OFCCP issues two new “FAQs”

The OFCCP recently added two new “FAQs” to its website to help explain contractors’ obligations under new Section 503 and VEVRAA regulations.  The first addresses the information contractors must maintain related to efforts to invite voluntary self-identification of disability.The FAQ informs contractors that if the contractor uses an electronic version of the required disability self-identification form to solicit disability status, the contractor need only retain the data, not the form or copy of the form, provided that its system does not store completed forms.  However, if the contractor only maintains this form of data, it must also be able to demonstrate how it delivered or displayed the invitation to self-identify so that the OFCCP can verify that the contractor used the OMB-approved form.  If the contractor used paper invitations to invite self-identification of disability, it must retain either hard copies of the forms or electronic copies of the forms (such as scanned pdf files).Contractors utilizing paper forms must also retain any data compilation prepared that records the information from the paper self-identification forms.

The second new FAQ informs contractors that where they have openings for a remote position, that opening should be listed with the state workforce agency “where the work unit, division, department or supervisor to which the employee will report or be assigned is located.”

The new FAQs are the product of the OFCCP’s ongoing efforts to answer questions surrounding Section 503 and VEVRAA regulatory updates put in place last year.

source 

EEOC files second wellness program lawsuit against an employer

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) sued an employer claiming it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) when the employer cancelled coverage and transferred 100% of the premium to the employee for failing to complete biometric screening and a health risk assessment. Employees who completed the screening were charged only 25% of the premium. This lawsuit follows the EEOC’s ADA lawsuit earlier this year against a different employer that terminated an employee for failing to participate in the employer’s wellness program. The EEOC has taken the position that wellness programs must be voluntary and cannot compel participation by cancelling coverage or imposing onerous penalties.

The EEOC’s Press Release can be found here.

EEOC sues over transgender discrimination

Why it matters: In its first cases alleging bias against transgender employees, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed suit against a Florida eye clinic and a Michigan funeral home. In both actions an employee began the process of transitioning from male to female and both employers reacted by terminating the employees at issue, according to the EEOC. Although the Florida employer claimed the position was being eliminated, it hired a new employee soon after, while the agency said the funeral home director told the employee what she was proposing to do was “unacceptable.” The EEOC alleged that the employers engaged in discriminatory sex-based considerations because the employees were transgender, transitioning in gender, and/or because the employees did not conform to the employer’s sex- or gender-based stereotypes, preferences, or expectations. The two lawsuits reiterate the EEOC’s intent to focus on “coverage of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals” as part of its Strategic Enforcement Plan. Employers should be prepared to avoid allegations of discrimination if an employee identifies as transgender or, like the plaintiffs in the EEOC suits, states an intent to transition.

Please read more here

Laying a foundation for diversity & inclusion: a case study

In a previous interview, Michelle P. Wimes, Esq., the Director of Professional Development & Inclusion at Ogletree Deakins, identified challenges that diversity initiatives face and how to overcome them. Here, she describes how she laid a foundation for a successful diversity and inclusion program.

Jathan Janove: You joined Ogletree Deakins in September 2011. What was first on your agenda?

Michelle Wimes: I focused on creating a shared vision with the firm’s leaders. My goal was to create a coordinated, strategic approach to diversity as a business imperative, including integrating that approach in the firm’s professional development programs and overall firm strategy.

JJ: How did you get started?

MW: Before pursuing any particular program or plan, I felt we needed to create a foundation. We conducted a needs assessment and had a phenomenal response rate—86 percent! The assessment provided valuable insight into the firm’s culture, perceived needs, and priorities. And the information gained enabled us to go to the firm’s Board of Directors and make a credible case for what needed to done.

JJ: What else did you do to establish a foundation?

MW: We overhauled the firm’s diversity committee. When I arrived, it consisted of nearly 100 attorneys and lacked structure or focus. We created the Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee, which replaced the diversity committee, and limited the number of members to 14 shareholders who were well-respected and committed to diversity. The committee included attorneys from both majority and minority groups.

Working with the steering committee, we identified metrics and goals and set up periodic assessments. We developed attrition reports, gathered exit interview data, and compared minority employment in each office and geographic area to the relevant demographic data in each office.

