University of Virginia
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

The University of Virginia does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information, in its programs and activities as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the Governor’s Executive Order Number One (2018), and other applicable statutes and University policies. The University of Virginia prohibits sexual and gender-based harassment, including sexual assault, and other forms of interpersonal violence. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and related statutes and regulations: Melvin Mallory, ADA Coordinator, Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights, 2015 Ivy Road, Room 321, Dynamics Building, P.O. Box 400144, Charlottesville, VA 22904, (434) 924-3295, ADACoordinator@virginia.edu. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Catherine Spear, Associate Vice President, Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights, P.O. Box 400219, Washington Hall, Charlottesville, VA 22904, (434) 924-3200, UVaEOCR@virginia.edu. The following person has been designated to serve as the overall coordinator for purposes of Title IX compliance: Emily Babb, Assistant Vice President for Title IX Compliance/Title IX Coordinator, O'Neil Hall, Room 037, (434) 297-7643, ecb6y@virginia.edu or TitleIXCoordinator@virginia.edu.

Upon initiation of an administrative review, EOCR will notify the head of the department/unit/area and the relevant human resources professionals of the commencement and scope of the review. Administrative reviews will include interviewing witnesses and reviewing pertinent documents and will normally be concluded within sixty (60) calendar days. This timeframe may be extended for good cause, which may exist if additional time is necessary to ensure the integrity and completeness of the investigation, to comply with a request by external law enforcement for temporary delay to gather evidence for a criminal investigation, to accommodate the availability of witnesses, to account for University breaks or vacations, to account for complexities of a case, including the number of witnesses and volume of information provided by the parties, or for other legitimate reasons. EOCR will then produce a written report outlining the findings of the Administrative Review and any recommended action items to the executive responsible for the department/unit/area. The same level of confidentiality applicable in complaint investigations will apply to administrative reviews. Examples of actions taken include the increased transparency regarding bias and other incidents on campus: https://odos.virginia.edu/2016-17-academic-year-reports-student-target-bias-related-incidents

The Office of the Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity and Equity assists and monitors all units of the University in their efforts to recruit and retain faculty, staff and students from historically underrepresented groups and to provide affirmative and supportive environments for work and life at the University of Virginia. Students: The UVA Admissions office runs an outreach team that hosts events geared to minority recruitment, maintains a Hoos Talking Diversity blog, and offers online chat room to help recruit minority students. https://admission.virginia.edu/outreach. In addition, UVA recruits underrepresented students through several scholarships and programs: University Achievement Award, Posse Foundation, Blue Ridge Scholars, and the VA-NC Alliance which offers accepted students the opportunity to participate in a summer bridge program designed for underrepresented minorities in STEM fields. Staff and Faculty: UVA HR, which overees and recruits for both staff and faculty hiring, has an Inclusive Recruitment Plan that the hiring official is responsible for implementing for any position at UVA. http://www.hr.virginia.edu/hr-for-you/managers/hiring-manager-toolkit/#recruiting. This includes a requirement, if the position falls within a job group deemed underutilized for women, minorities, people with disabilities, and/or veterans, that the position be posted externally for a minimum of 15 business days. Additionally, the Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights runs a recruitment and hiring program that works closely with hiring officials, search chairs, managers, HR and others to ensure the UVA’s recruitment is conducted fairly and consistently. https://eocr.virginia.edu/recruitment-and-hiring As an example, the School of Medicine (SOM)’s Office of Diversity has recruited a more diverse and inclusive candidate pool for all educational programs by partnering with their UVA HR department to ensure all faculty and managerial staff positions are posted within three strategic diverse job posting websites. SOM is also partnering with other institutions to increase our number of women and under-represented minorities in allopathic medicine in both student as well as faculty populations.

