Office for Equal Opportunity
North Carolina
State University

Location & Hours
1 Holladay Hall
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Monday - Friday

Mailing Address
Campus Box 7530
Raleigh, NC
27695-7530

Phone Numbers
Main: 919-515-3148
Fax: 919-513-1428
TTY: 919-515-9617

Equal_Op - May, 2005 - Volume 5, #4

Equal Opportunity: An Essential Component of NC State’s Reputation

Few of my responsibilities as chancellor are as important as creating an environment that fully engages all, instills institutional pride, and treats each person with respect and dignity. When invited by the Office for Equal Opportunity to be a guest columnist for the Equal_Op newsletter, I eagerly accepted the invitation. Throughout my career, I have been an advocate for equal opportunity in higher education. As chancellor of NC State, I am acutely aware of the responsibility to ensure that all students, staff, and faculty can learn and work in an environment where a culture of inclusiveness and diversity dominates. To create such a community will require a philosophy of inclusion and equity that reflects the diversity of our society and eliminates barriers to good people and good ideas.

Such a philosophy is evident in the Office for Equal Opportunity’s myriad outreach and education programs, such as the Equal Opportunity Institute (EOI). In its sixth year of existence and with more than 100 graduates, the EOI provides a true example of “innovation in action.” Through the institute, the Office for Equal Opportunity partners with campus units and companies such as IBM to provide meaningful information and dialogue on issues of equal opportunity, affirmative action, access, and diversity.

Creating an open, accepting, and responsive campus community is not solely the responsibility of the Office for Equal Opportunity. Everyone has a role to play. Democratic tenets of excellence, fairness, justice, and equal opportunity demand full and equal access for all. In practical terms, the decisions made on our campus will be better if they involve the full diversity of opinions, talents, and background found in our nation. We know that ensuring equal opportunity for all enhances diversity and fosters diversity’s educational benefit of enabling our students to be engaged and enlightened global citizens.

At NC State, we are relevant and responsive, and we are meeting the needs of the 21st century. Ensuring equality for all of our people is a vital component to furthering that mission. It is a commitment and promise I take very seriously. We all should.

Study Circles Reach Beyond NC State University

We are excited to have held three successful study circles on our campus this year, creating a total of 70 individuals who have participated in the NC State Study Circles program since spring of 2003. We also are excited that we have had an opportunity to expand study circles beyond NC State. This spring, two of our campus facilitators led a study circle at Meredith College. Participants in this study circle were members of the Meredith Diversity Council or college staff and students who will be trained as facilitators.

A study circle is a small, diverse group of 8-10 individuals who meet once a week for five weeks to share individual stories, learn from others, and take actions to improve race relations. The discussions are led by trained facilitators and follow a discussion guide that has been successfully used in towns, cities, and college campuses around the United States. The intent is to get people listening to others, which can lead to greater understanding and joint efforts of action.

Study circles began on our campus through a partnership with the YWCA. We are glad to continue the growth of study circles on and beyond our campus. Our vision for study circles at NC State is to create general awareness about race and diversity and change attitudes; foster a campus climate where people are comfortable talking about race; engage more people in actively dismantling racism on campus and in the community, and take study circles beyond our campus to the larger college community. We are already beginning to see this vision fulfilled.

If you would like to learn more about the NC State Study Circles program, or to register to participate, please visit our website at www.ncsu.edu/equal_op/education/study_circles.html.

Photo: NC State Spring 2005 Study Circle Participants

Staff Spotlight: Philip Woodward of DSS

My name is Philip Woodward, and I have a profound, bilateral, sensory-neural hearing loss. I have read lips for most of my life, worn hearing-aids since I was four years old, and was mainstreamed throughout grade school. I attended the College of William & Mary, where I met my wife, Lyla. We moved to Raleigh last summer after I graduated from the William & Mary School of Law.

