James Madison University
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity Statement, accessed June 26, 2018
source: http://www.jmu.edu/oeo/non-discrimination-statement.shtml

"Notice of Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity
James Madison University does not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, race or color, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation or belief, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, parental status (including pregnancy), marital status, family medical or genetic information, in its employment, educational programs, activities, and admissions. JMU complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding non-discrimination, affirmative action, and anti-harassment. The responsibility for overall coordination, monitoring and information dissemination about JMU’s program of equal opportunity, non-discrimination, and affirmative action is assigned to the Office of Equal Opportunity. Inquiries or complaints may be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity: James Robinson, Director (540)568-6991, OEO homepage, oeo@jmu.edu

JMU prohibits sexual and gender-based harassment including sexual assault and other forms of inter-personal violence. The responsibility for overall coordination, monitoring, and information dissemination about JMU’s Title IX program is assigned to the Title IX Coordinator. Inquiries or complaints may be directed to the Title IX Coordinator: Ms. Amy Sirocky-Meck (540)568-5219, Title IX homepage, titleix@jmu.edu

Additional Information

The above statement is JMU's official statement of Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity. The Office of Equal Opportunity requests that it be printed in JMU catalogs, all recruiting materials (student and personnel), program brochures, and other official JMU publications. It can be set in a smaller typeface and is usually positioned on an inside front or back cover or in the first few pages of a publication. It is available for download in both PDF and MS-Word formats below.

All JMU publications must carry the name and contact information of the Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator, Section 504 Coordinator, and the Title IX Coordinator as shown below:

The JMU ADA Coordinator, Section 504 Coordinator is Mr. James Robinson, Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, (540) 568-6991, OEO homepage, oeo@jmu.edu

The JMU Title IX Coordinator is Ms. Amy Sirocky-Meck, (540) 568-5219, Title IX homepage, titleix@jmu.edu

Revised November 2017

Policy #1302 is about equal opportunity: https://www.jmu.edu/JMUpolicy/policies/1302.shtml. It states that any applicant, employee, student, affiliate or visitor who feels that he or she has been the victim of discrimination or harassment by an employee, affiliate or visitor to the university may file a complaint about such discrimination or harassment with the Office of Equal Opportunity. Policy 1302 links to Policy 1324 - Discrimination and Harassment (Other than Sexual Harassment and Misconduct). http://www.jmu.edu/JMUpolicy/policies/1324.shtml

The OEO at JMU has instructions on their website for reporting options (http://www.jmu.edu/oeo/how-to-file-a-complaint/index.shtml). The instructions are, "JMU is committed to providing a workplace and learning environment free from discrimination and harassment. JMU encourages the reporting of any discrimination or harassment and provides both formal and anonymous reporting options. The Office of Equal Opportunity will conduct preliminary investigations of all reports.

Guidance on filing a complaint: http://www.jmu.edu/oeo/how-to-file-a-complaint/procedures-overview.shtml
Formal Complaint Form: http://www.jmu.edu/oeo/how-to-file-a-complaint/formal-complaint.shtml
Anonymous or Third Party Reporting: http://www.jmu.edu/oeo/how-to-file-a-complaint/harassment-witness.shtml

Note: Harassment on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity is defined as sexual harassment. Sexual harassment also includes sexual assault, sexual misconduct, and sexual violence. All complaints of sexual harassment and misconduct are managed by the Title IX Office. If you are experiencing sexual harassment please contact the Title IX Office. [*Note: See detailed information later in this description].

Procedures for addressing discrimination or harassment are somewhat different for staff (including student employees), faculty, students, visitors and affiliates."

There are links for each of these university affiliations. As an example, the link to the procedures for staff is
http://www.jmu.edu/oeo/how-to-file-a-complaint/staff-procedures.shtml

Due to confidentiality, specifics cannot be provided publicly, but disciplinary actions have been taken following the OEO protocols.
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JMU Policy 1340-Sexual Misconduct http://www.jmu.edu/JMUpolicy/policies/1340.shtml details the university’s commitment to providing a learning, working, and living environment free from sex discrimination including sexual harassment and sexual assault which are referred to in aggregate as sexual misconduct. The policy details the procedures for university employees, students, affiliates, and visitors to file reports and/or formal complaints of sexual misconduct against any university student, employee, affiliate, or visitor and the processes and procedures the university uses to address complaints. Together, Policy 1340 and Policy 1324 cover all forms of discrimination, harassment, and misconduct based on sex.

