Mission Statement

MISSION STATEMENT

The Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Programs is responsible for the monitoring of civil rights laws, guidelines, policies, and programs at the federal, state, agency, and University levels. The EO Office facilitates campus policies and programs for students, faculty, staff, applicants, visitors, and community members in accordance with more than 10 statutes and numerous sets of guidelines. These policies and programs are normally administered by operating units and monitored by EO.

Programs to prevent discrimination on the basis of race, gender, national origin, age, religion, handicap/disability status, marital status and veterans' status are included in the mission. Accordingly, the office reviews all faculty and A&P Position Vacancy Announcements prior to their publication. The office also offers consultation on search procedures, personally and through this "Search Committee Handbook" updated periodically online.

Affirmative action measures include outreach to underrepresented student, employee, and faculty populations; improvements in accessibility; addressing academic success and graduation, employee retention and promotion, and tenure to highest ranks; and elimination of any "glass ceiling" problems or perceptions. The Affirmative Action Plan and its subsequent updates are the major reference for employment programs.

Along with proactive programs, the EO Office is responsible for reactive efforts: complaint investigation and resolution. Clients may visit the office with inquiries, or to secure resource referrals; no records are kept since such appointments are not complaints. The EO Office administers the UCF Discrimination Grievance Procedure, in which an internal investigation is performed upon receipt of a signed statement, determination that the issue is appropriate under the mission of the office, and other procedural steps. The Discrimination Grievance Procedure brochure and procedures are the major references for this program.

Finally, the EO Office leads the University response on complaints served by federal or state civil rights enforcement agencies. These may include the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education; Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; Florida Commission on Human Relations; Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, U.S.Department of Labor; and others. If complaints of discrimination by the University are served on any member of the University community, s/he should take immediate steps to forward the complaint to EO, where the University response will be coordinated.

Authority: FAC 6C7-3.01
UCF EO/AA 7/94

Mission Statement (prepared for Accreditation Self-Study) updated 3/96, 2/05