James Madison University
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity Statement, https://www.jmu.edu/oeo/non-discrimination-statement.shtml, in Policy 1302: https://www.jmu.edu/jmu-policy/policies/1302.shtml: "Notice of Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity James Madison University does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination in its employment, programs, activities, and admissions on the basis of age, color, disability, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information (including family medical history), marital status, military status (including veteran status), national origin (including ethnicity), parental status, political affiliation, pregnancy (including childbirth or related medical conditions), race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or on any basis protected by law, unless otherwise permitted or required by law.

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: (540)568-6991, 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: (540)568-5219, https://www.jmu.edu/access-and-enrollment/title-ix/index.shtml, 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 and Section 504 Coordinator, and the Title IX Coordinator as shown below: 

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

The JMU Title IX Coordinator can be reached at Title IX homepage, titleix@jmu.edu

JMU has a number of confidential resources available to students who may wish to receive support and resources because of an incident of harassment or discrimination including Victim's Advocacy, confidential mental health counseling through the Counseling Center, and confidential medical assistance through the University Health Center. Individuals may also report incidents for themselves or as third parties directly to the Title IX Office or Office of Equal Opportunity. Both offices provide information about reasonably available supportive measures, options and support for reporting an incident to police, and the option of filing a formal complaint to have an incident investigated and addressed through the appropriate campus conduct process. Reasonable supportive measures are available to complainants regardless of whether they file a formal complaint and may include, but are not limited to, academic assistance, assistance with accessing temporary on-campus housing changes, No Contact Orders, coordination of a safety escort with JMU Police Department, and for employees, if needed, temporary changes to work location. Retaliation is prohibited against any individual participating a Title IX or OEO process.

JMU Policy 1302: Equal Opportunity: https://www.jmu.edu/JMUpolicy/policies/1302.shtml states the university’s commitment to providing equal opportunity and a work, education, program, and activities environment free from any discrimination on the basis of a protected characteristic in compliance with applicable law. Policy 1302 provides information for where applicants, visitors, employees, students, or affiliates may direct questions and file complaints alleging discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics.

JMU Policy 1324: Discrimination and Retaliation sets out the university’s commitment to providing a workplace and learning environment free from illegal discrimination and harassment as defined in Policy 1302 and sets out the university’s procedures for responding to reports and formal complaints of alleged discrimination and harassment, other than sexual harassment. Policy 1324 provides contact information for the Office of Equal Opportunity, which is responsible for receiving and responding to reports and formal complaints of alleged harassment and discrimination under policy 1324. https://www.jmu.edu/JMUpolicy/policies/1324.shtml

JMU Policy 1340: Sexual Misconduct sets out the university’s commitment to providing a workplace and learning environment free from sexual misconduct for students and employees and the university’s procedures for responding to formal complaints of sexual misconduct that falls outside the scope of Policy 1346: Title IX Sexual Harassment. Sexual Misconduct encompasses sexual assault, sexual violence, sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, stalking, dating violence, domestic violence, and non-consensual sexual relationships. Policy 1340 provides contact information for the Title IX Office which is responsible for receiving and responding to reports and formal complaints of alleged sexual misconduct under Policy 1340. https://www.jmu.edu/JMUpolicy/policies/1340.shtml

JMU Policy 1346: Title IX Sexual Harassment sets out the university’s commitment to providing a workplace and learning environment free from sexual harassment pursuant to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Policy 1346 and the university’s procedures for responding to formal complaints of Title IX Sexual Harassment as defined and required by applicable federal regulations. Policy 1346 provides contact information for the Title IX Office which is responsible for receiving and responding to reports and formal complaints of alleged Title IX Sexual Harassment under Policy 1346. https://www.jmu.edu/jmu-policy/policies/1346.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 retaliation. JMU encourages the reporting of any discrimination or retaliation and provides multiple reporting options. The Office of Equal Opportunity will conduct preliminary investigations of all reports."

