¶ Overview
MSA board members quickly become familiar public figures to whom our community looks to for leadership. Oftentimes, community members who are in need or have pressing concerns will approach board members to make their voices heard and alleviate any difficulties that they may be experiencing. In general, having an approachable board that the community can trust and confide in is something board members must strive towards. But if board members are not careful, sensitive topics and concerns can quickly spiral into uncontrollable issues that hurt the cohesiveness and productivity of our board and divide the community. This page informs board members of the productive means by which community members must be asked to pursue their concerns. It also defines the types of concerns that are within the jurisdiction of the board and those that must be delegated to other more qualified resources.
¶ Classification
Community members may bring forth various types of concerns. The correct protocol for dealing with them depends on the type. Concerns can be categorized into the following:
| Severity | Classification | Description | Historical Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor | Basic Logistics & Feedback | Concerns that do not require discussion from the entire MSA board in order to resolve | • A complaint about vegan food alternatives not being offered at events |
| Moderate | Violation of Values & Principles | Concerns that the MSA is violating community values or Islamic principles | • A complaint that MSA events encourage too much gender-mixing • An individual calling for the removal of a board member for affiliating with an "alleged" Zionist |
| Major | Violence & Harassment | Reports of a community member being harassed, abused, or a victim of any form of violence | • A complaint of being stalked by an MSA member • A community member requesting that an individual be banned from MSA spaces for a record of abuse |
¶ Avenues of Communication
The following are means through which community members may voice their concerns. The productivity of each avenue is discussed.
¶ Anonymous Feedback Form
Throughout the semester, the MSA board must publicize an anonymous feedback form through which community members can communicate their complaints if they are not comfortable delivering them personally. Typically, concerns submitted through this avenue are of a minor severity. The board should address the legitimacy of all form submissions and consider making appropriate changes to address the concerns in a timely manner.
Where appropriate, the board should openly discuss solutions to concerns such that community members learn to trust that submissions to the anonymous feedback form will be read and acted upon.
¶ Direct Communication with a Board Member
This is the most common avenue of communication and also the one that poses the most risk. Community members with moderate or major levels of severity concerns will likely communicate directly with board members one-on-one to ensure that they will be heard and action will take place.
¶ Common Mistakes Board Members Make
- Giving a concerned community member the time, space, and sense of security to discuss the details of their concern, implicitly or explicitly allowing him or her to believe that the board agrees with their stance and will do something about it.
- While board members should strive to serve as trusted individuals that community members can confide in, they must learn to recognize a moderate or major severity level concern and request that community members only get into the details at an open board meeting with all board members present.
- Doing so serves the following purposes. (1) The board member that is being reached out to is not tasked with the burden of comforting a community member that may or may not have a legitimate concern. (2) The board member protects themselves from speaking on behalf of the board without prior consent and having to deal with the consequences of legitimizing a concern that the majority of the board later deems not worthy of addressing.
- Informing a concerned member that you (a board member) understand their concern and will bring it up to the board on their behalf.
- This usually happens when the concerned member is close to the board member. Out of courtesy and friendship, the board member will shy away from requesting that their friend have to come out to an open board meeting to voice their concern and instead offers to bring it up for them.
- This is problematic because it places the responsibility on the board member to accurately communicate their friend's concern. Making this mistake also introduces a conflict of interest as the board member hopes to not let their friend down while also respecting the potentially-conflicting opinions of his or her fellow board members.
- Avoid this by informing any concerned community member (including friends) that as a board member you are prohibited from bringing up moderate and major severity level concerns on behalf of others at board meetings.
¶ The Correct Course of Action
- If the concern being brought up to you is of minor severity, you may bring this concern up to the board or address it immediately depending on the context.
- If it is evident that the concern being brought up to you is of moderate or major severity, before getting into any details, request that the community member attend the nearest open board meeting and personally deliver their concern or that they utilize the anonymous feedback form.
¶ Open Board Meetings
By default, all board meetings are open. Up to 10 minutes will be allotted at the beginning of the meeting for public comment with all board members present. As is outlined in detail in the board meeting bylaws, the board is not required to immediately address concerns that are brought up during public comment but may postpone this discussion to the end of the meeting or another meeting altogether. For concerns that are outside the jurisdiction of the MSA board, community members should be directed to the appropriate resource (more on this below).
