Feedback for the Carlson School

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Make a Report Now to the Carlson School

This form offers an easy and safe place for Carlson School students to provide Undergraduate Program leadership with feedback, concerns, and/or incidents that happen at the Carlson School as it relates to school climate, quality of instruction, quality of staff, student conduct, and general feedback. You may choose to make a report anonymously. If you choose to do so, our ability to respond may be limited. 

I would like to consult with someone before submitting a report:

Call us at 612-624-3313 or email ugdean@umn.edu

Related Forms

Process & Oversight

Submitting a Report

Students may report anonymously or they may choose to self-identify. If a report is received anonymously, it may impact the school’s ability to investigate and respond fully to the report.

Students are invited to consult with an Undergraduate Program staff member to talk through how to navigate the various options for reporting that are available to them, and what might be the best fit for their specific concern. Please call 612-624-3313 or email ugdean@umn.edu.

When documenting the feedback, you may be prompted to provide a detailed account or include supporting documentation. You may also be asked to provide more details in the Immediate Response (see more below).

What Happens Next

Your submission will be received and reviewed by the Carlson Undergraduate Program lead staff members as assigned. 

If the report is not anonymous, you can then expect the following steps:

If you submit anonymously, we will not be able to respond to you directly.

FAQs

Where can I find more about the University and College principles and conduct codes that help inform this reporting process?

Both the overall University Code of Conduct (PDF) and the Student Conduct Code (PDF) provide university-specific information. You can also view the University's Sexual Misconduct policy for definitions and procedures related to these types of misconduct.

All students agree to these terms (listed above) by accepting admission to the Carlson School or accepting admission to any of the academic programs operated either solely by or jointly with the Carlson School of Management.

Is there anything I can do to address my concerns besides reporting them?

You always have the ability to address them with a trusted administrator and your Academic Advisor at Carlson can be immensely helpful as you determine how you might want to navigate a situation. Depending on the nature of the issue, many concerns can be resolved quite easily by speaking directly with the other person involved, especially involving grading concerns or similar classroom issues. If direct contact with the other party does not resolve the situation, or it would make you uncomfortable (for example, bullying or harassment), you can seek assistance through the reporting form, and you will be guided to various channels that can help depending on the nature of your complaint. 

In addition, the University of Minnesota has an initiative called “The Dignity Project,” which aims to ensure campus academic climates are conducive to well-being, learning, and productivity.  This project equips students with tools to address and sustain civility in academics.

I have questions about bias and bias incidents. Where can I find additional information?

The University of MN’s Bias Response and Referral Network’s website addresses a number of questions you might have, such as:

What are microaggressions? Can I report them too?

Microaggressive behaviors are insults, actions, or comments that contribute to an environment or experience that is not welcoming to a person or group based on their age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religion, religious practices, or sexual orientation. Students are encouraged to report these incidences. They will be documented and will inform efforts to raise awareness and sensitivity toward creating a more inclusive and supportive Carlson School environment.

Please see more below under Terms and Definitions. Also, see Examples of Microaggressions from UMN School of Public Health

If I submit a report about an individual, particularly faculty or staff, what kind of action might happen as a result of reporting? I don’t want to report if nothing will happen. 

The Carlson School takes all reports seriously, and a number of approaches may be used depending on the nature of the circumstance and the individual(s) involved. An educational approach, for example, may be to help the individual realize how their actions and/or words impact others through formal or informal means. At times, this may include education on UMN policies and procedures, like accommodation requests. If there are multiple reports about an individual with no evidence of improvement, annual performance reviews may be impacted. Allegations of illegal behavior and/or explicit violations of university policies will be referred to appropriate investigative bodies on campus.

I’m concerned about retaliation if I submit a report. How might I be protected from this?

University policy states that no member of the University community may retaliate against an individual because of the individual’s good faith participation in:

The Carlson response teams involved in reviewing reports will maintain a reporting student’s confidentiality whenever possible, given the University’s responsibility for supporting a safe and nondiscriminatory working and learning environment. The response teams will also have safeguards in place for eliminating any potential conflicts of interest through the reporting.

Remember, you always have the ability to consult with a trusted individual (your academic advisor, a career coach, instructor, staff member, etc.) if you want to talk through your concerns and options prior to submitting any report. 

How is a resolution of a report communicated?

In all circumstances, students submitting a report non-anonymously will receive communication from the Immediate Response Team on steps taken.

In situations where individuals may be personally identified, privacy laws and confidentiality of student and employee records may prevent the college from disclosing specific details about the resolution of a report. 

Reports that are submitted ­­­­­­­­anonymously will still receive a response and consideration from the Immediate and Core response teams, although the college’s ability to respond may be severely limited by those circumstances.

Each semester, the campus community will have access to a report of cumulative themes and responses identified by the core team.

What actions can the response teams NOT take?

The Carlson School Immediate and Core response teams cannot:

For incidents that require official actions, a student will be referred to the appropriate University office.

Terms and Definitions

Bias

Everyone has bias. Bias is a disproportionate weight in favor of or against an idea or thing, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individual, a group, or a belief.

Bias incident

Is an act of bigotry, harassment, or intimidation that is motivated in whole or in part by bias based on an individual’s or group’s actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Bias often stems from fear, misunderstanding, hatred, or stereotypes and may be intentional or unintentional.

Diversity

Understanding and honoring the ways people are unique.

Equity

Fairness, which is about giving everyone what they need to be successful.

Hate crimes

Similar to a bias incident, hate crimes are motivated by bias, however, they involve a criminal act such as assault or vandalism.

Hate speech

Any kind of communication in speech, writing or behavior, that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group on the basis of who they are, in other words, based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, color, descent, gender, or other identity factor.

Inclusion

Welcoming all people and ensuring they have equitable access to opportunities, benefits, and services by creating environments of mutual respect where everyone is valued and supported.

Identity

An individual’s internal, personal sense of being related to social groups that may include (but are not limited to) race, social class, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation/sexuality, religion/faith/spirituality, age, nationality, and disability.

Intersectionality

Framework articulated by legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw that describes the way that someone holding multiple oppressed or marginalized identities can experience more injustice than someone having any one of those identities would face, including injustice or oppression because of the intersection of those identities.

Microaggressions

Are brief, common exchanges that can communicate hostility, disrespect, or similar negative messages about an identity. Microaggressions can be hard to recognize because they are often subtle and unintentional.

Power

Comes from holding accepted group, community, or societal norms or values.

Privilege

An unearned advantage often based on specific identities or group membership.

Oppression

Underserved disadvantage that may occur between people, and as part of larger institutions and systems.

At the Carlson School of Management, we value inclusion and the diversity that shape our community in our shared pursuit of excellence in learning, research, and service. We acknowledge there will be times when we fall short of these values and our commitment to one another and for that we have created a feedback process. 

The primary goal of this reporting form is to center the student who submitted a report and enact a process that promotes and restores their agency, belonging, and ability to succeed at Carlson.