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 - October, 2002, Volume 3, #1

Disability in Employment Awareness Month

October is nationally recognized as Disability in Employment Awareness Month. This recognition is to raise awareness of the largest minority in the US, persons with disabilities. These potential employees are a valuable resource that is still waiting to be fully tapped in the workforce. Yes, "fully tapped," because, according to the 1995 Current Population Survey (CPS), of the estimated 17 million working-age Americans with health conditions or impairments that limit their ability to work, 12.1 million, or 72.2%, do not have jobs. With the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, many qualified persons with disabilities have made substantial contributions to the workforce. Yet, despite these advancements, the resource still remains underutilized.

The ADA prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities, and Title I addresses the employment area specifically. The ADA provides for reasonable accommodations, adjustments, or modifications for individuals whose condition qualifies as a "disability." These accommodations allow persons to perform their job tasks and provide an equal opportunity to enjoy all the benefits, opportunities, and privileges that a workplace such as NC State has to offer.

Even with the opportunities that are provided by this legislation, barriers that attempt to prohibit persons from enjoying what is their civil right still exist. Sometimes attitudinal barriers appear when employers are concerned about providing reasonable accommodations, especially in the tight budget times that we currently experience. Accommodations are labeled as being too expensive and a burden to the unit. Yet, according to the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), an information service sponsored by the President’s Committee on the Employment of People with Disabilities, the average cost of an accommodation is only $200. Furthermore, 17% of requests for accommodation are provided at no cost, involving such things as an adjustment in work schedule, modification in office arrangements, or a period of leave.

So, let us strive to use all the labor resources that are available to us by considering all qualified persons, including those with disabilities, and continue to be the equal opportunity employer that we should be.

OEO Fall Workshops

Registration is now open for our fall workshops! For course information, see Training & Educational Opportunities.

Interim Vice Provost for Diversity & African American Affairs

Dr. Rupert Nacoste has left the position of Vice Provost for Diversity and African American Affairs to return full-time to the faculty in the Department of Psychology effective August 19, 2002. During his two years of service as Vice Provost, Professor Nacoste established a strong vision for his office and NC State. A national search is underway for a new Vice Provost for Diversity and African American affairs. Vice Provost Joanne Woodard will serve as the interim Vice Provost for Diversity and African American Affairs. According to Provost Stuart Cooper, "this is a role that Vice Provost Woodard ably assumed during 1999-2000 academic year."

Reorganization of Personnel Functions at NC State

Employment and personnel activities at NC State have been reorganized, effective July 1, 2002. The reorganization represents a merger of almost all personnel functions in the Office for Academic Personnel Services (OAPS) and the non-compliance functions of the Office for Equal Opportunity (OEO) into the current functions of the Office of Human Resources (HR). The reorganization seeks to provide a "one-stop shop" for personnel activities and PeopleSoft personnel data issues for SPA and EPA employees. HR assumed responsibility for faculty and EPA professional positions. OEO continues to be responsible for personnel compliance functions such as ADA accommodations, civil rights compliance, and affirmative action. A listing of OEO’s areas of responsibility can be found on the OEO website.

Sheri Plenert Leaves OEO for CALS

Sheri Plenert, Assistant Vice Provost and Coordinator of Employment Programs in the Office for Equal Opportunity, assumed the position of Assistant Director of Personnel in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, effective August 19, 2002. Plenert, a graduate of the BRIDGES Program in 2001, had been with OEO since 1995. Says Vice Provost Woodard, "Sheri was a valued member of the OEO staff and her contributions to making NC State a better place to work and learn are numerous. Particularly noteworthy is her work on the faculty salary equity study and search committee orientations." OEO bids Sheri a fond farewell and much success in her new position.

Ricky Lee, New Assistant Coordinator of Assistive & Information Technology

Ricky Lee is a native of Wilmington, North Carolina. Upon graduation from New Hanover High in 1993, he enrolled at NC State and completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Technology Education in 1997. He spent three years teaching a Cisco Networking Academy & Computer Repair course and coaching at the high school level. After leaving the public school system, he took a position with an IBM training provider in Charlotte, North Carolina, and worked closely with IBM Learning Services. Prior to returning to NC State, Ricky served a brief stint as a Public Health Training Assistant for the Physically Disabled program at Falls Church High School in Falls Church, Virginia.

Ricky came on staff in August, 2002 as the Assistant Coordinator of Assistive and Information Technology and will be working closely with the Information Technology Department and Disability Services for Students, as well as the Coordinator of Assistive and Information Technology, to ensure that technology accommodations are met at NC State.

A New Video: "Preventing Harassment on Campus: It’s Everyone’s Responsibility"

Interested in a proactive way to discuss harassment and discrimination with faculty and students? The Office for Equal Opportunity (OEO) has created a video entitled "Preventing Harassment on Campus: It’s Everyone’s Responsibility" (May, 2002).

