From: Office of Equal Opportunity and Access
Dear OSU Community Members,
Welcome back to a new academic year at Oregon State University (OSU). I am emailing to ensure that everyone is aware of their expectations and obligations as members of our community, and of resources available through the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access (EOA).
OSU is committed to creating and maintaining a safe, respectful, equitable, and inclusive working and learning environment. In furtherance of that commitment, the university prohibits discrimination in every OSU educational program and activity. OSU’s policies prohibiting discrimination, discriminatory harassment, retaliation, and sexual misconduct can be found within the University Policy and Standards Manual. Students and employees should promptly complete their annually required online training related to these policies and expectations.
Reporting Concerns
If you experience conduct not in alignment with OSU’s commitments, you are encouraged to report your concern to a university office so the issue can be promptly addressed.
- Concerns of discrimination, discriminatory harassment, retaliation, or sexual misconduct (including sexual harassment, dating or domestic violence, stalking, sexual exploitation, and all forms of nonconsensual sexual contact) can be reported to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access.
- Concerns related to bias can be reported to the Office of Institutional Diversity’s Bias Response Team.
- General concerns about student conduct can be reported to Student Community Standards.
- Other concerns about suspected wrongdoing or breaches of ethical conduct can be reported to OSU’s Accountability and Integrity Hotline.
Employee Obligations (including Student Employees)
OSU’s Responsible Employee Policy
Most OSU employees (including student employees) are Responsible Employees and must immediately report to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access actual or suspected discrimination, discriminatory harassment, retaliation, and sexual misconduct when they become aware or have reason to believe that a violation of university policy may have occurred. All employees are strongly encouraged to review the responsible employee policy to ensure they thoroughly understand their obligations. No one impacted by discrimination is required to engage with EOA, but EOA is available to discuss options and supports.
Some employees who serve in professional roles in which their communication is privileged by law or recognized as exempt by the university are exempt from this internal reporting requirement. See section 5.3 of the policy for more details on exempt employees and offices.
Reporting Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect
All OSU employees are mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect. Employees must immediately report suspected child abuse or neglect to either the Department of Human Services (DHS) or law enforcement. After reporting to DHS or law enforcement, individuals must submit a post-report notification to EOA when the reported child abuse incident involves university activities, locations, or affiliated persons. More information on reporting child abuse and neglect can be found on the Office of Youth Protection’s website.
Resources Available through the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access
EOA oversees university-wide compliance with state and federal civil rights regulations and policies, including Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Amendments of 2008 (ADAAA), and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, among many other laws. EOA is charged to act as an independent, fair, and impartial office that helps ensure the university fulfills its ethical and legal obligations to students, employees, visitors, and other members of the OSU community. While EOA does not communicate publicly about individual cases, it takes all complaints seriously and reports on outcomes in aggregate annually.
Complaints and Concerns
EOA is the university office designated to respond to civil rights complaints and concerns. When a report is received, EOA will email the impacted person information on their rights, options, and available resources. No one impacted by discrimination is required to engage with EOA, but EOA is available to discuss options and supports. Additionally, EOA can facilitate both informal and formal responses to complaints, based on the impacted person’s expressed desire for resolution and the reported concerns. Students and employees are encouraged to familiarize themselves with EOA’s resolution processes.
Accommodations
All OSU employees share the responsibility to ensure that no individual with a disability is excluded from participating in university programs or activities and that individuals are reasonably accommodated where needed. EOA provides workplace disability accommodations for employees, as well as religious and pregnancy accommodations for students and employees. Students with disabilities seeking educational accommodations should contact OSU’s Disability Access Services. Please refer to OSU’s policies related to disability, the Disability Access Services (DAS) Faculty and Staff Guidelines, and EOA Accommodations for more in-depth information on student and employee accommodation processes.
Please reach out to EOA should you have any questions or need assistance.
Thank you,
Becky S. Bangs, Associate Vice President and Chief Civil Rights Officer, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, The Office of Equal Opportunity and Access