For an incident to be classified as a hate crime, it must first meet the definition of a crime. Some examples of crimes that can be classified as hate crimes include murder, manslaughter, robbery, vandalism, assault, and arson. To be classified as a hate crime, the incident must first be determined to be a criminal act, and evidence must also exist that the crime was motivated by the offender’s bias against the victim based on one or more of these identities, as defined by law. A hate crime is a criminal act committed against a person or property which is motivated by the offender’s bias against one or more of the following identities:

• Disability (physical, psychological, cognitive and chronic health)
• Ethnicity
• Gender
• Gender identity
• Race
• Religion
• Sexual orientation

Hate crimes are against the law. If you believe you have been the victim of a hate crime, please contact CSU police at 970-491-6425, or call 911 if there is an immediate threat to safety. A bias-related incident differs from a hate crime in that the incident does not first reach a criminal threshold. A bias incident is any conduct, speech, or expression, motivated in whole or in part by bias or prejudice that is meant to intimidate, demean, mock, degrade, marginalize, or threaten individuals or groups based on that individual or group’s actual or perceived identity (see list above). A bias-related incident may or may not be unlawful discrimination or harassment. Matters of discrimination and harassment based on protected bases must be addressed by the Office of Equal Opportunity. If your concern is about unlawful discrimination or harassment, contact the Office of Equal Opportunity at oeo@colostate.edu or 970-491-5836. Please be aware, however, that just because a member of our community finds the expression of an idea or point of view to be offensive or inflammatory, it is not necessarily a bias-related incident. The University values freedom of expression and the open exchange of ideas, including the expression of ideas, thoughts and differing points of view, including ideas or views that may be controversial to some people. The University values freedom of expression and the open exchange of ideas, including the expression of controversial ideas and differing views. For more information about the First Amendment and the University, visit https://firstamendment.colostate.edu/.