Lesley University remains committed to a policy of equal opportunity, affirmative action, and inclusion for all current and prospective faculty, students, and staff and to eliminating discrimination when it occurs. Lesley University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or sexual orientation in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment in its programs and activities. Lesley will not ignore any form of discrimination, harassment, or sexual harassment by any member of the Lesley community. Moreover, Lesley does not condone any form of retaliation against any person who brings a complaint of discrimination, harassment or sexual harassment or against anyone who cooperates in a complaint investigation.
Lesley University expects all vendors to have Equal Opportunity policies consistent with those of the University. Vendors must not discriminate in their employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or sexual orientation. In addition, Lesley will not condone any form of harassment or sexual harassment by the vendor or the vendor's employees, either in internal vendor employee relationships or with Lesley employees and students.
Manager's Responsibility:A Manager is anyone in a management position who supervises one or more employees or anyone with management responsibilities. As examples, managers may have the title Chair, Division Director, Assistant Dean, Associate Dean, Dean, Department Head, Director, or Vice President.
Managers at Lesley are required to act in furtherance of Lesley's commitment to equal opportunity, affirmative action, and inclusion and ensure that all personnel actions such as recruitment, hiring, promotion, upgrades, compensation, benefits, transfers, terminations, layoffs, University sponsored training, tuition benefits, grievance procedures, and social and recreational programs are administered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or sexual orientation.
Managers are also required to make "good faith efforts" to achieve compliance with Lesley's affirmative action goals, but managers may not give racial or gender preference in connection with University hiring or promotion practices, as that would violate Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Good faith efforts generally include (1) outreach and recruitment measures to broaden candidate pools from which selection decisions are made to include people of color, women, and members of underrepresented groups and (2) systematic efforts to assure that selections thereafter are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability or sexual orientation.
Employees and Students Responsibility:Employees and students are required to act in furtherance of Lesley's commitment to equal opportunity, affirmative action and inclusion and ensure that they comply with Lesley University's Equal Opportunity and Inclusion Policy.
Applicants for admission and employment at Lesley are encouraged to identify their race and sex.
Further, Lesley invites employees and students to identify their race, sex, veteran status and disability. Disclosure of this information is entirely voluntary. Any information provided is used only in a manner consistent with the law.
Information provided as part of this self-identification process will be kept confidential, except that where a disability is identified, in accordance with Federal law, the following personnel and officials have access to it: (1) managers and other personnel who need to be informed in order to access requests for and implement any necessary restrictions of work duties and/or necessary accommodations; (2) appropriate personnel if the disability might require emergency treatment; and (3) government officials investigating compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act or the laws administered by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. No adverse consequences will result from providing this information or from refusing to provide it.
Protection:Retaliation is unlawful. At no time will any employee, student, or applicant for admission or employment who exercises their rights pursuant to Lesley's Equal Employment Opportunity and Inclusion Policy be subject to discipline or have their opportunities for admission or employment adversely affected.
Further, employees, students, and applicants for admissions or employment shall not be subject to harassment, intimidation, threats, coercion or discrimination because they have engaged in, or may engage in, any of the following activities:
Filing a complaint in good faith through the Lesley University Complaint Resolution Procedures for resolution of harassment and discrimination complaints or pursuant to any federal or state law;
Assisting or participating in good faith in an investigation, compliance review, Panel Review, or any other related activity; or
Engaging in any protected activity under Federal or State law.
If a report against a student engaging in retaliation is found to be justified, that student will be subject to disciplinary action, up to an including expulsion from Lesley.
If a report against an employee engaging in retaliation is found to be justified, that employee will be subject to disciplinary action, up to an including dismissal from employment at Lesley.
Inquiries:Lesley invites any employee, student, or any applicant for admissions or employment to review Lesley's written Affirmative Action Plan. The Affirmative Action Plan is available for review upon request between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. in the Office of Human Resources. Further questions regarding these and other equal opportunity policies at Lesley should be directed to the Office of Human Resources at 617.349.8785.
Additionally, inquiries regarding Lesley University's Equal Opportunity and Inclusion Policy may be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Inclusion at 617.349.8507.
Duty of Good Faith:Lesley University prohibits any member of the Lesley community from knowingly or recklessly bringing a false complaint of institutionally sanctionable conduct against another member of the Lesley community. Any such action can lead to disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion or dismissal from employment.
Lesley University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action educator and employer. The foregoing Equal Opportunity and Inclusion Policy is designed to enhance access to and understanding of Lesley's policies and is not intended to create a contract between Lesley and its employees or other persons. Lesley reserves the right to amend or revoke its policies at any time without notice.
Approved by: The President and his Cabinet
History: Issued – 1987
Revised – June 1, 2009
Responsible Official: Director of Equal Opportunity and Inclusion