Title IX Website: http://www.jmu.edu/access-and-enrollment/titleIX/index.shtml

Sexual Misconduct can be reported to Title IX in person, online, over the phone, or via email.
Guidance and instructions for reporting are available at:
http://www.jmu.edu/access-and-enrollment/titleIX/Reporting/how-to-report-to-titleix.shtml

Title IX Sexual Misconduct Online Reporting Form: http://www.jmu.edu/access-and-enrollment/titleIX/Reporting/incident-reporting.shtml

Criminal sexual misconduct can be reported to JMU PD either in person, over the phone, or anonymously.
JMU Public Safety: https://www.jmu.edu/publicsafety/index.shtml
Silent Witness anonymous reporting: https://www.jmu.edu/publicsafety/silent_witness_form.shtml

JMU complies with Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, The Clery Act, Violence against Women Act, and other applicable federal and state directives and laws to respond to, address and prevent sexual misconduct.

For more information on Clery Act compliance and JMU’s Annual Security Report refer to: https://www.jmu.edu/publicsafety/clerycompliance/index.shtml
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Employee Mediation Services

JMU offers Employee Mediation Services to all employees. Mediation is entirely voluntary. Failure to participate in mediation or another form of informal resolution will not be considered adversely against either you or the respondent in any subsequent investigation or hearing. To schedule a mediation session please contact your department’s HR Consultant or email mediation@jmu.edu.

The following programs are available for instructional faculty:

Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) (See "Support for Future Faculty"). The PFF concept dates back to the respective conversations of the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) and American Council on Education (ACE) in the early 1990s. They identified a need to provide teaching opportunities to doctoral candidates prior to the completion of the dissertation and also to create opportunities to attract more minority candidates to the teaching profession. James Madison University (JMU) adopted the PFF concept a decade later and has since established partnerships with Howard University and Morgan State University. On the average, a total of four dissertation-year doctoral candidates from our partner institutions receive fellowships to participate in the JMU PFF experience.

Post Doc Experiences. JMU has continued to increase the number of post doctoral experiences for past PFFs and the recruitment of faculty from other universities as they complete their doctorates.

New Faculty Recruitment Process. A new process was established for all search chairs and implemented fall 2016. See https://www.jmu.edu/humanresources/recruitment/faculty-recruitment/index.shtml.

For classified staff, examples of Human Resources' outreach efforts include:

-Work closely with local representatives from the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, the Department for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and Wilson Workforce Rehabilitation Center by providing training to JMU search committee members regarding disability etiquette and by offering work experiences, on the job training, internships, etc. to those with a disability.

-Provide annual training, “I’m a Search Committee Member…Now What?” for JMU search committee members that focuses on the role and responsibility of search committees and how they can enhance and promote diversity throughout the recruitment process.

-Distribute newly posted positions through a listserv that includes HACU/HBCU schools.

-Work with a Local Veteran Employment Representative at the Harrisonburg VEC and also send him a weekly listing of newly posted positions.

-Use the Local Job Network (an OFCCP Compliance vendor) to distribute postings to their network of local employment and diversity sites.

Multiple programs exist to recruit students including:

-The Centennial Scholars Program. This program provides financial assistance and a multi-level academic support network to retain eligible under-represented students. https://www.jmu.edu/centscholars/index.shtml

-The Valley Scholars program. This program serves first-generation, financially eligible students, who are motivated and show academic promise in middle school and throughout high school. Current partner school districts include Augusta County, Harrisonburg City, Page County, Rockingham County, Shenandoah County, Staunton City, and Waynesboro City Schools. After completing the application and interview process, students are selected in the spring of the 7th grade year, with program participation beginning in the 8th grade. http://www.jmu.edu/valleyscholars/about.shtml

-Professors in Residence (PIR) program. Faculty members serve as PIRs in schools across Virginia, acting as ambassadors for the university and the academic division and providing support for underrepresented and underserved Virginia students to access opportunities to pursue higher education. https://www.jmu.edu/diversity/programs-and-events/pir.shtml

- First Generation Scholarship program. First-generation college students are those with custodial parents who have never attended college. A custodial parent can include biological and step parents at the student’s primary residence. Students must also be Pell Grant eligible. Nominations for recipients are accepted only from the PIR Professors, as this a financial aid program for students attending from PIR high schools.

