University News
Equal Opportunity and Access at WIU Releases Policy Updates
October 23, 2014
MACOMB, IL – The Office of Equal Opportunity and Access (EOA) at Western Illinois University has released policy updates to keep up with evolving laws and to implement regulations.
The EOA office is responsible for the enforcement of equal opportunity policies.
According to EOA Director Andrea Henderson, due to changes in laws, particularly Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the University divided its existing Anti-Harassment Policy into two separate policies.
The Non-Discrimination Policy prohibits discrimination based on sex, race, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, marital status, national origin, disability, genetic information, veteran status and any other classes protected by state or federal law.
The new Sexual Misconduct Policy (Title IX) focuses on the prohibition of sex discrimination, which includes dating violence, domestic violence, gender harassment, discrimination based on pregnancy and parental status, sexual assault/rape, sexual harassment and stalking.
These policies include the designation of the director of Equal Opportunity and Access as the University's Title IX coordinator, streamlined investigative processes, the definition of consent and the classification of all University employees as "responsible employees" for reporting purposes.
"Individuals who experience or learn of an alleged violation of these policies must immediately report it to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access," Henderson said.
The policies may be found at wiu.edu/vpas/policies.
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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