Follow-Up Communication Regarding Fizz Survey

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Subject: Follow-Up Regarding Fizz Survey 

 

March 2025 

In this message: 

  • Follow-Up Information on Fizz Survey 

  • Action Items and continuing to engage in our Community Values and Community of Care: 

  • Community Values: Integrity, Respect and Responsibility 

  • Community of Care: Kindness and Compassion 

     

 Post Message Includes: 

  • Link to Fizz Survey Results 

  • Reminders on: 

  • DU process for referrals regarding bullying, discrimination, and/or harassment 

  • Fizz process for addressing concerning anonymous posts 

  • Support Resources 

  • Actions to consider to DU Your Part in helping to preserve community values 

 

Dear Students: 

We are writing to share the results from the Fizz Survey that we sent to you in an email communication on January 8, 2025. 

As a reminder, the survey had three parts: (1) learning across difference; (2) on campus experience; and (3) a primary focus of questions on the Fizz virtual environment based on multiple reports that DU students were being targeted on that platform. We shared in the January 8th communication, and it is essential to reiterate that there is no tolerance at the University for bullying, discrimination and/or harassment whether occurring in person or through written or electronic means. Students found responsible for these behaviors could be subject to outcomes that may include suspension or expulsion. 

The link to the summary of results is listed below.  We also wanted to share information with you regarding the actions the University is taking based on these results. Information collected about learning across difference will continue to inform opportunities through Free Expression Initiatives. A committee of staff and students is working in partnership to continue to create awareness about anti-bullying, anti-harassment, and anti-discrimination initiatives, and the survey respondents provided helpful ideas for these efforts. The Office of Equal Opportunity & Title IX (EOIX) and the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities (SRR) will continue to educate students and the campus community regarding their respective processes, procedures, and reporting mechanisms. 

Finally, the University will leave the decision regarding which platforms students choose to engage with – whether Fizz or other social media platforms --to the discretion of the individual student. At the same time, the University expects students to uphold the University’s community values of acting with integrity, respect, and responsibility when engaging with DU community members whether in person or through written and electronic means.  

We also urge anyone who observes bullying, targeting or harmful behavior to make a report to the social media platform where the comments occurred and to the University. Although the University may be limited in its ability to respond to anonymous posts, these reports help inform the University about what might be occurring both in virtual environments and on campus. Reminders of how to report to Fizz, EOIX, and SRR are included below. 

Please DU Your Part as a member of our Community of Care as we continue to strive to treat each other with kindness and compassion.  

We care about you and your experience at the University of Denver. Please reach out with any questions to either of us or to the Dean of Students Office at DoSoffice@du.edu 

Thank You, 

Dr. Niki Latino
Dean of Students

Molly Hooker
Deputy Title IX Coordinator

 

 

 

 

Post Message Information:

Fizz Survey Results:  Fizz.App Survey | Institutional Research & Analysis | University of Denver 

Reminders: 

  • DU process when referrals are submitted:  When a referral is made regarding concerns for bullying, discrimination, and/or harassment, the Office of Student Rights & Responsibilities (SRR) in the Dean of Students Office and/or the Office of Equal Opportunity & Title IX (EOIX) review the concerns to determine whether the reported conduct falls within the scope of their respective policies. As part of this process, they may conduct outreach to students, work with the Department of Campus Safety regarding safety concerns and safety planning, and connect the impacted students to support resources. You can find out more information about the EOIX policies, including the University’s Discrimination and Harassment Policy, on the  EOIX Policies and Procedures webpage. If a report implicates those policies, EOIX will outreach to connect with the impacted student to offer supportive measures and share resolution options. In addition, EOIX will inform the student about their rights. SRR will follow its applicable processes to address conduct that falls within the  University’s Honor Code . If the University or the students cannot identify the person(s) who wrote the concerning posts, the University may be limited in the available responses to anonymous posts. 

  • Fizz process to address concerning anonymous posts: When anonymous posts occur on social media platforms such as Fizz, and if students and the University are unable to identify if the person making the posts is a DU student, we support the student in understanding the action they can take to work with Fizz because the University does not have any control over the Fizz app nor the ability to force Fizz to remove posts/comments or to identify the anonymous posters. Fizz has Community Guidelines . The Community Guidelines also identify a process for clicking on the flag icon on the post or comment that may violate the guidelines to report it to the Fizz community moderators. Fizz indicates that the “community moderators are trained to remove content that violates our community guidelines.” Accordingly, the Fizz community moderators may be able to remove the offensive posts.    

Support resources for students can be found at  DUhelp  
  
Considerations to DU Your Part to preserve the community of care and community values 
1. If you have any information about the identity of individuals who are posting bullying and harassing statements in person and/or online, please report this information to the Office of Student Rights & Responsibilities (SRR) either through the SRR Incident Report or by emailing  SRR@du.edu . SRR and EOIX work closely together, and if statements implicate EOIX policies, SRR will forward the report to EOIX. Please note: If there are immediate safety concerns, call 911 and the Department of Campus Safety Emergency line at 303-871-3000. 


2. It can be very difficult to be the target of in person and/or online bullying or harassment, to support others experiencing this conduct, and to observe the behavior of fellow members of your shared community. The Health and Counseling Center (HCC) has a 24/7 Counselor on Call who can be reached at 303-871-2205. Student Outreach & Support (SOS), in the Dean of Students Office, is also available during business hours to support our students. Please contact them at SOS@du.edu.


3. Learn more about how to be an active bystander. If you witness this type of behavior either in person or through written or electronic means, speak up and/or seek help for the person who is being targeted. This action is extremely powerful and can help to build trust and/or restore student’s trust of the larger community. 


4. Consider whether deleting Fizz from your collection of apps or disengaging with the app is what you feel might be best for you. One of the most effective ways to demonstrate your personal commitment to integrity, respect, and responsibility is to disengage with a forum that you feel does not meet your expectations of how community engagement should occur. Fizz and other social media platforms should not be used to promote bullying and harassment.