Additional programs include:
-Summer programs for high school students such as the Male Academy and Female Institute. https://www.jmu.edu/multicultural/programs/summer-programs.shtml
-Partnerships to facilitate campus visits for school systems with a high percentage of under-represented students (urban and rural), including open houses and the Middle School Visit Program. https://www.jmu.edu/diversity/programs-and-events/middle-school.shtml
-Partnership with pre-collegiate programs include:
--AVID
--College Partnership Program of Fairfax County
--Partnership for the Future (Richmond VA)

JMU has recently earned several major grant awards from federal support and private philanthropy to support initiatives aimed at remedying a number of societal challenges. The awards include:
1. $2.7M from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to train nurses who will work in rural areas
2. $1.2M from the National Science Foundation to produce STEM teachers for high-need school districts
3. $1M from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to engage students of all backgrounds in science
See http://www.jmu.edu/news/2018/06/23-grants-and-awards.shtml.

A description of resources available for students can be found at:
https://www.jmu.edu/diversity/resources/student-resources.shtml

Examples include:

"The Center for Multicultural Student Services celebrates diversity by heightening awareness and educating students regarding ethnic and cultural diversity. There are a number of programs, events and student organizations designed to support you.

The CMSS Multicultural Attachés promote diversity awareness throughout the JMU community by encouraging the transitioning student body to embrace multiculturalism. The program places special emphasis on assisting and supporting first year multicultural students who are adjusting to life at James Madison University.

The vision of the JMU Interfaith Coalition is to facilitate mutual understanding of any and all religions and world views, and to promote positive civic engagement in the JMU and local communities.

The Office of Admission offers opportunities to join Students for Minority Outreach or Student Ambassadors to recruit future students to JMU. Student Ambassadors offers various recruitment weekends to visit the campus in the fall and spring semesters.

The Office of Disability Services assists the University in creating an accessible community where everyone has an equal opportunity to participate in their educational experience.

The Furious Flower Poetry Center aims to advance the genre of African American Poetry by providing opportunities for education, research, and publication."

In addition, every unit on campus that serves students (such as the Counseling Center) explores the need for programs for particular groups and pursues these as warranted by student need and interest. A few examples of specific offices that support students, staff and/or faculty from underrepresented groups are below:

Office of International Programs. https://www.jmu.edu/international/
LGBTQ & Ally and Education Program. http://www.jmu.edu/lgbta/
Office of Disability Services. https://www.jmu.edu/ods/
Center for Multicultural Student Services. https://www.jmu.edu/multicultural/
Make your Mark on Madison. https://info.jmu.edu/studentactivities/mymom/

The University has provided resources for support for all employees. A description of some of the resources available for staff can be found at:
https://www.jmu.edu/diversity/resources/staff-resources.shtml
A description of the resources available for faculty can be found at:
https://www.jmu.edu/diversity/resources/faculty.shtml

JMU provides and disseminates information on gender neutral restrooms and lactation rooms. On this map http://www.jmu.edu/map/, one can select any campus building and details of that building are available under the "accessibility" tab: types of restrooms, lactation rooms, elevator, accessible entrances. This information was included in a 2018 HR newsletter: https://www.jmu.edu/humanresources/cpc/_files/Mar18-HRUpdate.pdf.

Preparing Future Faculty (PFF). The PFF concept dates back to the respective conversations of the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) and American Council on Education (ACE) in the early 1990s. They identified a need to provide teaching opportunities to doctoral candidates prior to the completion of the dissertation and also to create opportunities to attract more minority candidates to the teaching profession. James Madison University (JMU) adopted the PFF concept a decade later and has since established partnerships with Howard University and Morgan State University. On the average, a total of four dissertation-year doctoral candidates from our partner institutions receive fellowships to participate in the JMU PFF experience.

Responsible Party: Mr. Arthur Dean, Executive Director, Campus and Community Programs, Office of Access and Inclusion.

Some information entered into the reporting tool by Ms. Melissa Altman. Updated and reviewed in June 2018.

Non-discrimination and Bias Response Team entries updated and reviewed by Ms, Amy Sirocky-Meck, Title IX Coordinator.

Information on housing is available at the URL provided in the optional reporting: http://www.jmu.edu/lgbta/resources.shtml. Information on gender neutral bathrooms is available. It is incorporated in the building information. Incorporation in this way increases practical use of the information. The optional credit above is marked "no" since the information is building specific and is not a list as required by the criteria.

Information about recruitment of classified staff was provided by Mr. Richard Larson, AVP, HR Training & Performance.