The Office of Equal Opportunity is pleased to present the first issue of the OEOD e-news, a quarterly electronic newsletter. In alignment with our responsibility for the University's compliance with federal and state laws and university policies and procedures regarding discrimination, retaliation and sexual harassment, we will provide you with news and information on related topics. OEOD works to promote and integrate the principles of equal opportunity, affirmative action, nondiscrimination, and excellence through diversity at UCI.

Workshops

Shades of Hate: A Hate Crime Series - First Session Well Received!

The Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (OEOD) has collaborated with the Orange County Human Relations Commission (OCHRC) and the UCI Cross-Cultural Center to develop a three-part series on hate crime. The first session, titled "A Closer Look at Hate: On the National and Local Levels," took place on Monday, November 1, 2004 at the Cross-Cultural Center Conference Room. Over 60 people were in attendance to learn about hate crimes and incidents on both the local and national level. Eli Reyna, director of marketing and community relations at the OCHRC, shared statistics on hate crime occurrences in Orange County as well as film clips from Journey to a Hate-Free Millennium that told the story of James Byrd, Jr. and Matthew Sheppard, two victims of hate crimes that received national media attention in the late 90s.

Sessions Still Upcoming!

Scheduled panelists include UCI's Chief of Police Alvin Brown, OCHRC Executive Director Rusty Kennedy, Orange County Deputy District Attorney Paul Chrisopolous, and Deputy Attorney General Gloria Castro from the California Department of Justice.

Addressing Hate in Our Community: Community Responses and Resources
Monday, April 25, 2004, 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Cross-Cultural Center Conference Room

   A panel of UCI and Orange County representatives will address the community impact, responses, and resources regarding hate crimes and incidents that occur in our communities.
-  All of the sessions are free and open to the public.  For more information, please contact Gwendolyn Kuhns Black at (949) 824-5594 or gkuhns@uci.edu.

Diversity in Medicine: Addressing Disparities in Healthcare

The Diversity in Medicine course, co-sponsored by the College of Medicine and the Office of Equal Opportunity & Diversity, provides information to assist healthcare professionals and medical students in maximizing the quality of patient care in a diverse society. Participants learn the customs, values, and behavior patterns of various cultures and how these factors affect health, illness, and the giving and receiving of health care. The course is open to faculty, staff, students, and community members. This course consists of a series of ten lectures, one each week, conducted by various healthcare professionals. All lectures will be held on Wednesdays from 5:00 - 6:50 p.m. at the UCI College of Medicine, Tamkin Building F110..  Go to http://www.eod.uci.edu/training.html for more information on OEOD training programs and resources.

Sexual Harassment Advisor Recruitment

 The Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity is accepting applications from faculty and staff volunteers from the UCI campus and medical center to serve as Sexual Harassment Advisors (SHAs). SHAs provide assistance to individuals with concerns and questions about sexual harassment, information about the UCI Policy on Sexual Harassment and discuss options available for resolution. Training is scheduled for Wednesday, February 23, 10:00 am - noon with update sessions to be scheduled throughout the year.   Current SHAs and those wishing to become an SHA must complete the application at www.sho.uci.edu/.

 UC Updates

Systemwide Policy on Sexual Harassment Activated:

Effective December 14, 2004, the University of California has revised the University of California Policy on Sexual Harassment and the associated Procedures for Responding to Reports of Sexual Harassment. This systemwide policy supersedes the UCI Policy on Sexual Harassment. Revisions to the policy include an updated definition of sexual harassment. The Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity has developed local procedures to implement the systemwide guidelines. The consensual relations policy, which previously was part of the UCI Policy on Sexual Harassment, has been redrafted as a stand-alone document. A copy of the systemwide University of California Policy on Sexual Harassment, can be accessed at www.ucop.edu/ucophome/coordrev/policy/PP121404policy.pdf.

 Interesting New Cases:

Chapel Hill Settles Sexual Harassment Lawsuit

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will pay a former women's soccer player $70,000 and have its women's soccer coach participate in sensitivity-training programs for eight years.  This deal resolves a portion of a federal lawsuit wherein it was alleged that the coach had questioned players about their sex lives and made unwanted sexual advances.

University of Colorado Professor Shown the Door

The University of Colorado Board of Regents has fired a prominent professor for conduct "that falls below the minimum standards of professional integrity."  The professor had been the subject of two decades of rumors and public allegations that he sexually harassed students on the Boulder campus. The regents voted unanimously to terminate the professor after an investigative committee and the president of the university agreed that the professor was "willing to engage in unwanted sexual advances rising to the level of sexual assault toward undergraduate students."

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