Equal_Op
- November, 2005 - Volume 6, #2
Disability
Compliance Functions Now Unified at NC State
By Joanne G. Woodard, Vice Provost for Equal Opportunity
& Equity
The
Office for Equal Opportunity has reorganized its disability compliance
functions into one unit. Effective October 1, 2005, the office
formerly known as Disability Services for Students (DSS) became
the Disability Services Office (DSO). With its expanded focus,
the Disability Services Office still provides disability services
for students and now also facilitates effective reasonable accommodations
for faculty and staff; educates the campus community; and promotes
equal access and opportunity. The DSO staff is cognizant of the
issues of accessibility for all campus constituencies, and where
feasible, attempts to create a climate of cooperation.
 Dr.
Cheryl Branker, who was recently promoted to associate vice provost,
will serve as director of the Disability Services Office. In addition,
Dr. Branker has been designated as NC State University’s
ADA Coordinator and 504 Officer. A speech pathologist by training,
Dr. Branker brings a wealth of experience to her new role. As
Director of Disability Services for Students from 2000 to 2005,
she provided the leadership to position DSS to be an office whose
policies and practices are often copied by other UNC system schools
and peer institutions. In a recent interview, Dr. Branker noted
that the mission of the Disability Services Office at NC State
is to support the ongoing development of an accessible university
that embraces and celebrates diversity.
OEO is confident that the reorganization of disability compliance
functions will help to provide the seamless provision of disability
services for the campus community. You may visit the Disability
Services Office in Suite 1900 of the Student Health Center Building
or on the web at www.ncsu.edu/dso.
Equal
Opportunity Institute Wins Diversity Award
By Beverly Jones Williams, Coordinator of Outreach
& Education
The
Raleigh-Wake Human Resource Management Associations (RWHRMA) and
Triangle Industry Liaison Group (TILG) created the Diversity Award
to recognize organizations in the greater Triangle area each year
for their diversity initiatives. The mission is to ensure that
diversity is valued and appreciated throughout our communities
and as a true business imperative within the organizations in
which we work.
The
Office for Equal Opportunity was honored at the October 18 meeting
of the RWHRMA and TILG for its Equal Opportunity Institute. The
program was selected as a winner of a 2005 Diversity Award. Congratulations,
EOI!
Photo: NC
State’s Beverly Jones Williams (left) accepts a 2005 Diversity
Award from members of TILG and RWHRMA on behalf of OEO’s
Equal Opportunity Institute.
The
Equal Opportunity Institute is a unique certificate program open
to all NC State faculty, staff and students, and to the general
public. The program takes place each year from September through
May. The EOI is designed to provide a means for developing a comprehensive
understanding of equal opportunity issues. Institute participants
broaden their knowledge base of equal opportunity issues and learn
how to apply this knowledge to their day-to-day activities and
interactions.
If
you would like to learn more about this award-winning program,
visit us on the web at www.ncsu.edu/eoi.
Gain Information and Skills on How to be Successful in
a Diverse Environment
By Beverly Jones Williams, Coordinator of
Outreach & Education
The
Office for Equal Opportunity offers a series of programs to the
campus community. These programs allow participants to gain information
and learn skills that will help them to be more successful working
or learning in our diverse community. All NC State faculty, staff,
and students are encouraged to attend. Upcoming programs include:
-
Accessible Technology in Higher Education
-
Building Bridges: Strengthening Leadership for Diverse Communities
(NCBI)
-
Diversity in the Workplace: A Business Perspective
-
Managing Diversity
-
Study Circles on Race and Ethnic Relations
To
learn more and register, visit www.ncsu.edu/equal_op/education.html.
Staff
Spotlight: Elizabeth Snively
 OEO’s
Elizabeth Snively hails from Northern California’s Bay Area,
where she graduated from Stanford University with a double major
in Art and English. During the Silicon Valley boom of the 1990’s,
she worked in information technology as a business analyst at
Franklin Templeton and as a technical writer at Oracle and SAS.
She began working at NC State in January, 2001.
Initially
seeking a position to supplement her quiltmaking business, she
started as an office assistant. Soon she began working on computer-related
projects, which led to her current position as technology support
technician. Her responsibilities include serving as OEO’s
webmaster, maintaining several of OEO’s program databases,
and producing this newsletter.
One
of Elizabeth’s recent projects was to create an online training
module to enable anyone in the campus community to take OEO’s
unlawful harassment prevention training via the internet. You
can see the result of this effort, as well as the new search committee
training module, at www.ncsu.edu/project/oeo-training.
Elizabeth
lives in Cary with her husband, David, and two children, Evan,
3, and Amy, 7 months.
Facilitators
Serving the Campus in a Serious Way
By Beverly Jones Williams, Coordinator
of Outreach & Education
NC
State faculty, staff, and students have recently participated
in training that has prepared them to serve the University in
important ways.
Study
Circles
On
September 16, 2005, Gillian Norton, Roxanna McGraw, Yvette McMillan,
and Sonya Cloud participated in facilitator training for NC State
Study Circles. Participants learned skills, techniques, and procedures
for facilitating Study Circles on Race and Race Relations on our
campus.
