It is critical that members of the MIT community are aware of resources to enable them to voice concerns about visitors who they believe pose a risk to physical safety.
While most community members are aware of these resources—each of which offers different reporting options and resolution pathways—they are publicized here specifically in the context of campus visitors. The primary channels through which community members can voice their concerns about visitors who may pose a risk to physical safety—including the different characteristics of each—include the following:
The MIT Police should be contacted if there is a concern about imminent risk of physical harm from a campus visitor (or anyone else). In addition, the MIT Police can assist with safety planning, crime prevention, and law enforcement and criminal investigations.
The host of the visitor
Although not a formal reporting channel, community members can always voice concerns informally through the MIT community member(s) hosting a visitor. MIT expects that hosts will engage in good faith with any community members who raise such a concern.
The DLC Director, Department Head, Dean, or other supervisor of the host
Like the host of a visitor, Institute leaders overseeing the host’s unit can be a useful resource to voice concerns informally and assist in resolving any objections.
The Institute Discrimination and Harassment Response Office (IDHR)
IDHR is a resource for the entire MIT community for concerns related to discrimination and discriminatory harassment, including sexual misconduct. IDHR offers a range of options to support community members, including educational opportunities; information about campus resources; individualized supportive measures, including academic, workplace, and housing modifications; and complaint resolution pathways that include restorative and investigative processes.
Violence Prevention and Response (VPR)
VPR is MIT’s primary on-campus resource for preventing and responding to interpersonal violence including sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, stalking, and sexual harassment. VPR is a confidential resource for the MIT community, meaning that, except in very rare circumstances, information that is shared with VPR will not be shared with other MIT offices, although VPR can assist in explaining other MIT resources and reporting options.
The Ombuds Office
The Ombuds Office is a confidential and independent resource for all members of the MIT community, including students, faculty, employees, and alumni, to constructively manage concerns and conflicts related to their experience at MIT. The Ombuds Office can help to analyze concerns, clarify policies and procedures (including reporting pathways), and identify options to constructively manage conflicts. The Ombuds Office offers a range of services that can help community members constructively navigate challenging situations that arise in their work and academic experiences at MIT.
The MIT Hotline
MIT has established an anonymous reporting hotline for whistleblower or other complaints about suspected wrongdoing, violations of Institute policy, or troubling practices on campus. All hotline reports are reviewed by a small group of MIT representatives from Risk Management & Compliance Services, the Audit Division, and the Office of the General Counsel. This group will determine if further review is necessary, and if so, who is best equipped to perform that review. In some cases, it may be the same department that would have received the report had direct channels been used. Given the anonymous nature of the hotline, in some cases MIT may be more limited in its options for responding to hotline reports.
A more complete list of Institute reporting options can be found here.
Non-Retaliation Policy
In addition to understanding MIT’s reporting options, it is also important that community members feel comfortable raising concerns. In an effort to protect those who report issues—including issues about campus visitors—MIT has a robust non-retaliation policy that prohibits any member of the community from retaliating against any person who, in good faith, raises concerns about a possible violation of MIT policy or other wrongdoing or participates in any Institute complaint resolution process. This non-retaliation policy applies to those who report an incident, file a complaint, or otherwise raise a concern about a policy violation or other wrongdoing. MIT’s complete non-retaliation policy can be found here.