Assignment:
Discussion 1
Policy Chosen: University of Georgia's non-discrimination and anti-harassment policy.
The university is one of the most renowned universities in USA where there are a lot of national and international students enrolled. The university aims at maintaining a respectful and fair environment for the students as well as the staff and faculty. I have chosen University of Georgia's policy for discrimination and harassment. The university defines sexual harassment as an unwelcoming physical or verbal conduct based on the sexual stereotypes or gender. The university also defines discrimination as an act of discrimination based on religion, gender, ethnicity, age, disability or nationality (Eyer, 2011). The amount of time that is required to carry out an investigation depends upon the type of issue or its nature. The notice of the investigation will be provided within the 60 calendar days by the EOO director or the NDAH officer.
The policies related to discrimination and harassment only states the policies adopted by the universities not the affirmative actions that will be taken by the university. There are different policies related to false accusations, consensual relationships, conflict of interests and retaliation. The university has furthermore also stated the processes which may be used to file complaints and reports and has provided numbers of different people who are responsible to look after the matter. University of Georgia is a public research university. The mission of the university is "to teach, to serve and to inquire into nature of things" but the anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies do not explain the actions that university will be taking against any complaints. It is better for the university to state the affirmative actions in their policies. Although, within the context of their mission and vision, the university has communicated the policies and processes in a well-mannered form to the stakeholders.
References
Georgia, University. 2019. Anti-discrimination and Anti-Harassment policies.
Eyer, K. R. (2011). That's Not Discrimination: American Beliefs and the Limits of Anti-Discrimination Law. Minn. L. Rev., 96, 1275.
Discussion 2
I have selected to analyze Arizona State University's affirmative action plan for this week's discussion. The main purpose for Arizona State's plan is to ensure that all people have equal and fair access to education and employment opportunities at their university. One of the most important and highlighted statements from their plan states "discrimination is prohibited on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, active duty wartime or campaign badge veterans and Armed Forces service medal veterans" (2019). Their plan then continues to explain that all of the people listed above are given equal opportunities in all aspects of the school. All of these points listed in their affirmative action plan adhere to the school's missions and values, which strives to be a university filled with success, diversity, leadership, and overall health within their community (ASU, 2019).
The main message behind Arizona State University's statement is addressing affirmative action more so than anti-discrimination. Although it can be assumed through their plan that they are also promoting anti-discrimination, it is not the main message being addressed. Arizona State is a public, four year institution. Located in the state of Arizona, this university is adhering to all of the policies related to the Arizona Civil Rights Act which prohibits employment discrimination (BLR, 2015).
I believe Arizona State University does an overall good job explaining their affirmative action plan on their website's page. If there was anything I would like to see added or changed it would be more detail on how exactly they practice affirmative action. They have very strong statements about their feelings towards affirmative action, but no real plans of action that can be reviewed by stakeholders including faculty, administration, students, and parents.
Lastly, with all public schools, I believe it should be mandatory to have yearly seminars for faculty and staff to go over their school's affirmative action and anti-discrimination policies. It is important that all members of the college or university remain aware of their school's policies and what they should be doing to adhere to these policies. Additionally, if there are yearly meetings about these topics, people will be able to voice their opinions on how their policy can be improved to become more successful and inclusive to all.
References:
ASU: Office of the President. (2019). Mission and Goals.
BLR. (2015). Arizona Affirmative Action: What You Need to Know.
Attachment:- Discrimination and Affirmative action.rar