Affirmative Action Office
Ensuring and protecting your rights
The Affirmative Action Office is charged with ensuring that university policies and programs comply with applicable Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action laws.
File a sexual misconduct complaint File a discrimination complaint
We support UW-Eau Claire's commitment to equity and diversity by developing and implementing the university's Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action policies and procedures. Our goal is to maintain a campus environment that is free of discrimination and harassment, and that is welcoming to all students, employees, and guests.
Bias/Hate Incident Response
UWEC has a team of responders for racist/discriminatory actions. This is called the BIRT Team, Bias Incident Response Team. Learn how to report a bias/hate incident and resources available to help you deal with the issue.
Neau Hate on our campusWhat does Affirmative Action mean to college students?
It may seem like the topic of affirmative action applies only to prospective or current students in terms of the ways in which the application process and enrollment decisions may be impacted by race, religion, or gender. But that's only a small part of the picture.
At UW-Eau Claire, the Affirmative Action Office is the place where all policies and programs on campus must "pass muster" in terms of being fair and equitable to all students and employees, with regard to race, gender and religion. It is also the office that handles reports for violations of certain policies for consensual relationships, discrimination, or harassment. For students, this can mean incidents between students, an incident between a student and a faculty member, or a situation involving a coach or campus employee.
What sorts of policies might impact a student?
Consensual Relationships
The purpose of this policy is to ensure that the employment and academic environment is free from real or perceived conflicts of interest when UW-Eau Claire employees, students, and affiliated individuals, in positions of unequal power, are involved in consensual romantic or sexual relationships.
Where this policy applies to students is with regard to any relations of a romantic, physical, or sexual nature between a student and any employee of the university. This could be an instructor, coach, or supervising campus employer. In some cases this can also apply to a relationship between two students if one student is the employment supervisor in that situation.
Violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action.
Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation
It is the policy of the UW-Eau Claire to maintain an academic and work environment free of discrimination, discriminatory harassment, and retaliation for all students and employees. This policy applies to all programs and activities, and employment practices and operations; including the conduct of all students and employees arising out of their employment, educational or academic status, as well as to the conduct of all guests, visitors, vendors, contractors, subcontractors and others who do business with UW-Eau Claire.
Prospective and current students, student organizations, job applicants and employees will be informed of policies and procedures regarding discrimination, discriminatory harassment, and retaliation.
Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment
This policy prohibits acts of sexual violence and sexual harassment on university property, at university-sanctioned or university-affiliated events, and where off-campus conduct affects a member of the university community. This policy applies to all university students and employees.
The Affirmative Action Office will provide students with the resources to help identify, report and respond to incidents of sexual violence or harassment including sexual assault, stalking, and dating or domestic violence.
The Center for Awareness of Sexual Assault (CASA) is another resource for campus victims of assault.