Policies & Guidance
Policies & Guidance
POL-U1600.01 - Requesting an Exception to the Normal Competitive Search Process (Requesting an Appointment of Opportunity)
This policy applies when seeking an exception to the general requirement for open, competitive searches. Non-competitive appointments may only be made under narrowly defined, limited and specific circumstances. Appointment options vary, depending on employment category. This policy outlines the ability to make an appointment request, and does not constitute a promise, real or implied, of employment at Western Washington University.
POL-U1600.02 - Prohibiting Discrimination Based on A Protected Class (Interim)
Western Washington University (WWU) is committed to providing equal opportunities and prohibiting discrimination in employment and education based on race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, citizenship or immigration status, pregnancy, use of protective leave, genetic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, creed, religion, veteran or military status, disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability.
POL-U1600.03 - Accommodating Persons with Disabilities Policy
WWU provides reasonable accommodations to the known physical or mental disabilities of otherwise qualified individuals, including employees, students and the public, except when such accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the institution. The Executive Director of the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance is WWU’s ADA Coordinator. The Assistant Vice President of Human Resources is responsible for employee accommodations. The Director of the Disability Access Center is responsible for student accommodations.
POL-U1600.04 - Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Sex (Interim)
WWU provides a positive learning and working environment for students and employees and will not tolerate sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, gender-based harassment, and sexual violence. Sexual violence includes sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking. WWU employees are required to complete trainings about preventing and responding to sexual harassment and sexual violence provided by the CRTC. The Director and Title IX Coordinator is Daniel Records-Galbraith.
POL-U1600.05 - Ensuring Equal Opportunity
WWU is committed to ensuring equal employment opportunity, in compliance with applicable federal and state civil rights laws, and University policy. WWU develops and implements equal employment opportunity programs, including for individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.
The purpose of this policy is to promote professionalism in supervisor-supervisee relationships, which require an environment of mutual trust and respect; clarify that consensual personal relationships between supervisors and supervisees that are intimate (emotionally or physically) or romantic or sexual in nature are in violation of this policy; and recognize that the voluntariness of a supervisee’s consent may be questionable due to the power differential that exists between supervisors and supervisees and may result in claims of sexual harassment. Employees are referred to Policy U5410.01 Employing Family Members and Significant Others for guidance if you are in a family or significant other relationship with a supervisor or supervisee.
POL-U1600.07 - Ensuring Accessible Information Technology Policy
WWU is committed to ensuring all covered technology is accessible as well as providing full access to all its programs and activities. The University also seeks to provide an environment in which every individual has an opportunity to learn, work, and contribute; and where full inclusion and respect for all individuals encourages creativity and productivity.
In order to maintain equal opportunities for all individuals, the goal of this policy is to achieve accessibility as a proactive need, rather than a reactive response. While timely accommodation is required whenever accessibility is not achieved, an accommodation-only strategy is insufficient to ensure equal access to all individuals.
Section 8: Consensual Intimate Personal Relationships Between Faculty and Students
Intimate personal relationships between faculty members and students currently in the faculty member’s class or under that individual’s supervision are prohibited and considered a violation of the Code of Ethics, since the faculty member has professional responsibility for the student. Intimate personal relationships between faculty members and students occurring outside the instructional and supervisory context may also lead to difficulties, particularly when the faculty member and student are in the same academic unit or in units that are academically allied. In such situations, the faculty member may face serious conflicts of interest and should be careful to maintain distance from any decisions that may reward or penalize the student involved.
Technical Assistance Memorandum
Compliance Guidance
ADA/504 - Disability Accessibility Guidance
Accessibility for Event Organizers
All WWU sponsored events and events that take place on campus, including camps, must be accessible in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504). All WWU units and event organizers should be familiar with and conform events to these guidelines. Questions about these guidelines, related policies, or event specific concerns may be directed to your supervisor, the ADA Coordinator, or WWU Civil Rights & Title IX Compliance (CRTC). Please include as much information regarding the request/question as possible, including contact information for all principal parties. Complex questions may require additional time for a thorough response; please plan accordingly.
