It is the intellectual and moral responsibility, but more importantly, the POLICY of the leadership of the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU), to advance social justice and equity by exercising affirmative action and upward mobility. Accordingly, Southern Connecticut State University as a constituent unit of the CSCU, through this plan of affirmative action, will, with conviction and effort, undertake positively to overcome the present effect of past practices, policies, or barriers to equal employment opportunity, and to achieve the full and fair participation of women, African Americans, Hispanics, and any other protected groups found to be underutilized in the workforce or adversely impacted by system policies or practices.

Equal employment opportunity, a distinctly different matter, is employment of individuals without consideration of age; ancestry; color; gender identity or expression; genetic information; learning disability; marital status; past or present history of a mental disability; intellectual disability; national origin; physical disability (including blindness); race; religious creed; sex, including pregnancy, sexual harassment and sexual assault; sexual orientation; veteran's status; criminal record (in state employment) and genetic information unless the provisions of Section 46a-60(b), 46a-80(b), or 46a-81(b), of the Connecticut General Statutes are controlling or there is a bona fide occupational qualification excluding persons in one of the above protected groups. Equal employment opportunity is the purpose and goal of affirmative action under Section 46a-68-75 through 46a-68-114.

As president of Southern Connecticut State University, I pledge to take every good faith effort to realize our goals within the timetables set forth in this plan and as required by pertinent state and federal legislation, detailed in the pages which follow.

Appended to this Policy Statement, and incorporated by reference, is listed Federal and State constitutional provisions, laws, regulations, guidelines, and executive orders prohibiting or outlawing discrimination, identifying classes of protected persons. (Civil rights laws)

Clearly, affirmative action and equal employment opportunity are immediate and necessary agency objectives for Southern Connecticut State University. We shall affirmatively provide services and programs in a fair and impartial manner. Southern ensures that affirmative action principles and practices are followed in each step of the employment process. The role of affirmative action in each step of the employment process is outlined in further detail in the body of the affirmative action plan.

The role of the diversity and equity programs office:

• It reviews its personnel policies and procedures to ensure that barriers which unnecessarily exclude protected classes, and practices which have an illegal discriminatory impact, are identified and eliminated.
• It explores alternative approaches wherever personnel practices have a negative impact on protected groups.
• It establishes procedures for the extra effort that may be necessary to assure that the recruitment and hiring of protected group members reflect their availability in the job market.
• It administers all terms, conditions, privileges and benefits of employment in an equitable manner.
• It provides sign-off rights to the executive assistant to the president for Diversity and Equity Programs at each step of the employment process.

We also recognize the hiring difficulties experienced by the physically disabled and many older persons, and will undertake measures to overcome the present effects of underutilization of such persons in the workforce.

All executive, administrative, and supervisory personnel are expected to discharge their affirmative action responsibilities, in word and deed, consistent with this agency's objective of establishing and implementing affirmative action and equal employment opportunity. All employees have the right to review and comment on the Affirmative Action Plan. A copy will be kept in Office of Diversity & Equity Programs and in the library.

The person responsible for overseeing affirmative action and equal employment opportunity is Paula Rice, Director of the Office of Diversity and Equity Programs at Southern Connecticut State University, 501 Crescent Street, Engleman B110G, New Haven, Connecticut 06515, telephone number (203) 392-5568.

This policy of nondiscrimination will not be limited to employment practices but will extend, as well, to services and programs provided by the University.

Dr. Dwayne Smith
Interim President, Southern Connecticut State University