As an undergrad at W&M, I received many accommodations, including front-row seating and peer note-takers. The professors encouraged me to meet with them or email them if I was missing things in class. However, the law school classrooms are much larger than many of the undergraduate classrooms, and, when I realized I was experiencing too much difficulty hearing and reading lips in law school, I decided to utilize Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) services, in which a professional court reporter would bring a laptop and a stenography machine and type out everything everyone said. This allowed me to better understand my professors and other students, get more out of each class meeting, and participate more freely in class discussions. Having the reporter in class encouraged the professor and other students to speak more clearly. In addition, W&M provided visual fire alarms, a flashing door knock signaler, and a TTY telephone in my dormitories.

While I was an undergraduate, I successfully petitioned the Linguistics and Interdisciplinary Studies departments to offer American Sign Language classes for academic credit, and a few friends and I started a Sign Language Club whose activities involve offering informal sign language classes and signing songs for the choir. Activities such as these strengthened my desire to work with deaf and hard of hearing and people with other disabilities.

Receiving accommodations at W&M, my interest in disability services and higher education, and my desire to help other students with disabilities have a positive college experience have fueled my interest in working for NC State’s Disability Services for Students office. Thus far, I have spent most of my time assisting with alternate format projects, including scanning textbooks to convert to audio format and converting images to tactile format using a Braille printer. I assisted the committee planning the “A Taste of NC State” diversity event. Because I have a strong interest in technology that benefits people with disabilities and society as a whole, and because I want to see how a disability services office operates, I cherish the opportunity to work in DSS.

What Would You Do?
Interpersonal Relationships in the Office

Note: The incidents and people referred to in this article are fictitious.

Scenario: Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but love is still in the air in your office. As a matter of fact, it has become a bit of a concern for you, the department head. The reason for this is the talk going around the office regarding the relationship between one of your associate professors and one of her male graduate students. You know that the associate professor, Dr. Elaine Keener, is well liked by her students, is an outstanding researcher, and has received awards for her teaching as well as a recent grant for an innovative research study. However, a male graduate student by the name of Andrew Kinlaw, a good student pursuing a doctoral degree, is one of Dr. Keener’s advisees. Andrew is one of Dr. Keener’s teaching assistants, and you know that both of them are working on a research project together. You have noticed that Andrew and Dr. Keener seem to be spending a lot of time together. Andrew is often in Dr. Keener’s office when you walk by, you have seen them out at lunch together, and now you are hearing rumors about the “intimate” relationship between these two people. The latest rumor is that a female graduate student, another one of Dr. Keener’s advisees, recently walked in on Andrew and Dr. Keener kissing in Dr. Keener’s office. Given the rumors and what you have observed, what would you do?

Correct Procedure: Those in supervisory positions, such as deans, department heads and unit heads, have a legal obligation to respond to situations where university policy may be violated. Therefore, in this situation, it is incumbent upon the supervisor to find out the facts. If Dr. Keener and Andrew Kinlaw are involved in an intimate relationship, then they are violating the university’s Interpersonal Relationships Among Faculty, Staff and Students Policy (www.ncsu.edu/policies/
campus_environ/health_safety_welfare/POL04.20.6.php).

One suggestion for addressing this situation is for the supervisor to meet individually with both parties, letting each know what you have observed as well as concerns other employees and/or students have indicated. If one or both of the parties admits to an interpersonal relationship, then Andrew must be reassigned a new advisor immediately. In addition, Andrew must be reassigned to another professor as a teaching assistant and be placed with another research project. If the parties do not admit to an interpersonal relationship, the supervisor must give each party a copy of the Interpersonal Relationships Among Faculty, Staff and Students Policy and let them know that any behavior that would indicate a suspicion of an interpersonal relationship must be stopped immediately. Let both parties know that the university prohibits interpersonal relationships between those in supervisory positions, such as an advisor, with those whom they supervise. This is to make sure that the person in the subordinate position can be evaluated objectively and fairly. Supervisors may call Human Resources at 919-515-6575 or the Office for Equal Opportunity 919-515-3148 for assistance with these types of situations.

