Inside Iowa State

June 8, 2006

It's just good policy

by Erin Rosacker

Update your manuals. There's now a combined discrimination and harassment policy that consolidates and streamlines the two documents. This comprehensive plan took effect on May 1.

"It was challenging, it was complex, it was time consuming," said Carla Espinoza, associate vice president of human resource services and director of equal opportunity and diversity. "But, in the end, it was worth it. I love it when a plan comes together."

The university's sexual harassment policy was finalized in 1998. Its racial and ethnic harassment policy was completed in 2000, in response to an audit by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR). The two policies remained independent of each other, as directed by the OCR, until the enforcement timeline for the racial and ethnic harassment policy expired in 2005.

Feedback from the campus community indicated that the policies were confusing and working with two documents made interpretations too complex.

"We had always wanted them to be merged, but because of the OCR, we didn't feel that we could," Espinoza said. "Our audience -- faculty, staff and students -- at some point in time, commented that they should be merged."

Espinoza worked with university lawyers Paul Tanaka and Kathryn Overberg to combine the two policies. Leaders from the P&S Council and the Faculty Senate provided input on the new document.

The two documents were similar, but the major task was cleaning up definitions for clarity. Among the benefits of a combined policy are: An easier "read" with descriptive definitions; Assignment of accountability; Clear processes and procedures.

The switch to the combined policy means people need to be made aware of the change. Espinoza asks campus community members to update Web site links, handbooks and manuals to reference the new policy. Notification was sent to deans, directors and department heads for distribution throughout their organizations. The updated policy is available online at the Policy Library website, http://policy.iastate.edu/policy/discrimination/.

Espinoza's office has already provided education programs on the policy to administrators. That education process will continue indefinitely and is included in orientation for new employees and students.

Iowa State combined its discrimination and harassment policies into one document, effective May 1.

"Our audience -- faculty, staff and student -- at some point in time, commented that they should be merged."

Carla Espinoza, associate vice president of human resource services and director of equal opportunity and diversity