We developed a list of activities for committee members including attending job fairs, writing articles or blog posts, organizing or attending diversity events, and mentoring diverse attorneys. Committee members committed to doing at least three of these items. We scheduled telephonic meetings every 60 days with 3 in-person meetings per year.

Please read more here

Obama: No rush to end affirmative action

In a new interview, President Obama said courts should allow affirmative action for the foreseeable future, but he believes he can do more for the cause of racial justice with policies to help black students obtain high school diplomas.

The president said former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s guidance in 2003 that affirmative action should expire within 25 years “was sort of a ballpark figure in her mind” and not a binding rule. The interview with The New Yorker magazine hit newsstands Monday.

Ads by Adblade

Mr. Obama told author Jeffrey Toobin that racial preferences should be allowed to continue “if the University of Michigan or California decides that there is a value in making sure that folks with different experiences in a classroom will enhance the educational experience of the students, and they do it in a careful way.”

The president added, “most of the time the law’s principal job should be as a shield against discrimination, as opposed to a sword to advance a social agenda, because the law is a blunt instrument in these situations.”

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/oct/20/obama-no-rush-end-affirmative-action/#ixzz3HCICbl7Z 

Obama on Affirmative Action in Higher Ed

In an interview in The New Yorker, President Obama expressed support for affirmative action in higher education, and questioned how precisely a Supreme Court deadline for phasing out the consideration of race should be viewed. The article looks broadly at President Obama's influence on the federal court system, and touches on affirmative action toward the end of the piece. In a landmark Supreme Court decision upholding the right of public colleges to, under certain circumstances, consider race in admissions, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor suggested that they should no longer be needed in 25 years. Justice O'Connor, since retired from the court, wrote the decision in 2003. Asked about that deadline, Obama told the magazine that Justice O’Connor would “be the first one to acknowledge that 25 years was sort of a ballpark figure in her mind.”

Please read more here

Postal Workers Take on Harvard President

Criticism of Harvard University is coming from an unusual quarter: postal workers.

The American Postal Workers Union is calling for President Drew Gilpin Faust to resign her seat on office supply store Staples’ board of directors if she won’t criticize the company.

The attack on Faust, who usually makes news only when she wants to, is an unlikely extension of the union’s fight with the United States Postal Service. But Faust is apparently the first sitting Harvard president to serve on a corporate board.

In particular, the union has rallied around the idea that the postal service is trying to outsource some of its jobs because of a deal it struck last year with Staples to offer mail service in the company’s stores.

Under the deal, which has since been scaled back amid union pressure, Staples employees – not unionized postal workers – would be handling the letters and packages.

Please read more here

Response to Schuyler's Post on OFCCP NPRM on Equal Pay

 

 

 

Data to accomplish this objective also could be gathered in a third way, not mentioned in your post but raised by several commenters who responded to the 2011 Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.  The OFCCP has an existing database of compensation information submitted by contractors who have been audited.  This database should cover most if not all of the universe of industries over which the agency has jurisdiction.  Audit data has several advantages over any information the OFCCP could reasonably hope to collect in an annual Equal Pay Report.  Audit compensation information is annualized, allowing comparisons on a one-to-one basis.  The information also is organized in accordance with classifications determined by contractors to be most appropriate.  Going forward under the new scheduling letter, the OFCCP will have even more detailed individualized compensation data.  If the objective is to derive industry-wide estimates, this pre-existing data source could surely provide all of the information OFCCP would need to accomplish that end.

 

Your suggestion also raises some interesting parallels to the methods used by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to target employers for inspection.  Some important lessons might be learned from this history.  OSHA has a long track record of selecting industries for “emphasis programs” based on data indicating elevated injury, illness, or fatality rates.  OSHA relies heavily on existing BLS surveys to identify these high-hazard industries, much like the second alternative suggested in your comment.  OSHA, however, also uses a Site-Specific Targeting (SST) program to identify individual workplaces within specific industries that it will inspect.  Data for the SST program come from a separate OSHA Data Initiative (“ODI”) survey.  In contrast to the BLS survey, the ODI collects information on an individual establishment level.  Unlike the proposed OFCCP data collection effort, however, the ODI survey is not sent to every employer under OSHA’s jurisdiction, but rather to a randomly selected sample of employers.  This sample is weighted to increase the selection likelihood for employers from high-hazard industries, aligning nicely with the objectives suggested in your comment.  If the OFCCP feels the need for a means to look beyond aggregated industry data in order to hone in on specific contractors, one wonders if a similar sampling approach might work.