Programming Notes

Girls On Track to Be Held June 20-24

Continuing in its seventh year, Girls on Track 2005 Summer Math and Science Camp for middle school girls will be held June 20-24 with an emphasis on math, science, and technology for young women. The camp is directed by Professor Sarah Berenson of the NC State College of Education Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education, in collaboration with Professor Mladen Vouk of Computer Science and Professor Virginia Knight of Meredith College. The program aims to keep talented girls in Wake County schools on the fast track through middle school, high school, and into college, while boosting their interest in math and science related careers. Forty girls, rising 7th, 8th, and 9th graders, will be selected to participate. Exciting activities include Sports Algebra and a forensic study. For more information, you can visit the Girls on Track website at ontrack.ncsu.edu or call the Center at 919-515-2013 for a brochure and application.

One Voice: Marlene Turnbull, EOI Participant

In this issue, we interview Marlene Turnbull, an NC State senior who is double majoring in Business Management and Education. Ms. Turnbull is currently participating in OEO’s Equal Opportunity Institute (EOI).

Equal_Op: How has participating in EOI benefited you, both as a student and a future employee?

Marlene Turnbull: I feel that I have benefited from the Equal Opportunity Institute in that my awareness about diversity both on campus and in the workplace has increased. I have gained skills and have been equipped with tools that will assist me in dealing with issues of diversity that occur in my environment, whether it is at school or at work. I have learned not to ignore but to address the issues of diversity, and feel that by doing so this will lead to greater understanding and healing.

Equal_Op: What has been your favorite part of EOI?

Marlene Turnbull: My favorite part of the institute has been the exposure to the variety of courses and topics offered, not to mention the expert instructors who present the material in an engaging and interesting manner. Another high point is the level of interaction among instructors and participants.

Equal_Op: What has surprised you about EOI?

Marlene Turnbull: I realized that EOI has a deep commitment to increasing diversity among members of the NC State campus and the surrounding community. The level of involvement from not only the NC State community, but the business community, was a pleasant surprise.

Equal_Op: Would you recommend EOI to other NC State employees and students?

Marlene Turnbull: I definitely recommend EOI to other NC State employees and students, and in fact, have already begun doing so.

OEO Resource Directory

Office for Equal Opportunity (OEO)
1 Holladay Hall
Campus Box 7530
919-515-3148
www.ncsu.edu/equal_op

Disability Services for Students (DSS)
1900 Student Health Center
Campus Box 7509
919-515-7653
www.ncsu.edu/dss

Disability Hotline
To report a disability or accommodation issue or concern, send email to ADAHotline@ncsu.edu.

Harassment Complaints
For help with a harassment concern, contact Dr. Rhonda Sutton at 919-513-1234 or rhonda_sutton@ncsu.edu. [Update as of 11/2006: For help with a harassment concern, contact Amy Circosta at 919-513-1234 or amy_circosta@ncsu.edu.] You can also submit a harassment complaint online at www.ncsu.edu/equal_op/harassment/
harassment_complaint_form.html, or send email to report_harassment@ncsu.edu.

Hiring Procedures & Search Committee Orientations
If you are beginning a new search for a position, OEO encourages you to call 919-515-3148 to schedule a search committee orientation.

Training & Workshops
For information about our workshops and course offerings, please see www.ncsu.edu/equal_op/education.html or contact Beverly Jones Williams at 919-513-3836.

Faculty Exit Interviews
If you are a departing faculty member, please contact Dr. Rhonda Sutton at 919-513-1234 to schedule your exit interview. [Update as of 2/2007: For your exit interview, please contact Carson C. Cook at 919-513-2099 or carson_cook@ncsu.edu.]

About Equal_Op
This newsletter is published by the Office for Equal Opportunity at NC State University. It is available online at www.ncsu.edu/equal_op/pubs.html and in alternate formats upon request.

If you have questions or comments regarding this newsletter, please contact the Office for Equal Opportunity at 919-515-3148 or by email.