Study Circles are small, diverse groups of 8 to 10 individuals
who meet once a week for five weeks to share individual stories,
learn from others, and take action steps to improve race relations.
Trained facilitators follow a discussion guide used across the
United States to lead the circles. We now have 14 trained facilitators.
If you would like to learn more or participate in a study circle,
visit www.ncsu.edu/equal_op/education/study_circles.html.
National
Coalition Building Institute
The
campus also has six new National Coalition Building Institute
(NCBI) facilitators. The following faculty, staff, and students
participated in facilitator training September 23-25 in Greenwood,
South Carolina: Kathryn Cates, Peter Cowen, Dean Kennedy, Hassel
Morrison, Mark Newmiller, and Jessica Wilkins.
NCBI
was founded in 1984 in Washington, DC as a nonprofit leadership
training organization that works to eliminate prejudice and conflict
in communities throughout the world. NC State became an NCBI campus
affiliate in the spring of 2001. As a campus affiliate, we have
a team of active and dedicated trained facilitators who present
a diversity leadership workshop on campus and meet monthly to
develop leadership skills and work toward team goals. Team members
participate in a three-day train-the-trainer workshop to develop
leadership and facilitation skills to present the NCBI workshop.
NCBI team members at NC State facilitate a workshop titled “Building
Bridges: Strengthening Leadership for Diversity Communities.”
If you would like to participate or learn more, visit www.ncsu.edu/equal_op/ncbi.
Congratulations
to all our new facilitators! We appreciate your willingness to
serve the University and share your skills.
College
of Veterinary Medicine Makes a Difference with NCBI
By NC State College of Veterinary Medicine
NCBI Team Members
NC
State has a very active National Coalition Building Institute
(NCBI) team that provides much support for our goal of eliminating
prejudice on campus.
A
group of dedicated NCBI team members from the NC State College
of Veterinary Medicine is making a positive impact within the
college. This diverse group has representation from faculty, staff,
and administration. The longest-term participant is Ms. Valerie
Ball. Ball, Coordinator of Medical Records in the Veterinary Hospital,
has been an active NC State NCBI team member since 2001. Dr. Allen
Cannedy and Ms. Andrea Thomson joined the team in 2003. Ms. Kristina
Coxe joined in 2004, and the newest member, Dr. Peter Cowen, is
already a very active participant.
The
College of Veterinary Medicine team members have participated
in and led many workshops on and off campus. They have held NCBI
programs for veterinary school faculty, staff, students, and house
officers. Their most recent group effort was to conduct an open
forum discussion titled, “Durham Cross Burnings, Why be
Concerned?”
This team of enthusiastic trained facilitators is eager to provide
assistance whenever it can. If you are interested in more information
about NCBI and the support that it may provide for you or your
group, please do not hesitate to contact Beverly Jones Williams
at beverly_williams@ncsu.edu
or 919-513-3836, or any other NCBI team member, for information.
Visit www.ncsu.edu/equal_op/ncbi
for more information about NCBI at NC State.
Close-Up:
Office for Equal Opportunity
Even
if you are not new to NC State, you may wonder what goes on in
the Office for Equal Opportunity. It is useful to know that OEO
serves many important functions. OEO’s mission statement
is as follows:
“In
keeping with the educational mission of the university, the
Office for Equal Opportunity (OEO) at NC State works to ensure
that the university is a non-discriminatory and harassment-free
environment where people can work and learn. To that end, OEO’s
mission is four-fold: education, intervention, compliance, and
service (outreach). OEO monitors the university’s compliance
with applicable federal and state laws, UNC system policies,
and NC State University policies in regard to equal opportunity,
non-discrimination, and affirmative action. OEO works proactively
to move NC State toward embracing the spirit of equal opportunity,
affirmative action, and achieving a diverse university community
through education of policy and issues, outreach, and service.”
You
can also read OEO’s vision and goals on our website at www.ncsu.edu/equal_op/strategic_plan.html.
To fulfill our four-fold mission, we are responsible for carrying
out numerous programs and services in following areas:
- Discrimination
and Harassment Prevention and Resolution
-
Employment and Hiring
-
Training and Educational Opportunities
-
Disability Services
-
Affirmative Action
-
Gender Equity
-
Title IX
If
you need further information in any of these areas, contact us
at 919-515-3148, or visit us at 1 Holladay Hall. We are pleased
to be of service to NC State.
Reminder
This
newsletter is available online on the Office for Equal Opportunity
website at the following URL:
Bookmark
this page for current and previous issues.
OEO
Resource Directory
Office
for Equal Opportunity (OEO)
1 Holladay Hall
Campus Box 7530
919-515-3148
www.ncsu.edu/equal_op
Disability
Services Office (DSO)
1900 Student Health Center
Campus Box 7509
919-515-7653
www.ncsu.edu/dso
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 Univers2/20/07 11:06 AMl_op/pubs.html">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.
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