 

                                                                        Dean Sparlin

                                                                        Sparlin Law Office, PLLC

Austrian Conference Explores Global Diversity Issues

SALZBURG, Austria — For the past few years, Kimberly Reyes has been spending a lot of time thinking about disparity, access and equity issues at American colleges and universities. 

Reyes, 33, a third-year Ph.D. student in higher education at the University of Michigan’s Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, was one of more than fifty participants who journeyed to this small European city to take part in the Salzburg Global Seminar “Students at the Margins and the Institutions that Serve Them: A Global Perspective.” 

For Reyes, the weeklong experience of trading ideas with scholars concerned about the plight of disadvantaged students across the world has only strengthened her resolve to want to make a lasting impact with students in the United States.

For more click here http://diverseeducation.com/article/67428/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=bdbf475726244a48977a7e572e064f4b&elqCampaignId=415

Gender Gap in IT Security

Women who rise to the position of chief security information officer are already a rare sight in higher education, but over the next decade and a half, they may become an endangered species.

The 2014 Higher Education Chief Information Security Officer Study, released this week, contains grim news about the future of university IT offices, where men already far outnumber women. Four in every five CISOs who are women are 51 years or older, and two in five plan to retire within the next 10 years.

Read more here https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/10/17/survey-shows-no-signs-improvement-gender-gap-among-cisos

The 'Yes Means Yes' World

When the sexual assault prevention group Culture of Respect attended the Dartmouth Summit on Sexual Assaultin July to promote its forthcoming website, the group went by a different name. The nonprofit passed out business cards and marketing all emblazoned with the phrase “No Means No.”

For the last two decades, that’s been the slogan of choice for sexual assault prevention efforts, and just a few months ago it seemed like a perfect fit for the new organization. But in the weeks leading up to No Means No’s official launch, the organization began having second thoughts.

“The swiftly evolving conversation about defining sexual assault signaled to us that we needed to reframe our name as something more positive,” said Allison Korman, the group’s executive director. “And it’s even possible that ‘No means no’ will be an outdated or irrelevant concept in 10 years. Students may not have even heard of the phrase by then.”

Read more here https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/10/17/colleges-across-country-adopting-affirmative-consent-sexual-assault-policies

OCR issues guidance on Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. §2000(d) et seq, prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. School districts that receive federal funds must not intentionally discriminate on the basis of race, color or national origin, and must not implement facially neutral policies that have the unjustified effect of discriminating against students on these bases.  The United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is charged with enforcing Title VI. 

Read more here http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=452d9cff-3846-41ed-af68-6ef744261eef&utm_source=Lexology+Daily+Newsfeed&utm_medium=HTML+email+-+Body+-+Federal+section&utm_campaign=Lexology+subscriber+daily+feed&utm_content=Lexology+Daily+Newsfeed+2014-10-15&utm_term=

New executive orders and OFCCP rules for federal contractors

Executive Order 11478

On July 21, President Obama issued Executive Order 11478, in relevant part, to prohibit federal contractors and subcontractors (government contractors) from discriminating against their employees based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. Executive Order 11478 amends Executive Order 11246, which already provided protection to employees based on race, color, religion, gender and national origin.

Additionally, the new amendment requires federal contractors to:

1. Take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed and employees are treated during employment without regard to their sexual orientation and gender identity;
2. Amend job advertisements and solicitations for advancement to state that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity; and
3. Revise the nondiscrimination clause in their vendor and supplier subcontracts to ban sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination.