Responsibility for Making Events Accessible
Ensuring that all WWU programs and activities are accessible to those who wish to attend requires coordination across campuses and departments; however, primary responsibility for accessibility falls on the event organizer. Event organizers must make a good faith effort to accommodate all persons with disabilities. Event organizers are encouraged to proactively include (e.g. transcripts or closed captioning for public speakers/videos/audio, FM amplification systems, accessible seating, etc) in their events and are required to provide reasonable accommodations when requests are received. Organizers may wish to consult with their supervisors and CRTC and/or the WWU ADA Coordinator to ensure they comply with legal obligations.
In addition to these requirements, for larger events (such as sporting events, commencement, or graduation), event organizers should make every effort to proactively make the event accessible even without a request for accommodation. This may include:
- Clearly marking accessible parking, entrances, restrooms, seating, and routes of travel with signage and, if necessary, in printed materials;
- Providing sign language interpreters or real-time captioning;
- Ensuring that all electronic communications are compatible with assistive technology; and
- If food is provided, ensuring that there are alternative options for common disability related dietary restrictions.
Cost of Accommodations
Accessibility costs are part of the overall expense of an event and should be anticipated as a potential budget item when planning for an event. Many accommodations can be made at little or no cost, such as choosing an already accessible location; however, some accommodations will incur a cost, such as sign language interpreting services. Event organizers should discuss alternative funding sources with their supervisor if the cost of a requested accommodation exceeds the event’s budget allowance. Before denying any request for accommodation, event organizers must consult with their advisor/supervisor and CRTC or the WWU ADA Coordinator.
Event Communication and Advertising
All WWU units are responsible for ensuring that their publications, including advertisements, are accessible (see also Guidelines for Accessible Communication and Advertising).
- All publications and advertisements should include a statement describing how to request accessibility accommodations or alternative format publications. For example:
Title of Statement
Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made by {date} to {contact person, phone number, and email address}. Requests made after {date} are not guaranteed implementation.
Event organizers should consider setting the date in the above sample language to allow for a reasonable period of time to implement a reasonable accommodation, such as ten to fourteen days prior to the event. For events that are open to the public or which are located outside of WWU facilities, event organizers may require additional time to implement an accommodation, and are therefore encouraged to set a deadline that is reasonable for that event.
- Advertisements and communications should specify whether or not generally applicable accommodations have been pre-arranged, such as:
- FM amplification systems available
- Real-time captioning will be provided on screen at the event as well as online at ____________________________________
- Disability parking and wheelchair access information
- Transcripts available
If the above information has been standardized for an event or an event location, information on how to access the standard accessibility information should be included in the advertisement or communication.
- If an event includes a registration form, consider including a checklist of frequently requested accommodations:
Please indicate if you require any of the following accommodations during this event:
___Wheelchair accessibility
___Dietary restrictions (please specify) ____________________________________
___Electrical power source for charging batteries for assistive devices
(specify voltage) ____________________________________
___Assistive devices (please specify) ____________________________________
___Sign language interpreter
___Real-time captioning
___Pre-recorded materials
___Electronic copies of printed material
___Sighted guides for assistance to and from specific sessions
___Large print
___Braille
___Other (please specify) ____________________________________
Accessibility Considerations for all Events
In planning for an event of any size or audience, the following items are important to keep in mind in determining the location for the event as well as what proactive accessibility measures and accommodations may reasonably be anticipated.
Physical Accessibility
- Parking
- Entrances
- Seating
- Restrooms
- Path of Travel
- Podium/Stage
Assistive Technology and Services
- Screen Readers
- Zoom Text
- FM Amplification systems
- Pre-Recorded Materials
- Electronic copies of print materials
- Sign Language Interpreters
- Pre-captioned or Real-time captioning
Other
- Dietary Restrictions
- Lodging
- Transportation
- Service Animals
Contractors
If an event requires the use of external contractors, the event organizer must exercise due diligence and investigate whether use of external contractors will meet ADA requirements. Event organizers are encouraged to ensure, by contract language, that any contractors providing programs or services on behalf of the department do so in a manner that complies with ADA requirements (see also Contracts and Purchasing).
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Title IX - Sex Based Discrimination Guidance
Title VI - Race, Color, and National Origin Based Discrimination
Coming Soon.
EEO/AA - Equal Employment Opportunity Guidance
Updates to PDF Documents
Western Washington University is in the process of updating PDF documents for accessibility. If you would like the policies or procedures in an alternate format, please contact crtc@wwu.edu, (360) 650-3307 (phone), or 711 (relay).