Support for all underrepresented Staff/Faculty/Students: • The Diversity Council (detailed in PAE-6), chaired by the Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity and Equity, provides support for underrepresented groups at UVA, particularly UVA staff and faculty. • Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights hosts resources for UVA veterans to encourage successful re-entry into the workforce: http://eocr.virginia.edu/resources-veterans • The Office of the Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity & Equity (ODE) host a large Martin Luther King Jr. event series and a Diversity Excellence award to highlight staff and faculty leaders in diversity. • UVA’s Staff Senate hosts a diversity resources and services section of its website to connect staff to supportive resources. https://staffsenate.virginia.edu/resources • The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Resource Center at the University of Virginia supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Founded under the Office of the Dean of Students in 2001, with generous financial support from the Serpentine Society, the Resource Center works both to raise awareness and inclusion of sexual and gender minorities and to provide information, referral, support, and programming to the University community. • Facilities Management Apprenticeship Program: Established in 1982, UVA Facilities Management Apprenticeship Program offers highly motivated applicants an opportunity to learn a skilled trade through a combination of on-the-job training, technical education and classroom instruction in a four-year program. The University’s apprenticeship program was the first of its kind to be established by a state agency in Virginia and has been a model for other programs. In addition to the success and longevity of the program, Facilities Management is proud that the majority of graduated apprentices make a career at the University. Support Targeted to Students : The Office of African-American Affairs was established in 1976 as an integral part of the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Virginia. It is charged with the responsibility of assisting academic and non-academic units in meeting the challenges of service delivery to African-American students. The Office assumes broad responsibility for the creation of a supportive environment which promotes the students' full participation in the University's extracurricular life and enhances the sensitivity of the larger community to the needs, interests, and culture of its students. At the same time, it recognizes the intellectual and social diversity among African-American students and strives to gear its programs and services accordingly. The Office of Graduate Student Diversity Programs is committed to the identification, retention, mentoring, and graduation of a highly talented and diverse graduate student population. We firmly believe that a community of diverse graduate students at the University of Virginia is integral for maintaining our position as a global leader in education, advancing scholarly pursuits and academic quality, and fostering an environment of inclusiveness and support. The Office of the Dean of Students houses the Multicultural Student Services Program. Through internships, peer mentoring and leadership guidance, the Multicultural Student Services Program directly support the following populations: Latino/a, Hispanic and Latin American students; American Indian students; and Middle Eastern students. The Student Disability Access Center supports the University's commitment to accessible education. For UVa students with disabilities, SDAC encourage self-determination and independence via accommodations, education, consultation, and advocacy with the goal of creating an equitable academic experience. The University of Virginia Women’s Center educates U.Va. students in how to create change in self, community, and the world by providing programs and services that advocate gender equity. The Women’s Center’s mission is education, in the broad sense that Thomas Jefferson envisioned it: the Center teaches students how to create powerful and positive change, in themselves, in their communities, and in their world. The Women's Center provides the following programs and services: Iris magazine, counseling services, sexual and domestic violence services (SDVS), the Young Women Leaders Program, the Diversity and Advocacy Program, and Men's Leadership Project. The National Science Foundation's Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), the Virginia-North Carolina Alliance (VA-NC Alliance) is led by the University of Virginia and includes the following partners: Bennett College, Elizabeth City State University, George Mason University, Johnson C. Smith University, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Old Dominion University, St. Augustine's College, Thomas Nelson Community College, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Virginia Tech. Each of the eight institutions offer individually tailored recruitment, retention, and enhancement activities to support their students. The VA-NC Alliance's primary goal is to increase significantly the number of students earning STEM (Science, Technology, and Engineering, and Mathematics) baccalaureate degrees. The VA-NC Alliance offers activities to support students during their undergraduate experience including: annual symposia; tutoring, bridge programs, workshops and colloquia; faculty exchanges; common reading experiences; and summer research experiences. The Office of the Dean of Students along with various colleagues and other offices provide support, assistance and advocacy to all Asian and Asian Pacific American (AAPA) students and programs through peer education, outreach, mentoring programs and leadership programs. The Center for Diversity in Engineering's primary purpose is to increase the recruitment and retention of students from underrepresented populations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) pursuing degrees in engineering and applied sciences at all academic stages. Historically, women of all backgrounds, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans are underrepresented in STEM and are thus the target groups to support; however, the Center welcomes students of all genders, backgrounds, and identities who seek guidance and support. The Minority Rights Coalition is an umbrella student organization which advocates on behalf of its constituent organizations and seeks to draw strength from the connections and common struggles of its members. It is composed of the American Indian Student Union (AISU), Asian Student Union (ASU), Black Student Alliance (BSA), Feminism is for Everyone (FIFE), Latino Student Alliance (LSA), Middle Eastern Leadership Council (MELC), and Queer Student Union (QSU). Students: http://www.virginia.edu/deanofstudents/programsandservices/accessuva.html

The University also administers several faculty recruitment programs to promote a diverse faculty. The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs Diversity Program is committed to attracting talented, traditionally underrepresented students to the University and supporting their successful matriculation throughout their graduate and/or professional programs. Towards these ends, Diversity Programs welcomes students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds to participate in the Mentoring Institute, an interdisciplinary, inter-ethnic mentoring program. Through the Mentoring Institute, first year students develop longitudinal relationships with dedicated faculty members who believe that diversity, with its many facets, serves as a cornerstone for scholarship and innovation among a community of learners. The Mentoring Institute organizes social and professional development activities throughout the school year to foster community among students and faculty mentors, provide opportunities for networking and professional development and acclimate student participants to the rigors of life within and beyond the academy. The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost offers financial and recruitment assistance to support the strategic goals of Schools in building a diverse faculty. In response to surveys of faculty who did not accept University employment offers, the University has identified dual career support as a key factor in recruiting a diverse faculty and has increased capabilities in this area. The "Leadership in Academic Matters" program is geared towards junior faculty who demonstrate leadership characteristics and potential. The program, a combination of lectures and experiential workshops, covers a range of topics relevant to becoming an effective leader: self-awareness, teamwork, negotiation, financial decision-making and conflict management. Also included are sessions on dealing with change, mitigating unconscious biases, talking to media and balancing work and personal life.