Although the order is effective immediately, the Secretary of Labor has 90 days from the date of the order to issue regulations outlining employers’ obligations under the order. As such, contractors should commence reviewing their policies and contracts in the interim to identify which ones will need to be changed once the final regulations are implemented.

Read more here http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=eebf2516-f329-4117-8117-b94d12ca9a33&utm_source=Lexology+Daily+Newsfeed&utm_medium=HTML+email+-+Body+-+Federal+section&utm_campaign=Lexology+subscriber+daily+feed&utm_content=Lexology+Daily+Newsfeed+2014-10-15&utm_term=

The Proposed NPRM: Providing Incentives to Aspire to an Acceptable Pay Gap

 

 

On August 6, 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a proposal to collect summary data on how federal contractors and subcontractors pay their employees. This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was published in the Federal Register on August 8, and is open for public comment until November 6, 2014.

 

The NPRM proposes the use of compensation provided by federal contractors to establish an “industry standard” for pay gaps between men and women, and minorities and non-minorities, against which each federal contractor will be compared.  But the establishment of an “industry standard” for pay gaps will send the wrong message about disparities in compensation, and this method could ultimately undermine efforts to eliminate pay differentials.

 

First, the “industry standard” could be perceived to be an acceptable pay gap, which would provide a disincentive for employers to close pay gaps which are smaller than the industry standard.  Only those contractors whose pay disparities fall below this level will have the incentive to act, as the ones whose pay differential is above the mean have little risk of being audited.  Thus, a contractor could have a discriminatory pay practice, but if the overall differential is higher than the “industry standard,” they are not likely to be concerned about the consequences.

 

Second, because the established “industry standard” pay gap will reflect approximately half (depending on the level of the disparity) of the contractors falling below par, the level is not one to which we want to be aspiring.  In fact, that will become the new normal, and over time we would find contractors below the line pushing their salaries up, but only to the average of the industry, which is a measure tainted by bad actors.  Granted, over time the pay gap would likely be reduced.  But progressing in this half-life-like manner will never eliminate the paydisparities.

 

I suggest a different approach.  

 

One alternative is to collect all of the compensation information (and I will leave it to my colleagues to comment on how that should be done), aggregate the data by industry (but not necessarily by geography), and determine which industry has the most significant pay gaps.  Then compare the federal contractors in that industry to the “industry standard,” and focus on everyone “below the line.”  This approach differs than what is proposed in several respects.

 

First, the emphasis here is on transforming compensation in an industry – not just individual contractors.  The only reason contractors “below the line” are targeted is to better focus OFCCP’s limited resources.  

 

Second, the “industry standard” measure itself should be kept confidential.  This encourages all federal contractors in the industry to evaluate their own compensation system, regardless of where they stand in relation to the industry standard.  We don’t want to provide disincentives for correcting pay disparitiesthat are above the line.

 

Another alternative is to use data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine which industry to target.  BLS uses a sophisticated sampling methodology to analyze pay in various industries, and this method has been tested over time to provide results upon which we have come to rely.  Once the industries were identified, OFCCP could request the compensation data for federal contractors in those specific industries.  Then the data could be triaged to determine which companies would be subject to audit.

 

This method would also lessen the burden on federal contractors, as it would only require summary compensation data from the federal contractors in the targeted industries.  Further, it would use limited OFCCP resources, as there would be no need to compile the data to establish “industry standard” pay gaps.  Finally, because the BLS data is already accessible, the process could begin sooner, putting a reduction in the pay gap between men and women, and minorities and non-minorities, on a faster pace.

 

By Marilynn Schuyler

Schuyler Affirmative Action Practice

Despite Tech Degree, Minorities Not Hired

Top universities turn out black and Hispanic computer science and computer engineering graduates at twice the rate that leading technology companies hire them, a USA TODAY analysis shows.

Technology companies blame the pool of job applicants for the severe shortage of blacks and Hispanics in Silicon Valley.

But these findings show that claim "does not hold water," said Darrick Hamilton, professor of economics and urban policy at The New School in New York.