Guidance on filing a complaint: https://www.jmu.edu/oeo/how-to-file-a-complaint/index.shtml 

Formal Complaint Form: https://www.jmu.edu/oeo/how-to-file-a-complaint/formal-complaint.shtml

Title IX Website: http://www.jmu.edu/access-and-enrollment/titleIX/index.shtml provides information and instructions for reporting incidents of sexual misconduct or Title IX Sexual Harassment. Title IX Sexual Harassment and 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

 There is a Title IX Sexual Misconduct Online Reporting Form: https://jmu-advocate.symplicity.com/titleix_report/index.php/pid538819

Criminal sexual misconduct can be reported to JMU Police Department either in person, over the phone, or anonymously. JMU Public Safety: https://www.jmu.edu/publicsafety/index.shtml

 Silent Witness anonymous reporting is available: https://www.jmu.edu/publicsafety/silent_witness_form.shtml

The Title IX Website provides information for filing a formal complaint of sexual misconduct or Title IX sexual harassment https://www.jmu.edu/access-and-enrollment/title-ix/how-to-file-a-complaint.shtml

 A complainant may file a formal complaint alleging sexual harassment, as defined in Policy 1346, or sexual misconduct, as defined in Policy 1340, against a respondent who is currently employed by JMU or a student of the institution, and request that the university investigate the allegation, directly with the Title IX Office. This can happen electronically, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by emailing the formal complaint to titleix@jmu.edu, or by mailing the formal complaint to Title IX Office, Attn: Title IX Coordinator, MSC 7806, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807. A complainant may also submit their written formal complaint to the Title IX Office in person during regular business hours. The complainant must be participating in or attempting to participate in an educational program or activity at the time of filing a formal complaint.

Information to Include in the Formal Complaint

The formal complaint must include the complainant’s physical or digital signature, or otherwise indicate that the complainant is the person filing the formal complaint. In addition to the complainant’s name, the formal complaint document that is filed should include:

• The name of the respondent 
• The approximate date, time, and location of the alleged incident 
• A description of the incident that the complainant would like the university to investigate 

The Title IX Website also includes information on the procedures the Title IX Office uses to investigate formal complaints of sexual misconduct or Title IX Sexual Harassment https://www.jmu.edu/inclusion/title-ix/procedures.shtml

The Title IX Office website provides information on the procedures used by the university to adjudicate formal complaints of Title IX Sexual Harassment or Sexual Misconduct naming students as respondents and the procedures the university uses to adjudicate formal complaints of Title IX sexual harassment or sexual misconduct naming employees as respondents https://www.jmu.edu/inclusion/title-ix/processes/index.shtml. 

JMU complies with Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, The Cleary 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 Cleary Act compliance and JMU’s Annual Security Report refer to: https://www.jmu.edu/publicsafety/clerycompliance/index.shtml Alternative Resolution is available to address formal complaints of Title IX Sexual Harassment or Sexual Misconduct. Adaptable Resolution is the alternative resolution option available for formal complaints of Title IX Sexual Harassment or Sexual Misconduct that involve student complainants and student respondents. Information about Adaptable Resolution may be found on the following page of the Title IX website: https://www.jmu.edu/inclusion/title-ix/processes/alternative-adaptable-resolution.shtml

Due to confidentiality, specifics cannot be provided publicly, but disciplinary actions have been taken following the OEO protocols. 

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. Though partnership with HBCU institutions is the PFF practice, we have also recruited BIPOC dissertation year fellows from universities such as Michigan, Ohio State, Emory, LSU, and SUNY at Binghamton. https://www.jmu.edu/inclusion/iee/programs-and-events/preparing-future-faculty.shtml 

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. There are current full-time, tenure-track faculty members who started at JMU as PFF fellows.

Faculty Recruitment Process.

