Staff Handbook

Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action

Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity

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Indiana University pledges to continue its commitment to the achievement of equal opportunity within the university and throughout American society as a whole. In this regard, Indiana University will recruit, hire, promote, educate, and provide services to persons based upon their individual qualifications. Indiana University prohibits discrimination based on arbitrary consideration of such characteristics as age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Indiana University shall take affirmative action, positive and extraordinary, to overcome the discriminatory effects of traditional policies and procedures with regard to the disabled, minorities, women, and veterans.

An Affirmative Action office on each campus monitors the university’s policies and assists individuals who have questions or problems related to discrimination.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Rights

University policy and federal law forbid employment discrimination against qualified persons with physical and mental disabilities. A qualified person with a disability is someone with a disability who meets the necessary skill, work experience, education, training, licensing or certification, or other job-related requirements of a position.

The ADA defines a person with a disability as an individual who:

Has a physical or mental impairment that limits one or more major life activities (walking, speaking, seeing, hearing, etc.)
Has a record of such impairment
Is regarded as having such an impairment

IU is committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for qualified persons with disabilities. The university will provide reasonable accommodations as provided in the law for employees protected by the ADA by making changes in the work environment or by changing certain practices and procedures. If you are an individual with a disability, and you meet the qualifications above, contact your supervisor or Human Resources to discuss your needs.

Policy Against Sexual Harassment

The university policy against sexual harassment is designed to protect all members of the university community. It applies to relationships among peers and to superior/subordinate relationships. It also applies to all individuals regardless of their gender or sexual orientation.

Harassment on the basis of sex is a violation of federal and state law. Indiana University does not tolerate sexual harassment of its faculty, staff, or students. Individuals who believe they are victims of sexual harassment, and those who believe they have observed sexual harassment, are strongly urged to report such incidents promptly.

IU will investigate sexual harassment complaints in a timely manner and, when there is a finding of sexual harassment, take corrective action to stop the harassment and prevent the misconduct from recurring. The severity of the corrective action, up to and including discharge or expulsion of the offender, will depend on the circumstances of the particular case.

Indiana University defines sexual harassment as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment or academic advancement;
submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment or academic decisions affecting such individual; or
such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or learning environment.

Reporting Sexual Harassment

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Policy: Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment can be reported to a supervisor, Office of Affirmative Action, Dean of the Faculties, Dean of the Students, or Human Resources.