Please read more here http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2014/10/13/despite_tech_degree_minorities_not_hired.htm?utm_source=hb_weekly_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=HBI+Newsletter&utm_campaign=e7488fb051-HBWeekly10_14_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2cd7b11072-e7488fb051-162201605

Pease, Campbell: Why women don't get raises

(CNN) - In American business great CEOs embody their companies. They persuasively connect their companies' brands to the emotions, desires, aspirations and, yes, the fears and challenges of consumers -- men and women alike. Jack Welch of General Electric, Roger Enrico of PepsiCo, Howard Schultz of Starbucks, Steve Jobs of Apple all come to mind.

A great CEO is a company's No. 1 salesperson.

Yet Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has showed himself as just the opposite, last week whipping up the justified anger of women in the workforce with advice that they should wait patiently for pay raises.

Please read more here http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/14/opinion/pease-campell-nadella-women-karma/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

VETS NEWS RELEASE

News Release

VETS News Release: [09/26/2014]
Contact Name: Egan Reich
Phone Number: (202) 693-4960
Email: reich.egan@dol.gov
Release Number: 14-1802-NAT

New rule streamlines reporting requirements 

on veterans' employment and hiring for federal contractors

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor published a final rule that reduces reporting requirements for federal contractors and subcontractors who hire and employ veterans under provisions of the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974. 

"Over the next decade, this change will result in a significant reduction in paperwork burden for federal contractors and subcontractors," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training Keith Kelly. "In addition to easing the burden on contractors, the data collected by these reports will help the Labor Department develop more informative yearly trends in the employment of protected veterans."

The final rule revises the VETS-100A Report and renames it the VETS-4212 Report. The VETS-100 Report will no longer be used. The VETS-4212 Report requires contractors to report specified information on protected veterans in their workforce in the aggregate, rather than for each category of veterans protected under the statute, reducing the required reporting elements by almost half, from 82 to 42. Under VEVRAA, the term "protected veterans" includes: disabled veterans, veterans who served on active duty during a war or campaign for which a campaign badge was authorized, veterans who were awarded an Armed Forces Service Medal and recently separated veterans. 

Under this final rule, the department will receive valuable information on the number of protected veterans employed by federal contractors and the job categories in which they work. We estimate that this rule will ultimately result in substantial savings for contractors — approximately $18.2 million over a 10-year period. The final rule was published in the Federal Register, and it is available at https://federalregister.gov/a/2014-22818.

The Veterans' Employment and Training Service serves America's veterans and separating service members by preparing them for meaningful careers, providing employment resources and expertise and protecting their employment rights. 

http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/vets/VETS20141802.htm

Last Assault on Civil Rights

Last Thursday the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments in the case of Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project. The case concerns the “disparate impact” rule, a legal guideline embedded in the 1968 Fair Housing Act that says discrimination doesn’t have to be intentional to be discrimination. This rule has been at the bedrock of fair-housing enforcement for more than four decades.

Please read more here http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/10/the_supreme_court_s_next_attack_on_civil_rights_the_justices_will_likely.html

“She rattles the institution”: How Sonia Sotomayor is transforming the Supreme Court

Keeping in mind that most of us are still a bit fuzzy on the whole three branches of government thing, it shouldn’t be a surprise to find that Justice Sonia Sotomayor, despite being the first Latina member in the high court’s history, remains something of a mystery to most Americans. The fact that the Supreme Court is infamously tight-lipped and secretive — so much so that we often only find out the real story behind historic cases decades after they’ve occurred — certainly doesn’t help.

But while many Americans may still not have much of a feel for Justice Sotomayor, journalist and author Joan Biskupic’s new biography, “Breaking In: The Rise of Sonia Sotomayor and the Politics of Justice,” makes a persuasive case that the Court’s first Latina is already having great influence over the legal questions that, whether they know it or not, influence all Americans’ lives. And she’s doing it, in part, by shaking up one of the most staid and conservative institutions in the world.

Please read more here http://www.salon.com/2014/10/09/she_rattles_the_institution_how_sonia_sotomayor_is_transforming_the_supreme_court/

Publishers of Texas textbooks respond to complaints on Clinton, Bush, more

AUSTIN — A biographical sketch of Hillary Rodham Clinton has been removed. Negative references to former President George W. Bush have been changed.