A new process was established for all search chairs, committee members and leaders to ensure impartiality and equity throughout the search process. The training is now available on-line for faculty search committees. https://www.jmu.edu/humanresources/recruitment/index.shtml Also, an updated faculty manual was reviewed September 2023 to incorporate clear steps in diversity and faculty hiring at JMU: https://www.jmu.edu/academic-affairs/documents/faculty-hiring-manual.pdf 

For classified (non-academic) 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;  provide training to JMU search committee members regarding disability etiquette; and offer work experiences, on the job training, internships, etc. to those with a disability. 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 that exist to recruit students:

Middle School Visit Program (MVP):

The Middle School Visit Program (MVP) at James Madison University is a joint partnership of JMU Admissions and the Professor-in-Residence (PIR) program to serve the State of Virginia as a resource to promote college access as an option for all. The MVP has an innovative design to capture Middle School students' interests in multiple career fields and college majors by exposing them to fun and educational activities on the JMU campus. The main objective of the MVP is to educate Middle School students about college and career opportunities available. The Director of the Middle School Program, who is the point of contact, receives requests for visitation, arranges and conducts campus visitations, and seeks across campus program partners to enrich each visit for students. For the 2022 through 2024 school year, the State Council for Higher Education (SCHEV) and the VA Department of Education offered grant-opportunities to encourage 2-yr and 4-yr institutions to attract more Middle School students to visit college campuses. JMU is host to over 2,000 Middle School students annually. Our access activities are consistent with the institutional priority of preparing and attracting the students of tomorrow.

The Reddix Center for First Generation Students:

The Reddix Center opened in February 2023 by a philanthropic gift by JMU alumni Carl and Angela Reddix. The center, located on the second floor of the Student Success Center in Room 2170, provides a comfortable place to study, meet with classmates and mentors, and relax between classes. The center hosts workshops throughout the semester focusing on a variety of topics critical to student success. Additionally, refrigerators, microwaves, and color printers are available for student use. https://www.jmu.edu/first-gen/reddix-center/index.shtml

The Centennial Scholars Program (CSP):

CSP is committed to increasing access to higher education for talented, first-generation, Pell grant-eligible students from the Commonwealth of Virginia. CSP provides academic resources, connects students to campus programs, facilitates a successful transition to college, and supports students’ success while they earn a college degree. https://www.jmu.edu/first-gen/centscholars/index.shtml

Valley Scholars Program:

The Valley Scholars 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. Students who successfully complete all program requirements earn a full tuition and fees scholarship to James Madison University. https://www.jmu.edu/first-gen/valleyscholars/index.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/enrollment-management/access-and-educational-outreach/pir.shtml 

Additional programs include:

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/admissions/visit/groups/middle-school.shtml

Partnership with pre-collegiate programs include:

1. Advancing Via Individual Determination (AVID): https://www.avid.org/

• Partner with AVID Middle and High Schools throughout Virginia and the District of Columbia.
• Averaged about 1000 students and 200 parents/teachers/chaperones to attend an AVID day at JMU (2015-2019, 2023)
• Academic and university open house for the day for AVID students - Moved the program to a virtual format for 2020-2022 academic year

2. College Partnership Program of Fairfax County: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/academic-overview/college-success-program/college-partnership-program-cpp

• Annual Summer campus experiences at JMU
• Typically bring over 250 students (middle and high school students)
• Focused on motivation and support for under-represented students by race and social economic status from Fairfax Co. Va.

3. Partnership for the Future (Richmond VA): https://www.partnershipforthefuture.org/

• Bring 100 students to JMU for the fall open house
• Each April, coordinate to bring PFF admitted students to JMU for the Choice’s program (program designed to showcase the university and assist with matriculation from admitted students) and provide Special Open House Programming in collaboration with Students for Minority Outreach (SMO) and other events as requested.
• Additionally, JMU supports PFF with their summer programming

4. JMU Upward Bound

James Madison University Upward Bound is a federally-funded program working with 60 students from two local high schools: Harrisonburg High School and Spotswood High School. Each school will have approximately 30-35 students selected to participate in weekly workshops/tutoring, monthly Saturday meetings, and a six-week summer program. Additionally, students will have an opportunity to earn monthly and summer stipends throughout the year. 

