
At the Crossroads: Bias-Related Incidents Colliding with the First Amendment
Includes a Live Web Event on 04/09/2025 at 1:30 PM (EDT)
Bias incidents towards people of color, the LGBTQIA+ community, and/or religious beliefs have been an issue of concern for colleges and universities throughout the years and are on the rise. College administrators have come to a crossroad when having to decide how to respond without violating the First Amendment. The presenter will provide attendees with tools to recognize and respond to bias incidents, promote a culture that values diversity and inclusion while respecting constitutional rights.
Learning Outcomes
1. Indicate an understanding of the criteria utilized to identify and analyze instances of bias acts
2. Describe the First Amendment and recognize the balance between protected speech and potential harm
3. Discuss First Amendment and bias incidents, fostering a respectful and inclusive environment

Alesia Smith
Assistant Vice President/Title IX Coordinator
Clemson University
Alesia A. Smith currently serves as the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at Clemson University. In her role, she works with the Vice President for Student Affairs, to create and influence pathways, programs, and solutions for the continuous improvement of student experiences and culture. She formerly served as the Assistant Vice President for Equity Compliance and Title IX Coordinator. Ms. Smith has over 30 years of experience in higher education administration. She has assumed leadership roles in regional and national organizations such as the Association for Student Conduct Administrators (ASCA), National Association for Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), National Advisory Board for Take Back the Night, and the National Campus Advisory Board for the Grants to Reduce Violent Crimes Against Women on Campus. Ms. Smith is a respected resource having participated on national, regional and local panel discussions for student conduct-related issues, interpersonal violence, and policy development.
Continuing Education Credits
CSAED
This session counts for 1.0 CSAEd-CORE credit or Social Justice and Inclusion (SJI) continuing education.
NASPA has been approved by the Higher Education Consortium for Student Affairs Certification to provide CE credit for Certified Student Affairs Educators (CSAEd). NASPA is solely responsible for all aspects of this program.
Guidelines for earning CE credit:
No partial credit will be rewarded.
Participants must also complete the feedback survey in the Online Learning Community.
1 Credit is available for attending the live session or viewing the on-demand recording.
To receive CSAEd credit, attendees must complete the feedback survey that offers the certification in each session. Once you have attended all the live sessions or watched the on-demand sessions for which you would like to request credit, visit the Continuing Education (CE) website to fill out the Student Affairs Education Certification Request Form for all the sessions. All certificants must fill out one for the live session and a separate one for the on-demand sessions. Visit the Continued Education (CE) website to learn more regarding deadlines and receive your certificate of completion for the Virtual Conference.
NBCC
This session counts for 1 NBCC credit
NASPA has been approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an Approved Continuing Education Provider for live events.
Participants can receive a maximum of 13 clock hours for attending live sessions at this event. All eligible sessions are identified in the “Credit Information” tab at the top of the individual sessions. To receive credit, please complete the “Feedback Survey” found within each individual session under the “Continuing Education” section. Once the feedback surveys for all attended sessions are complete, complete this request form; a certificate documenting the number of hours of live sessions you attended will be emailed to you within two weeks of you submitting the form.
The deadline to request NBCC continuing education certificates for this event is May 12, 2025. For questions regarding continuing education, please email continuingeducation@naspa.org