Those were among among hundreds of alleged errors cited by critics who testified at an all-day State Board of Education hearing last month on new social studies textbooks and e-books for Texas public schools.

Now, the publishers have responded. In many cases, they refused to make changes requested by special interest groups or private citizens. But in some, they agreed to modify or eliminate offending language or paragraphs before the board gives the books final consideration in November. The books will be sent to schools in the fall of 2015.

Please read more here http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20141008-textbook-publishers-respond-to-complaints-on-clinton-bush-more.ece

Right to Know Why Not

Some 28 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, $1.4 million in research funding and strong evaluations along the way – but still no tenure. The only thing more disturbing to Dylan Kesler, an assistant professor of wildlife sciences at the University of Missouri at Columbia, than his failed bid this summer is that he still hasn’t been told why. Kesler thinks he’s being retaliated against for blowing the whistle on alleged misuses of federal research funds in his department. But he says can’t confirm that or appeal the university’s decision without a formal reason for his denial.

Please read more here https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/10/09/should-professors-be-told-why-they-were-denied-tenure

Suit Says College Allows Alleged Rapist to Withdraw

Virginia Wesleyan College allowed a student accused of sexual assault to voluntarily withdraw from the institution so that he could attend college elsewhere, the Virginian-Pilot reported. The student was originally dismissed after the college found him to have sexually assaulted another student, but the college later decided to allow him to withdraw instead, which "may assist him in seeking further studies," according to a letter written by the college's vice president that was included in a lawsuit filed by the victim. The woman, who said she was raped for five hours in 2012, is suing the university for $10 million.

Please read more here https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2014/10/09/suit-says-college-allows-alleged-rapist-withdraw

Whites think discrimination against whites is a bigger problem than bias against blacks

Nearly two decades ago, when retired football star O.J. Simpson was acquitted of the murder of his white wife and her friend, a sobering reality of the nation’s racial divide was laid bare: blacks and whites often look at the same set of facts and see different truths. Surveys found that the vast majority of African Americans agreed with the O.J. verdict; most whites did not. The ongoing reaction to the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Mo. two months ago, makes clear that the divide continues.

Read more here http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/10/08/white-people-think-racial-discrimination-in-america-is-basically-over/

American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity Announces Appointment of William B. Harvey, Ph.D. as Distinguished Scholar

The American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity (AAAED), an association of equal employment opportunity (EEO), diversity and affirmative action professionals, announced the appointment of William B. Harvey as AAAED Distinguished Scholar. In the position of Distinguished Scholar, Dr. Harvey will provide advice and guidance on issues involving diversity, inclusion, equal opportunity and related social justice issues affecting education, business and industry, government and the non-profit sectors.

"We are delighted to have such an outstanding leader and educator to join our association as Distinguished Scholar," said AAAED President Marshall Rose. Founded in 1974 as the American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA), AAAED is a national not-for-profit association of professionals working in the areas of compliance and diversity. AAAED has 40 years of leadership in providing professional training to members, enabling them to be more successful and productive in their careers. It also promotes understanding and advocacy of affirmative action and other equal opportunity and related compliance laws and regulations to enhance the diversity tenets of access, inclusion and equality in employment, economic and educational opportunities.

William B. Harvey brings four decades of experience in the academic and non-profit sectors. A distinguished researcher and administrator, Harvey's scholarly activity has been focused on the cultural and social factors that affect underserved populations, with particular emphasis on college and university settings. His extensive list of publications includes books, book chapters, refereed journal articles and professional and technical reviews. Among his recent scholarly contributions are: "Chief Diversity Officers and the Wonderful World of Academe", in the June 2014 issue of the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education; a commissioned paper for the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University entitled, Higher Education and Diversity: Ethical and Practical Responsibility in the Academy; and two co-edited volumes, Footprints to Success in the Academy, and Perspectives on Change in the American System of Higher Education, which were published in both English and Chinese by the Ocean University Press of China. Harvey serves as an Executive Editor of the Negro Education Review; Associate Editor of the Journal of Multicultural Learning and Teaching; and as an editorial board member for the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education; the Journal of the Professoriate; and Effective Practices for Academic Leaders.