¶ Community Nights & Other Events
Community Nights are a time for the board to update the community on the association's progress, engage the community, and collect feedback. Due to the public nature of this event, community feedback tends to be of a minor severity level. More infrequently however, some community members may take advantage of the public nature of community nights to bring up moderate or major level concerns in an attempt to pressure the MSA board and illicit the support of the broader community. This usually happens when community members sense that the board is unreceptive and do not trust that the board will productively address their concern. These sentiments can be largely avoided by regularly reminding community members of the productive avenues they have to voice their concerns (anonymous feedback form, open board meetings) at events throughout the semester. Even with these precautions however, the board may still encounter an individual or group of community members that believe that the best way to bring up a concern is at a public event like a Community Night. If a contentious and potentially controversial concern is brought up during an MSA event, follow these guidelines:
- Politely respond to the concerned individual(s) by admitting that this seems like an issue that is of a great deal of importance to them and that the board respects that
- Remind them that more productive avenues for bringing up concerns have been publicized. Community members may bring up concerns at any weekly open board meeting, where concerned individuals can address the entire board during public comment
- Let them know that the board will postpone discussion regarding this concern to the next open board meeting, inviting anyone who would like to make their voice heard
- If the concerned community member insists that their concern be addressed, ask that the community member quickly step out of the room with a few board members to further discuss a more productive avenue to voice their concern.
In these situations, the primary objective is de-escalation. Maintain a professional and respectful tone. By following the above instructions, regardless of the intensity of the concern, most community members will recognize that the board is not trying to make this issue personal, but is simply upholding the association's bylaws.
¶ Addressing Minor Severity Level Concerns
These concerns may be brought up through an anonymous feedback form submission, directly to a board member, or at an open board meeting. Oftentimes, these concerns can be addressed without bringing them up to the attention of the entire board. For example, if an individual is concerned about the limited number of chairs being offered at our on-campus Jummah prayer for any students who require a chair to pray, a board member may take appropriate action to ensure that more chairs are available at the next Jummah prayer. Doing so without the consent of the entire board does not have any consequences. For the sake of transparency and communication, however, board members should share any minor severity level concerns and actions that were taken to resolve them with the rest of the board at a convenient time such that everyone is aware and on the same page.
¶ Addressing Moderate Severity Level Concerns
When submitted through an anonymous feedback form, moderate severity level concerns may be addressed at a time the board finds most appropriate. Due to the anonymous nature of this feedback, it is difficult for the board to follow up with concerned individuals to collect more information and gauge the potential efficacy of proposed solutions. If multiple submissions reference the same concern or corroborate concerns brought up through other avenues, the board should place a higher priority on addressing this concern.
If a moderate severity level concern is brought up directly to a board member, that board member should limit discussion and invite the concerned individual to an open board meeting.
At an open board meeting, the board should make it clear that the individual has up to 10 minutes to speak. If a board member would like to grant the individual more time, he or she may ask the President whether the agenda allows for an extension. The President will either accept or decline the public comment time extension, providing a justification of how the agenda would be modified in either case.
After the community member's public comment time has elapsed, the board may take a few minutes to comfort the community member, ask questions, and outline a few options for addressing the concern. The board should not take time to brainstorm and get into the details of any course of action or make specific promises. The board should let community members know that they've heard them loud and clear, will look more deeply at the issue in a follow up meeting, and will keep the community member updated with any decisions that the board makes.
Once the community member has left, the board can privately deliberate on the legitimacy of the concern and discuss the most appropriate way to address it. This should not happen at the expense of the meeting's pre-defined agenda, unless the board believes that the concern is of higher priority than other agenda items. The board should refer certain concerns to the expertise of the Advisory Board to alleviate some of the toll that tough debates could have on the cohesion of the board.
¶ Addressing Major Severity Level Concerns
Although major severity level concerns are usually brought up in person, when submitted through the anonymous feedback form, there is a limitation on what can be done. The MSA will NOT reach out to the alleged violator in an attempt to collect more information, verify the premises of the concern, or arbitrate in any form. The MSA will attach the anonymous feedback form submission to a formal letter referring the case to Jabir Tarin, the Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, whose services are provided by the Muslim Mental Health Initiative (refer to the template below).
If a major severity level concern is brought up directly to a board member, before getting into the details of the concern, that board member should inform the concerned individual that the MSA legally cannot arbitrate such cases and will refer them to a certified therapist or student-safety advocatorial institution. If the individual insists that the MSA address their concern, the board member should invite them to the soonest open board meeting.
At an open board meeting, the board should make it clear that the individual has up to 10 minutes to speak. Once it is clear that the concern can be classified as a major severity level concern, the board should limit further discussion and refer the individual to Jabir Tarin and/or the other institutions listed below. In the chance that a community member insists that the MSA take action, remind the individual that unfortunately such cases are outside of the MSA's jurisdiction as per the MSA's bylaws due to students’ lack of professional experience to suitably deal with such issues. The MSA will sign a formal referral letter acknowledging that the case is beyond the capacity of the association and will be submitted to Jabir Tarin and/or some of the institutions listed below.
¶ Where Students Should Be Referred
Depending on the case, some of these resources may be more appropriate than others.
¶ Jabir Tarin (Default Option)
In all major severity level cases, victimized community members should be officially referred to Jabir Tarin, Associate Marriage and Family Therapist from the Muslim Mental Health Initiative. Jabir Tarin also sits on the MSA Advisory Board and has consented to having all issues of this kind directed to him. His training will allow him to most effectively arbitrate any conflicts and redirect victims to the connections he has as a therapist. His connection to the MSA will also allow him to inform the board of productive means by which MSA spaces can be made more safe.
