University at Albany
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

The University at Albany is committed to providing a learning, living and working environment that is free from inequality and discrimination, and to fostering a nurturing, vibrant community founded upon the fundamental dignity and respect of all of its members. The University is dedicated to ensuring access, fairness and equity for all persons engaged in its educational programs, employment and related activities, and adheres to all applicable state and federal equal opportunity laws.

University policies and state and federal laws strictly prohibit discrimination and harassment in employment or the administration of its policies, programs, or activities on the basis of:

Race

Color

Age

Disability

National and/or ethnic origin

Sex (including sexual harassment)

Pregnancy

Religion or creed

Sexual orientation

Gender identity, expression or dysphoria

Transgender status

Military status

Familial or marital status

Domestic violence victim status

Predisposing genetic characteristics

Citizenship status

Previous convictions record (unless certain requirements are met)

Prior arrests or criminal accusations

Youth adjudications

Sealed records

Any other group or activity protected by law

This includes the all terms, conditions, and privileges of employment and access for students, faculty, and staff.

UAlbany’s nondiscrimination policy affects all employment practices including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, transfers, promotions, benefits, compensation, training, educational opportunities and terminations.

Educational programs and activities covered include, but are not limited to, admission, recruitment, financial aid, treatment and services, counseling and guidance, classroom assignments, grading, vocational education, recreation, physical education, athletics, housing, sanctions, discipline and employment, as well as any other activity, opportunity or program.

Also, no one shall be subject to retaliation for initiating or participating in a complaint process.

https://www.albany.edu/equity-compliance/workplace-discrimination

The University at Albany is committed to a campus environment that supports diversity, equity and inclusion and will provide support to individuals who report incidents of bias or hate. To assist in this process, the University has created a Bias Incident Response Team charged with the responsibility to receive and coordinate the University’s response to reported bias incidents and, if necessary, issue recommendations to the appropriate University officials. This first-line team, composed of appropriate University officials, will receive reports from faculty, staff, students, visitors, vendors and contractors if they have experienced or witnessed an incident of bias or hate while on campus or at off-campus facilities, activities or events.

When the team reasonably believes that the report details a violation of federal, state, local or campus policies and practices, it will forward the report to the appropriate agencies or campus units, including: the University Police Department, Office of Community Standards, Office of Equity and Compliance, the Office of Diversity and inclusion, Office of Communications and Marketing, Office of the Provost, Office of the Dean of Students, and/or the Office of Human Resources and Management. The work of the Bias Incident Response Team does not substitute, replace or override existing campus or external complaint processes, investigation protocols and services available to the University’s community.

After a report is received and the appropriate office handling the matter has been identified, the parties named in the report are contacted following University policies and procedures, usually within 48 hours. If the person who made the report (who may be a party to the incident or a third party) requests to be contacted about the incident, they will be contacted as well. If possible according to confidentiality guidelines, additional details about the report is gathered and the next steps in the process are explained. Follow-up actions might include filing a formal complaint, mediation, and internal or external to resources. In cases where it is determined that no violation of University policy has occurred (such as instances where incidents fall under the purview of free speech), University programming may be offered to the campus community to discuss the topic further.

UAlbany's Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) is the main organization specifically designed to recruit students from underrepresented groups both for undergraduate and graduate degrees. The goal of the program is to make higher education possible for students who lack the normal credentials for college admissions, but who have the potential and motivation for academic success. The program provides supportive services designed to help students who need assistance in academic, financial, social and personal matters. More information on the EOP program can be found at https://www.albany.edu/eop.

Most non-academic staff are hired through the New York State (NYS) Civil Service Program, which is outside of the University's purview. The Civil Service program encourages diversity in the hiring and promotion process by accelerating the hiring process for underrepresented minorities, conducting targeted outreach, creating more avenues for Civil Service testing, and encouraging the participation of veterans and individuals with disabilities in the workforce.

For non-Civil Service faculty and staff, the University at Albany conducts a vigorous recruitment and hiring process to develop a diverse candidate pool and mitigate bias in the hiring process. The Office of Human Resources (OHR) and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) collaborate to review and approve hiring at key steps of the process. Hiring managers are required to identify where advertisements will be placed prior to getting approval to begin a job search. If the hiring pool for a specific position does not meet the hiring goals as identified in our annual affirmative action plan, additional recruitment efforts are required. OHR and ODI also review the diversity of the candidate pool for first- and second-round interviews, as well as approve interview questions. Both offices have the opportunity to pause the hiring process if there are questions regarding the equity of the process.

The University also has specialized programs targeted at underrepresented groups. For example, Project SAGES, focuses on increasing female faculty in STEM. The project offers targeted mentorship with external mentors in an awardee's field, grants to support conference attendance and travel, and research grants to promote women serving as principal investigators on research projects.

The University has a variety of programs to provide supports to students, including Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) with professionals dedicated to provide services to underrepresented students, a peer hotline, sexual violence support and advocacy, disability access and inclusion services, and other services offered through the Office of Intercultural Engagement.

For faculty and staff, the university has several affinity groups, an employee assistance program, and mentorship programs for faculty and staff. One such group is our campus-wide Black, Indigenous, Latino, People of Color (BILPOC) Faculty Mentoring Group. The group provides opportunities for external speakers, social engagements, educational workshops, and opportunities to learn about and collaborate with others in the group around research. The program also offers peer mentorship opportunities for staff.

The School of Education oversees several programs designed to increase diversity in teaching and higher education. These include the Touhey Family Fellows Program, whose goal is to provide multiple pathways to address the lack of educator diversity, and the Equity In Education: Black and Brown experience. Both employ discussion groups, mentoring, speakers, workshops and scholarships.
https://www.albany.edu/education/building-pathways
Although not specific to higher education, the Great Danes Teacher program focuses on preparing those for a career in secondary teaching.

Gender Neutral bathrooms
https://www.albany.edu/lgbt/42620.php
Gender Neutral housing
https://www.albany.edu/lgbt/38099.php