SECTION:kansas

ESU Faculty Senate approves new nondiscrimination policy

New policy would make discrimination based on sexual orientation separate from EEO complaints.

Special to The Capital-Journal EMPORIA -- A nondiscrimination policy recommended by a values task force was approved unanimously Tuesday by the Emporia State University Faculty Senate. The new nondiscrimination policy would consider the sexual orientation issue separate from the university's Equal Employment Opportunity policy. ESU classified assembly adopted a similar policy a few weeks ago. This legislation was a response to ESU President Kay Schallenkamp's removal of sexual orientation from the university's EEO policy last fall and her recommendation to the campus governments to create a nondiscrimination policy that includes sexual orientation. The nondiscrimination policy states that ESU "does not tolerate discrimination based on race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, gender, parental status, marital status, status as a veteran, disability status, age, or sexual orientation in any of its programs, educational opportunities, employment, or activities." It provides for submission of discrimination complaints to the vice president for student affairs or the affirmative action officer. Judith Calhoun, faculty senate president, said the policy adoption was stated in a way that placed the university in the least amount of jeopardy and in a more complete way than is legally required. "We wanted a a better statement on nondiscrimination," Calhoun said. "In the nondiscrimination policy, we included things not included in the EEO policy." Tuesday's action by the Faculty Senate varied from Associated Student Government action March 12. That action made the nondiscrimination policy and EEO policy one and the same. "To separate the EEO policy and the nondiscrimination policy is not enough," said student Sen. Rob Gilligan, an originator of the student government bill. "We should hold ourselves to a higher standard than that." However, John Schwenn, vice president for academic affairs, said the EEO policy and the nondiscrimination policy can't be the same policy because the state EEO office can't do anything about sexual orientation discrimination or any other discrimination not banned by state or federal laws. With a nondiscrimination policy separate from the EEO policy, ESU is able to handle sexual orientation discrimination on its own, Schwenn said. Gilligan said the laws don't have to affect how ESU writes its EEO policy and ESU can choose to go above and beyond the laws if it wants to. Schallenkamp will decide whether ESU's nondiscrimination policy will be separate from the EEO policy. She declined comment on the nondiscrimination policy legislation because she hasn't reviewed all of it.

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