Official Referral Letter:
The MSA Board hereby acknowledges that this case (attached) is not within the capacity of the MSA to provide additional services beyond a referral, and we have thus as of [DATE] referred this case over to Jabir Tarin, Associate Marriage and Family Therapist from the Muslim Mental Health Initiative.
Signed,
Muslim Student Association Board
[SIGNATURES FROM PRESIDENT, IVP, & EVP]Jabir Tarin
[JABIR'S SIGNATURE][ATTACH ALL INFORMATION COLLECTED ON THE CASE]
Every referral letter sent out to Jabir should be saved as a pdf in the UCBMSA > Board > Official Letters & Legal Documents Google Drive folder for future reference.
¶ In Shaykh's Clothing
In addition to Br. Jabir, community members may also be referred to In Shaykh's Clothing, a website dedicated to supporting victims of spiritual abuse from some of our own community's teachers, scholars, and leaders. Br. Jabir also has connection with this resource and will be able to refer community members as well.
¶ Office for the Prevention of Harassment & Discrimination
In addition to Br. Jabir, community members may also be referred to the Office for the Prevention of Harassment & Discrimination, an office at UC Berkeley, equipped with the legal resources to resolve sex/race discrimination, sexual/racial harassment, sexual assault and rape issues. This resource should be linked on the MSA website at all times to make it easily accessible by community members and increase transparency within the MSA on such issues.
¶ Banning Violators
In rare cases, community members may ask that an individual be officially banned from attending MSA spaces due to the threat to their safety that the individual's presence holds.
The criteria required for banning a community member from MSA spaces is as follows:
- The individual is being investigated by an institution (UC-affiliated or not) for harassment, violence, assault, abuse, etc. AND
- The individual is being perceived as a threat in MSA spaces by community members
In the case that both of the above criteria are met, the MSA board should deliver a letter privately and directly to the violator in question. This letter will inform the violator that s/he is prohibited from attending any future MSA spaces or events. This letter should follow the template below:
Banned Community Member Letter:
Dear [NAME],
It has recently been brought up to our attention that you are being investigated by an institution for conducting one or more of the following: harassment, violence, assault, and/or abuse. We have also been informed that your presence in MSA spaces undermines our community members' sense of safety. With this criteria being met and in accordance with our bylaws, the MSA board is hereby required to formally ask that you no longer attend any MSA spaces or events and that you be removed from online MSA community forums (MSA Facebook Groups, etc.). We respect the privacy of all parties involved and have chosen to inform you directly.
Signed,
Muslim Student Association Board
Every letter sent out to an individual should be saved as a pdf in the UCBMSA > Board > Official Letters & Legal Documents Google Drive folder for future reference.
In the case that only one of the above criteria are met, the MSA may not ban a community member nor will the MSA act as an arbitrator in any capacity. The MSA will refer concerned community members to Jabir Tarin who may assist in the filing for an investigation and remove responsibility from the MSA board. However, the MSA board should comfort the concerned member by letting him or her know that community members will be assigned to keep an eye on the individual in question to protect everyone from any potential violations at MSA events and spaces (more on this below).
¶ Keeping our Community Safe
Even though the MSA board does not have the authority to ban individuals except in particular cases as stated above, the board still has a responsibility to take significant measures within their capacity to ensure MSA is a safe inclusive space.
¶ Community-Provided Protection
When community members report to the board that the presence of an individual at MSA events compromises their sense of safety but the criteria for banning that individual is not met, the MSA board should institute a number of safety measures.
For example, the board should assign 3 or 4 members of leadership to keep an eye on the individual in question during the entirety of the event. Ask that they stay in the same general area but not too close to raise any suspicions. If any questionable behavior is noticed, these members should step in to discourage the behavior by:
- Inviting the individual to go with them to grab some food
- Casually asking if the individual would like to come with them to talk to someone else at the other side of the room
- Calling out to the potential victim, asking whether s/he could help them setup something in the back
¶ Guest Speakers
To further emphasize the protection of its community members and avoid unnecessary strain on their comfort and safety, the MSA board will not invite individuals who the board has received complaints about as guest speakers to MSA events. All student guest speakers invited to MSA affiliated events should be screened by the entire MSA leadership (board, committee heads and officers). This is necessary because although a student may not be under investigation, only a subset of the community may have heard of their history of abuse. Getting approval from MSA leadership is a preemptive measure that increases the chances of us identifying potentially controversial students and preventing any potential risk to community members’ wellbeing.
¶ Comprehension Quiz
If you were instructed to read this page as part of an online training curriculum, you must submit this quiz and answer all questions correctly. In the case that you do not answer a question correctly, you may view which questions were incorrect and take the quiz again.
