multiple tools such as social media, news releases, and letters from the administration.
- Communicate with campus security and local police about conflict resolution and de-escalation. Ensure that security and local authorities are aligned on supporting your community’s free speech rights and campus safety concerns.
More From UE
Prepare for Violent Protests on Campus
Addressing Demonstrations on Campus
Campus Demonstrations and Conflicts Resource Collection
Additional Resources
Sample Faculty Diversity Reports
About the Author
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Melanie Bennett, Esq., ARM-E
Senior Risk Management Counsel
In her role on UE’s Risk Research team, Melanie dives into timely topics affecting education. Her areas of expertise include protecting minors, enterprise risk management (ERM), technology accessibility, and athletics. Prior to joining UE, she interned at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Melanie serves on the Higher Education Protection Network’s (HEPNet’s) Board of Directors.