What is the Office for Equity and Diversity?

The Office for Equity and Diversity (OED) is a unit within the Office of the Provost. We launched our new name on Sept. 1, 2006. Between April 1996 and August 2006, we were known as the Equity and Diversity Resource Center and, prior to that, we were known as the Office of Affirmative Action and Compliance. The name changes reflect the evolution of our mission and the expansion of the scope of our campuswide responsibilities.

Mission Statement

The Office for Equity and Diversity (OED), promotes, integrates, and transfers equity and diversity principles to nurture human resources and advance the mission of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (university). The OED employs multiple approaches to attain its strategic objectives. These include:

• provide leadership and consultation to develop and implement equity and diversity strategies throughout the campus;
• promoting the use of standardized and proactive human resources processes;
• maximizing human resources through the effective use of continuous improvement principles;
• establishing collaborative partnerships with Schools/Colleges and Divisions; and
• coordinating campus compliance with affirmative action and equal opportunity requirements, referred to as AA/EEO compliance.

OED’s AA/EEO compliance responsibilities include:

1. Coordinating campus compliance with Federal, state, and University of Wisconsin-System (UWS) requirements regarding AA/EEO and providing related reports.

2. Monitoring affirmative action goal progress and personnel policies to ensure compliance with federal, state, and UWS requirements.

3. Coordinating campus compliance with federal, state, and UWS requirements prohibiting discrimination against employees, job applicants, and students with disabilities.

4. Conducting professional development and training on AA/EEO and Diversity issues related to discrimination, harassment, and fair employment practices.

5. Providing employee and student AA/EEO-related data upon request and in accordance with UW-Madison policy.

6. Investigating discrimination and harassment complaints filed against employees by employees or students.

The university is committed to providing equal opportunity and equal access and to complying with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations and UWS and university non-discrimination policies and procedures. Following are the bases for covering students and applicants for admission to the university; employees and applicants for employment; and those wishing to take part in university activities including visitors to campus. Information concerning many of the bases listed can be found on OED’s web site.

Students

age
ancestry
color
creed
disability
ethnicity (specifically involving harassment by UW employees)
marital or parental status
national origin
pregnancy
race
religion
retaliation for making a complaint of discrimination
taking part in an investigation relating to discrimination
sex
sexual orientation

Allegations of discrimination by students against other students are handled in two ways. A student who wishes to file a discrimination complaint against a fellow student acting in his or her role as a student should contact the Office of the Dean of Students (ODOS) at:

Room 75, Bacom Hall
500 Lincoln Drive
Madison, WI 53706-1380
Phone: 608/263-5700
Fax: 608/265-5646
TTY: 608/263-2400
Email: dos@bascom.wisc.edu

For additional information regarding the Office of the Dean of Students’ complaint process please visit: the ODOS web site.

A student who wishes to file a discrimination complaint against another student who is acting in his or her role as an employee of the university (e.g., a graduate or teaching assistant, a resident assistant, or a student hourly employee) should contact OED at:

179A Bascom Hall
500 Lincoln Drive
Madison, WI 53706.
(608) 263-2378
Wisconsin Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1
Email: sappell@vc.wisc.edu

Employment

University Programs and Activities

age
color
disability
national origin
race
retaliation for opposing discrimination
making a complaint of discrimination
taking part in investigations of discrimination
sex

Additional Information and Resources

Visit the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) web site for extensive information on the employment laws they enforce. Information on the federal civil rights laws enforced by the US. Department of Education can be found at the Office for Civil Rights site. Read about discrimination prohibited by State of Wisconsin laws on line. Information about nondiscrimination on the basis of sex in federally assisted programs is available online at the Department of Energy.

Where is the Office for Equity and Diversity?