NC State students and facilities were used in the filming of the video, and the content of the video is specifically geared to address situations that involve students, teaching assistants and faculty. The video, which is fourteen minutes long, includes four vignettes that feature harassment based on race, sex, disability and religion. Vignettes provide examples of both hostile environment and "quid pro quo" situations. The video also provides a brief overview of laws regarding unlawful harassment, discusses what a person can do if she or he experiences harassment, suggests university resources a person can utilize to report and/or address harassment, and provides tips on how to prevent harassment. You may schedule a training program with Dr. Rhonda Sutton, Coordinator of Harassment Prevention Programs, and request that this video be shown to your students and/or faculty. Contact Dr. Sutton either by email or by phone at 919-513-1234.

Staff Spotlight: Charlotte Flynn

Charlotte Flynn accepted the position of Assistant Director of Disability Services for Students at NC State in July, 2002. She is the service provider for students with ADHD and learning disabilities. She is excited about the opportunity to support students with disabilities in accessing higher education.

Ms. Flynn has worked with people with disabilities in many different capacities over the past 14 years and has found this work both energizing and rewarding. It has afforded her the opportunity to always learn something new while making a positive impact on the world. She is interested in looking at disability as a social justice issue.

As a social worker in a public high school, she worked with students with various disabilities. She particularly enjoyed teaching a class titled "Social Justice," which explored disability rights issues. Ms. Flynn also has been a case manager for persons with developmental and psychiatric disabilities who live in the community, and a Community Integration Specialist for the State of Wisconsin Division of Supportive Living. The latter entailed developing and delivering training, technical assistance, and quality assurance for individuals receiving services funded by Wisconsin’s Home and Community-Based Medicaid Waiver. She also recently served as an advisor for a self-advocacy group for people with disabilities.

Ms. Flynn hails from the upper Midwest. She is originally from North Dakota but has spent most of her adult life in Wisconsin. She received a BA in philosophy and an MS in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She and her husband live in Raleigh with their Boston Terrier, Zelda.

Programming Notes

Equal Opportunity Institute (EOI) 2002 Graduation

Congratulations to the 2002 graduates of the Equal Opportunity Institute! They are: Donna Alford, Carolyn Bonner, Jeffery Cable, Jenny Calton, Raymond Christian, Frances Dickenson, Savitri Dixon-Saxon, Tia Doxey, Chiniqua Foster, Teresa Langley, Jacquelyn McGowan, Anne Pemberton, Aimee Rice, Suzy Richardson, Barbara Walsh, Thu Washington, Patricia Whitaker, Leroy Wilkins, Rick Williams, and Xiaoqiu Zuo. See the EOI website for a photo of the group.

Letter to All Faculty

DATE: August 19, 2002

TO: NC State Faculty

FROM: Stuart Cooper, Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs; Joanne G. Woodard, Vice Provost for Equal Opportunity & Equity

RE: Faculty Responsibilities for Providing Accommodations to Students with Disabilities

Taking appropriate steps to accommodate students with disabilities is an important faculty responsibility. The office of Disability Services for Students (DSS) will do everything possible to assist you in fulfilling that responsibility and in building a successful community of learning for every student. Our success, however, in meeting the needs of these students depends heavily on your assistance.

Remember that Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 mandate that the faculty provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities. See NC State’s rule for providing academic accommodations for students with disabilities.

These accommodations are based on the premise that students with disabilities need an equal opportunity to acquire information and demonstrate what they have learned, not have an advantage over others in the class. This does not mean lowering class standards, but it may mean having students learn and express knowledge in a different mode.

The University will also provide students with disabilities with access to University notices that is comparable to that provided to other students concerning all academic requirements. This means that print notices mailed out by faculty and academic departments or posted on classroom or departmental doors will need to be provided in an appropriate alternate format.

All students currently registered with DSS will provide each faculty member with an accommodation letter. This letter verifies that appropriate documentation is on file and that the student has a substantiated disability requiring effective reasonable accommodations. Accommodations for which the student qualifies will also be included in the letter. Any student requesting accommodations without this letter should be directed to the DSS office to register in Suite 1900, Student Health Center.

Faculty members should make an announcement at the beginning of the semester inviting students with disabilities to schedule an appointment to discuss academic accommodations.

The DSS staff is available to serve as a resource in assisting with providing accommodations. DSS services and procedures can be can be found on the DSS website, or contact the office directly at 919-515-7653 (voice) or 919-515-8830 (TTY).

OEO Rolls Out New Website

If you frequent our website, you may have noticed the transition to a new format that began with our home page in early 2002. While the redesign improved the look of our site, the main reason for the recently completed update was to provide a more accessible interface for the public.

The new site conforms to the accessible web design guidelines provided by NC State’s Assistive and Information Technology group. We hope that everyone will benefit from the new format, and that other NC State groups and departments will check their sites for accessibility. See the August, 2001 issue of this newsletter and Accessible Web Design for more information about making your web pages accessible to all.

Challenge Question

True or False: A person must actually touch another person for sexual harassment to occur.

Answer: False.

If you have questions or comments regarding this newsletter, please contact Beverly Jones Williams at 919-513-3836 or by email.