Statement About Social Media Posts

Grinnell College has learned that there is a statement circulating on social media regarding an alleged crime on October 8, 2022 in the parking lot near the Bear Athletics and Recreation Center.  There are inaccuracies in this statement that are important to address because the circulation of misinformation has caused fear among members of our community. If anyone is aware of any alleged crimes, we continue to ask that they be reported and that available resources are activated instead of using social media.  The purpose of this message is to address misinformation circulating on social media.

Here is the information that the College has about what has been reported: Campus Safety logs all calls they receive.  Logs document that Campus Safety staff responded to the call and worked to ensure that the student received care. At the student’s request, Campus Safety transported them for medical attention. The Campus Safety report written after the student transport included the following information: At the time of the incident, the student reported that they did not know if they had been struck by a bike or a scooter. The student did not state that they were the victim of a race related incident. The student was transported to the emergency room by campus security. When the student later called for a return transport, they reported a small cut on their side and stated that they must have fallen on something. The student did not describe an alleged assailant.

On October 28, a staff member, following a meeting with the student, submitted a BIRT report regarding this incident and members of the BIRT team and student affairs reached out on the same day to meet with the student; a meeting took place on Wednesday, November 2. In the absence of a timely warning, the BIRT process is at the discretion of the student involved in the report.  The College issues timely warnings as outlined on pp. 28-29 of our Annual Security Report (ASR). The parameters for timely warnings are defined by a federal regulation called the Jeanne Clery Act.

The College’s response teams are only able to move forward with action on an incident if the impacted student or a witness – or a College official like an academic advisor or a staff member – makes a report.  When incidents are not reported for several weeks, it is difficult for the police to find the individuals responsible and hold them accountable. 

The College strongly encourages anyone who experiences or witnesses an incident to do one or more of the following:

• Report racist harassment and vandalism to Grinnell Police at 641-623-5602 or 911. 
• Call the Grinnell Police department at the same number if you know the individual(s) involved.
• Photograph license plate numbers of vehicles harassing citizens to give to police.
• Report any incidents to the Bias Incident Response Team (reports may be anonymous).