American University of Sharjah
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Section 3.A.1 in the AUS Faculty Handbook No officer or employee of the American University of Sharjah shall discriminate against any person because of race, color, religion, national origin, age (within the constraints of UAE labor laws), non-disqualifying handicapping condition, ethnic group, or gender, in any of its programs, activities, contracts, personnel administration practices or any other actions it undertakes. Furthermore, the University will maintain and advance those practices, processes, and circumstances that afford equal opportunity to all individuals. https://www2.aus.edu/gateways/faculty_staff.php

Chapter 7 of the AUS Faculty Handbook describes the Grievance Code, under which a faculty member who has a complaint against an administrative action or individual(s) following discrimination on the basis of age, disability, ethnic or national origin, gender, race or religion. The order in which adversarial parties should attempt to solve their disputes is outlined as follows: 1. Informal attempts of reconciliation by the adversarial parties 2. The “Notice of Grievance”. 3. The Grievance Hearing. 4. The findings of the Grievance Committee. 5. The final decision of the Chancellor. As soon as a “Notice of Grievance” is filed, the Senate Executive Committee shall form a subcommittee (hereinafter “SES”) of itself. The SES will consist of all members of the Senate Executive Committee who are not from the same unit as parties to the grievance. The SES shall by majority vote select a Grievance Committee of five (5) members from the eligible pool of faculty members. The eligible pool of faculty members shall consist of all faculty who have at least two years of service at the American University of Sharjah and are neither part of the current Faculty Senate Executive Committee nor are members of any unit that is involved in the grievance. The responsibility of the Faculty Grievance Committee is two-fold: (1) to reach a decision regarding the validity of the grievance, and, if the grievance is upheld, (2) to recommend an action to provide relief to the grievant.

Through its Achievement Academy, AUS recruits and supports students with limited English skills, helping them maximize success in their university, personal and professional experiences. The highly experienced faculty and staff use their professional and pedagogical expertise and their passion for education to create an environment which is both supportive and student-centered. This program was designed to recruit students with a family background that would typically limit their admission to and success at a leading academic institution like AUS. For further information, visit https://www.aus.edu/achievement-academy For faculty and staff hiring, AUS routinely recruits for Emirati Nationals on Emirates Job Bank (EJB), a government-facilitated job portal that enables UAE nationals to apply directly to targeted jobs offered by government entities and the private sector. Emirates Job Bank was launched by H. H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs as part of the implementation of the Cabinet Resolution 10/1 of 2019 that obliges all government entities and private sector to prioritise the employment of UAE nationals in 160 targeted professions to support Emiratisation. To overcome the structural division in the labour market, the UAE Government launched the Emiratisation (Tawteen in Arabic) campaign which mandates the inclusion of Emiratis in the job sector, particularly in the private sector. Emiratisation aims to increase the number of Emiratis in the job market and their contribution to the economy. The UAE encourages the public and private sectors to implement Emiratisation policies at all levels through the establishment of a special department, quota and incentives. For further information please visit https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/jobs/vision-2021-and-emiratisation/emiratisation-

The Academic Support Center (ASC) assists students with learning disabilities in achieving academic success. The ASC supports first-year students with their transition to AUS and students who are facing academic challenges. The ASC will facilitate academic progression by providing opportunities for advising, skills enhancement, and connections to AUS resources and services. The ASC also coordinates Academic Accommodations for students with documented disabilities that are impacting their academic performance, to the extent permissible by available resources. For more information visit https://www.aus.edu/academics/services-and-resources/academic-support-center