For more click here

Study reveals Millennials oppose affirmative action

Millennials may frequently take more liberal stances on issues than their parents, but when it comes to affirmative action, this may not always be the case.

A survey conducted by MTV asked 3,000 Millennials ages 14 to 24 their thoughts on race-related issues, including affirmative action for college acceptance, in May. And what it found was seemingly paradoxical: 90 percent of Millennials surveyed “believe that everyone should be treated the same regardless of race,” yet 88 percent opposed affirmative action.

Thomas Greneker, a senior University of Georgia biology major from Valdosta, said it’s a “tricky debate” because diversity is so important. However, he said he does not think affirmative action is the fairest route to take when creating a diverse community.

“It’s not an equal approach in a push for equality,” Greneker said.

As a minority student, freshman pre-business major Emily Thompson from Augusta said sometimes minorities are left out of opportunities because of the color of their skin. However, she does not agree that race should be a determining factor for application processes.

“Diversity is important, but I don’t think that you should let people in specifically because of their race,” Thompson said.

For more please click here

Standards for a Diversity Leader

Assistant provost for diversity. Assistant to the president for institutional diversity and equity. Vice president for inclusion and multicultural engagement. Whatever institutions choose to call them, chief diversity officers are one of the fastest-growing administrative positions. Charged with promoting diversity among faculty and staff in a less compliance-based manner than their equal opportunity counterparts, many of these officers are the first to hold such positions at their colleges and universities -- or are the first to hold such positions as they have been elevated in the college hierarchy.

So while lots of chief diversity officers are highly qualified, the pioneering nature of their work has made for some inconsistency in their backgrounds and how they do the job. But it’s something the profession is working to address, including through forthcoming standards about what makes an effective chief diversity officer.

“We have seen announcements of selections for chief diversity officers in which we’ve failed to see any connection to or background in diversity or equal opportunity,” said Shirley Wilcher, executive director of the American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity (formerly the American Association for Affirmative Action). “If they’re there to simply put a face on one’s diversity policy, then I guess it doesn’t matter what one’s field is."

For more click here

SAPS needs affirmative action

For millions of South Africans affirmative action means a long overdue chance to come into their own and start enjoying the good things the country has to offer. For others, particularly those leading comfortable lives today, it signifies a new form of discrimination and injustice, a vengeful form of juggling around with race quotas so as to threaten their livelihoods and security. 

We see this as a false choice. If well handled, affirmative action will help bind the nation together and produce benefits for everyone. If badly managed, it will simply redistribute resentment, damage the economy and destroy social peace. If not undertaken at all, the country will remain backward and divided at its heart.

 For more click here http://www.iol.co.za/the-star/saps-needs-affirmative-action-1.1759855#.VC81fqb3bCQ

Friction on 'Morning Joe' Over Whether Pierson Was Affirmative Action Hire Sends Geist Smirking at Mika

Imus would call it a "tension convention." There was palpable friction among members of the Morning Joe team today on the question of whether Secret Service Director Julia Pierson was an affirmative action hire. By the end, the almost unfailingly affable Willie Geist was smirking in frustration at Mika Brzezinski. - See more at: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2014/10/01/friction-morning-joe-over-whether-pierson-was-affirmative-action#sthash.EcZMiHpN.dpuf

Federal Affirmative Action Guidelines for Construction Haven't Been Updated in 30 Years

  While sometimes it seems like our political system is broken, the corruption that mires Capitol Hill is nothing compared to the disrepair and erosion that plagues the roads and railways of the communities that Congress is supposed to be representing. The White House recently enacted a stop-gap funding measure for short-term infrastructure spending. Now, as pressure mounts on Congress to pass a full-scale infrastructure bill, activists see a turning point, too. The Transportation Equity Network is demanding that the potential infrastructure jobs in the pipeline are not only good jobs but also targeted toward the communities that most need them.

Read more at http://m.thenation.com/blog/181791-federal-affirmative-action-guidelines-construction-havent-been-updated-30-years