Upward Bound provides fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college entrance. The program provides opportunities for participants to succeed in their pre-college performance and ultimately in their higher education pursuits. Upward Bound serves high school students from low-income families; and high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree. The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in and graduate from institutions of postsecondary education.

To achieve this goal, the JMU UB program plans to:

• • encourage and help maintain a competitive GPA
  
  
  • provide tools and resources for students to achieve a proficient level on state assessments in reading/language arts, mathematics, and the sciences
  
  
  • work on a plan for students to complete a rigorous program of study
  
  
  • encourage enrollment in an institution of higher education
  
  
  • provide tools and resources for students to graduate with a secondary school diploma
  
  
  • provide the guidance and mentorship to accomplish their career aspirations https://www.jmu.edu/coe/upwardbound/index.shtml
  
  
  

5. Students for Minority Outreach or Student Ambassadors

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. One of the main programs for pre-collegiate visits is the Wednesday at Madison program: https://www.jmu.edu/admissions/special-events/wam/index.shtml JMU has recently earned several major grant awards from federal and state grants, and private philanthropy to support initiatives aimed at remedying a number of societal challenges. The full amount of funding with the past year totals $550,257.48

A description of resources available for students can be found at: https://www.jmu.edu/inclusion/iee/resources/student.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 D.E.E.P. (Diversity Education Empowerment Program) Impact is designed to influence meaningful change throughout the James Madison University campus community through the development of programs and services that heighten awareness, increase knowledge, and celebrate the value of diversity in all forms.

Our student staff of Diversity Educators create and implement programming that focuses on promoting inclusion, advocacy, and respect in order to equip students with the cultural capacity to change and shape the world.

The Office of Disability Services assists the University in creating an accessible community using universal design, 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:

Global Engagement: https://www.jmu.edu/international/

 Office of Disability Services. https://www.jmu.edu/ods/

 Center for Multicultural Student Services. https://www.jmu.edu/multicultural

 JMU VALOR (serving Veteran students): https://www.jmu.edu/veterans/index.shtml

 Department of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression: https://www.jmu.edu/studentaffairs/departments/accessibility-and-belonging/sogie/index.shtml

Academic Programs (Area Studies Programs designed to support under-represented populations) African, African American and Diaspora Studies (AAAD): https://www.jmu.edu/africana/index.shtml

 Latin American, Latinx and Caribbean Studies: https://www.jmu.edu/lacs/index.shtml

 Asian Studies: https://www.jmu.edu/asianstudies/index.shtml

 Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies: https://www.jmu.edu/womens-studies/index.shtml

 Strategic Initiatives and Global Affairs: https://www.jmu.edu/academic-affairs/siga/index.shtml

The University has provided resources for support for all employees. A description of some of the resources available for faculty and staff can be found at: https://www.jmu.edu/inclusion/iee/resources/faculty-staff.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. Information on gender neutral bathrooms is available at https://www.jmu.edu/oeo/resources/universal-restroom-list.shtml.

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. Though partnership with HBCU institutions is the PFF practice, we have also recruited BIPOC dissertation year fellows from universities such as Michigan, Ohio State, Emory, LSU, and SUNY at Binghamton.

JMU participates in the annual conference/institute on Teaching and Mentoring hosted by the Southern Regional Educational Board. This institute is designed to recruit new under-represented faculty and inspire them and others to explore career in higher education. https://www.sreb.org/institute-teaching-and-mentoring

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

Information on housing resources to accommodate the special needs of transgender and transitioning students is available at https://www.jmu.edu/studentaffairs/departments/accessibility-and-belonging/sogie/trans-at-jmu.shtml 

Information on gender neutral bathrooms is available at https://www.jmu.edu/oeo/resources/universal-restroom-list.shtml

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

Re: Partnership for the Future (PFF), JMU is not a financial partner and therefore not included on the website, but does maintain an active partnership as described in the credit.

Updated information provided by Arthur Dean and entered by Amanda Bodle on February 23, 2024.