Policy Summaries

Requesting an Appointment of Opportunity Policy

An Appointment of Opportunity is a process to request a waiver of normal search requirements (e.g., a competitive search process) under limited and specific conditions, including: dual career assistance. Please contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance with any questions. Relevant procedures are listed below:

• Requesting a Dual Career Assistance (DCA) Appointment of Opportunity (PRO-U1600.01A)
• Requesting an Exceptional Merit (EM) Appointment of Opportunity (PRO-U1600.01B)
• Requesting a Temporary (Professional Staff) or Sponsored Program Appointment of Opportunity (Professional Staff) (PRO-U1600.01C)
• Requesting a Critical Need Appointment (PRO-U1600.01D)
• Requesting Faculty Diversity Initiative (FDI) or Staff Diversity Initiative (SDI) Appointment of Opportunity with Bridge Funding (PRO-U1600.01E)
• Requesting Faculty Diversity Initiative (FDI) or Staff Diversity Initiative (SDI) Appointment of Opportunity without Bridge Funding (PRO-U1600.01F)

Ensuring Equal Opportunity and Prohibiting Discrimination and Retaliation Policy

Western Washington University (WWU) is committed to providing equal opportunities and prohibiting discrimination in employment and education based on race, color, religion, creed, national origin, sex (including pregnancy and parenting status), disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, and genetic information.

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.

Preventing and Responding to Sex Discrimination, Including Sexual Misconduct Policy

• Attachment to POL-U1600.04. Support Services and Reporting Options for People Who Experience Sexual Misconduct

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 interim Executive Director and Title IX Coordinator is Dr. Melynda Huskey.

Implementing Affirmative Action Program Policy

As a federal contractor, WWU develops and implements Affirmative Action Programs (AAP) for people of color, women, people with disabilities, and protected veterans.  The AAP identifies the number of women, people of color, people with disabilities and veterans in all job groups on campus, and outlines WWU’s good faith efforts to increase the representation of women, people of color, people with disabilities and veterans employed at WWU.

Prohibiting Consensual Intimate Personal Relationships between Supervisors and Supervisees Policy

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.

Discrimination Complaint Procedure

Faculty, staff and students who believe they have been the subject of discrimination or harassment based on race, color, religion, creed, national origin, sex (including pregnancy and parenting status), disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, or genetic information may file a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. Resolution may involve informal mediation and/or formal investigation. Federal and state laws, as well as university policy, prohibit retaliating against an individual for making a complaint or participating in an investigation. Sexual violence is a form of sex discrimination, and survivors of sexual violence may file a complaint under this discrimination complaint procedure.

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.