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Campus Community Safety

Support for UW scholars experiencing targeted harassment

Nationwide, scholars have increasingly become targets for harassment because of their personal or institutional beliefs or their area of research. These attacks can be professionally disruptive and personally difficult, especially when research is misconstrued or misrepresented.

Harassment can be upsetting and traumatic, but you do not have to face it alone. Whether you’re dealing with an active harassment situation, looking to reduce the impact of harassment or trying to prevent harassment, this guide is a resource for UW scholars.

Get help responding to harassment

1. Tell someone

If you are in immediate physical danger or suspect you could be, please call 911.

Reporting harassment because of your work is important. Your safety is important. While most online abuse remains just that – online – it’s important to assess every situation carefully.

SafeCampus is the University of Washington’s violence-prevention and response program supporting students, staff and faculty. SafeCampus-trained staff take in information to gauge threat levels, offer personal safety planning and can help you determine how to respond to a situation. Visit the SafeCampus website for more information. They are experienced in advising when it comes to threats and may involve the UW’s Office of Information Security as needed.

If there is no immediate physical threat, but you have received a threatening or alarming message, you can also contact law enforcement. Reasons for contacting law enforcement may include obtaining a police report of the incident.

  • Seattle: Call the University of Washington Police Department non-emergency number: 206-685-8973. A UWPD Communications Specialist can take your report, and an officer will follow up.
  • Tacoma: Call UW Tacoma Campus Safety & Security (253-692-4416) or the Tacoma Police Department (non-emergency line 253-287-4455).
  • Bothell: Call the UW Bothell Campus Safety Department (425-352-5359) or the Bothell Police Department (non-emergency line 425-577-5656).

In addition to formal reporting, you have others around you who can help if needed.

  • Faculty/Academic Personnel: Consider connecting with your department chair, your dean or campus chancellor’s office, or other administrative leadership.
  • Staff and student employees: Consider alerting your supervisor, especially if the harassment is in relation to your work.
  • If the harassment leads to questions from the media, contact the UW News office at 206-543-2580 or uwnews@uw.edu.

2. Document

If you are experiencing abuse, harassment or threats, consider preserving evidence of the communications. You may want to ask a trusted friend or colleague to help with documentation to reduce the amount of time you spend reading upsetting material.

  • Save emails, voicemails or text messages you receive.
  • Take screenshots or photos of comments on social media. Because such comments can be deleted, screenshots help document them. Include information about the user or handle names, their real name, the links to their profiles and any other information about the source of the harassment.
  • Note the date, time and phone number of all threatening phone calls and texts.

Supporting a UW scholar experiencing harassment

If someone you supervise is experiencing harassment related to their work, your support matters. Here’s how you can help.

Protecting your personal information

Online attackers may search social media pages and online public databases for personal details about you. Here are some tips from the UW Privacy Office to protect your privacy:

Increase your digital security

  • Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) for all your accounts, including email, social media accounts and any accounts that may hold your financial data.
  • Change your online passwords. Use a password manager, such as LastPass, to create and store long, unique passwords for all your online accounts. Use different passwords for each account.
  • Monitor your bank and other financial accounts and set up alerts to be informed of any unusual activity.
  • Check social media accounts for suspicious logins. Consider making social media accounts private during an attack to secure your personal information.
  • Review the UW Office of Information Security website for online training and best practices to secure your personal information and UW data.

Resources

UW Resources

External Resources