The systems were more widely used during the pandemic, when students were encouraged to report on classmates for not wearing masks, said Cherise Trump, executive director of Speech First. The pandemic also coincided with a spike in hate crimes.
At Stanford, students can report a “Protected Identity Harm Incident,” which is defined as conduct targeting an individual or group on the basis of characteristics including race or sexual orientation. The system is meant to “build and maintain a better, safer, and more respectful campus community,” according to the school’s website.
Senior Christian Sanchez, executive vice president of the Associated Students of Stanford University, the student-government group, said the system is necessary and important. Mr. Sanchez, who describes himself as Chicano, said he has bristled in the past when another student has addressed him as “G,” short for gangster.
He has let it roll off his back, he said, but less thick-skinned students should have a path for redress.
“People need to be aware of what they’re saying and who they’re saying it to,” Mr. Sanchez said. “There are a lot of instances of stereotyping, and people should have a resource to report it if they want to.”
