UNK Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Office
UNK Department of the Month
June 2007
The UNK Staff Senate is honored to recognize the Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Office as the June 2007 Staff Senate Department of the Month award. The Office of Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity is responsive to University issues which support a diverse work and academic environment that is free from discrimination against any person upon the basis of race, age, color, disability, religion, sex (including sexual harassment), sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, marital status, or veteran status. The University affirms a policy of equal educational and employment opportunities, affirmative action in employment, and nondiscrimination in providing services to the public.
To accomplish this mission, the office must monitor every position search process on campus. This requires that all members of search committees be trained on the "Do’s & Don’ts" of the search process so that federal and state regulation are followed to avoid discrimination in the hiring process. Careful monitoring of the search process by the AA/EO Office is required to insure that the best qualified applicant is hired without discrimination. All of this is done by the AA/EO Office with minimum stress on the search committees while protecting the University against violation of federal and state regulations.
Another part of the AA/EO Office’s job function is to address complaints of discrimination and harassment. This requires the Office to review the complaint with the complainant to determine possible course of action to correct the issue. Upon the filing of a complaint, the Office investigates to determine the validity of the complaint and what action should be taken. All of this is accomplished by the AA/EO Office with privacy, dignity and respect for all parties involved with the complaint.
The Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Office should be commended for the professionalism that they bring to a job that can be very difficult at times. The protection they provide to applicants, employees and the University is outstanding remembering that not everyone will be happy with a decision that is made. Their ability to provide this service to the University is indeed a valuable asset to all levels of the campus.
As a result of their hard work and essential services, the UNK Staff Senate is privileged to recognize the Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Office as the June 2007 UNK Department of the Month.
Thank you to the sponsors of the Department of the Month: UNK Athletics and Staff Senate