D.     Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Representatives

1. ELECTION AND VOTING

A.     In order to assure itself that it is providing equality of treatment and equal employment opportunity to all applicants, each department shall elect or otherwise provide for the selection of from among its tenured faculty and its probationary faculty if permitted by the department to participate in a search, an affirmative action/equal opportunity representative to serve as a voting member of each of its search committees. A department may elect the same member to several search committees or a different member to each of several search committees.
 

B.     Each affirmative action/equal opportunity representative shall normally be elected or otherwise elected as the department directs in the early spring or as circumstances require and shall serve a term of no less than one year.
 

C.     In addition to his or her duties as a voting member of a search committee, This the affirmative action/equal opportunity representative shall advise the department about recruiting and hiring practices that conform to applicable laws and regulations governing affirmative action, nondiscrimination, and equal employment opportunity.

2.      Each affirmative action/equal opportunity representative shall be a tenured member of his or her department serving, preferably, as a full-professor.  Every affirmative action/equal employment opportunity representative shall be selected with a view to his or her sensitivity to the issues of affirmative action, nondiscrimination, and equal employment opportunity.
 

2.      AA/EOR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

A.    The AA/EOR serves in an advisory and educational capacity to the search committee, not as a compliance officer. The role of the AA/EOR is to help develop an effective and comprehensive recruitment process to assist with the development of an inclusive applicant pool and to ensure the implementation of campus affirmative action and equal employment opportunity policies.
 

B.     Serves as an elected member of the search committee with full voting privileges.
 

C.     May be tenured or untenured.
 

D.     Is well informed and knowledgeable on the issues of affirmative action and equal opportunity from both a state and federal perspective.
 

E.     Based on training and advice from Human Resources and the University Counsel, reviews existing departmental and university policies and is advisory to the search committee on issues of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity.
 

F.      Reviews search for potential discrimination and ensures equal employment opportunities. When discrimination has been found, the AA/EOR shares information with the search committee, the Department Chair, the Dean and Human Resources.
 

G.     AA/EOR in consultation with the Search Committee Chair and the Department Chair reviews applicants selected for the short list to ensure that there has been no discrimination against or preference for any group and prepares a recommendation on the effectiveness of the recruitment process. This recommendation is given to the Search Committee. The Search Committee reviews the report and makes a recommendation to the Department Chair, and the Dean. The Dean determines whether the search goes forward or is extended.
 

H.    AA/EOR in consultation with the Search Committee Chair and the Department Chair reviews process to select applicant appointed for the position to ensure that there has been no discrimination against or preference for any group and prepares a recommendation. This recommendation is given to the Search Committee. The Search Committee reviews the report and makes a recommendation to the Department Chair, and the Dean. The Dean makes the final hiring recommendation to the Provost.
 

I.       An affirmative action/equal opportunity representative may serve as chair of a search committee provided the search committee elects him or her to serve in that capacity.
 

J.      A department chair shall be ineligible by reason of office to serve as an affirmative action/equal opportunity representative.
 

K.    Nothing in this section shall be construed to absolve a the department chair whether not elected to serveing on a search committee or not as an affirmative action/equal opportunity representative of his or her responsibilities in relation to issues of affirmative action, nondiscrimination, and equal employment opportunity.
 

3.      RECRUITMENT PROCESS

A.     Normally, in the spring semester, the AA/EOR in consultation with the Department Chair and the Chair of the Search Committee (if selected at that time):

i.        Develops a comprehensive and broad based recruitment plan.
 

ii.      Critically analyzes the position description and advertisement for inclusivity, vision, and commitment to diversity, e.g., statement applicant demonstrates a sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, and ethnic backgrounds of students.
 

iii.     Calls for departmental hiring trend data, Affirmative Action plan, and availability data to determine the association between the number of ethnic/racial/gender groups earning degrees and their numerical representation in the faculty. The data collection and analysis will not discriminate or grant preference to an individual or a group.

iv.     The availability data will be used to help assess the effectiveness of the recruitment plan and to provide feedback for continuous improvement of the process.

7.      A department chair may serve as the affirmative action/equal opportunity representative provided the department elects him or her to serve in that capacity.
 

5.      The affirmative action/equal opportunity representative shall serve as either an elected voting member or as an ex-officio non-voting member of the department's search committee or committees.
 

8.   The appropriate administrator shall sponsor training each spring or early fall for all affirmative action/equal opportunity representatives to prepare them for their responsibilities.  This training shall include information and guidance on such topics as:  relevant laws and regulations, techniques of recruiting that comply with those laws and regulations, adequacy of applicant pools and the University's policies and procedures.

4.      TRAINING

A.     The appropriate administrator shall prescribe training for all faculty members who intend to participate in a search. This training shall be uniform across the colleges and their departments. It shall be designed to prepare faculty for their duties in connection with a search. It shall include information and guidance on such topics as: laws, regulations, university policies and procedures that bear on conducting a paper screening of applications, assessing the adequacy of applicant pools, checking references, conducting interviews and deliberating before deciding on a recommendation. Moreover, department chairs and affirmative action/equal opportunity representatives in particular shall receive training that runs as well to laws and regulations that govern recruiting and to techniques and strategies of recruiting that comply with those laws.
 

B.     No faculty member shall participate in a search who has not completed the prescribed training before beginning to participate. It shall be the policy of the University to expect, encourage and recruit every full-time probationary and tenured faculty member intending to participate in a search to take the training that will equip him or her to participate. Before entering upon their duties in connection with a search leading to the appointment of permanent faculty or full-time temporary faculty whose appointment may become permanent without an additional search, the department chair, affirmative action/equal opportunity representative and each and every member of each search committee including committees of the whole as provided for in Section 6.06.B.2 and note above shall complete a course of training to be prescribed by the appropriate administrator as provided in subsection 4.A above.
 

C.     In order to remain eligible to participate in searches from year to year, faculty members shall undergo prescribed training no less frequently than once in three (3) years. The appropriate administrator may extend or reduce the interval between successive instances of required training if he or she determines that doing so is necessary to the case.

1. In order to assure itself that it is providing equality of treatment and equal employment opportunity to all applicants, each department shall elect or otherwise provide for the selection of an affirmative action/equal opportunity representative to each of its search committees.  This representative shall advise the department about recruiting and hiring practices that conform to applicable laws and regulations governing affirmative action, nondiscrimination, and equal employment opportunity.
    
2. Each affirmative action/equal opportunity representative shall be a tenured member of his or her department serving, preferably, as a full-professor.  Every affirmative action/equal employment opportunity representative shall be selected with a view to his or her sensitivity to the issues of affirmative action, nondiscrimination, and equal employment opportunity.
    
3. A department chair may serve as the affirmative action/equal opportunity representative provided the department elects him or her to serve in that capacity.  Nothing in this section shall be construed to absolve the department chair not elected to serve as an affirmative action/equal opportunity representative of his or her responsibilities in relation to issues of affirmative action, nondiscrimination, and equal employment opportunity.
    
4. Each affirmative action/equal opportunity representative shall be elected or otherwise selected as the department directs in the early spring and shall serve a term of no less than one year.
    
5. The affirmative action/equal opportunity representative shall serve as either an elected voting member or as an ex-officio non-voting member of the department's search committee or committees.
    
6. The appropriate administrator shall sponsor training each spring or early fall for all affirmative action/equal opportunity representatives to prepare them for their responsibilities.  This training shall include information and guidance on such topics as:  relevant laws and regulations, techniques of recruiting that comply with those laws and regulations, adequacy of applicant pools and the University's policies and procedures.