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Affirmative Action

Affirmative Action

The University of California, Riverside is a federal contractor and complies with all affirmative action regulations enforced by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. The purpose of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs is to enforce, for the benefit of job seekers and wage earners, the contractual promise of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity required of those who do business with the Federal government. As such, we take affirmative action to recruit and advance qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities and covered veterans.

UCR's Office of Title IX/Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action is responsible for ensuring compliance with affirmative action regulations. We do this through:

  • the creation of annual affirmative action plans;
  • the creation and monitoring of policies and guidelines;
  • promotion of equal opportunity programs and policies, including complaint resolution processes;
  • internal review of personnel actions (hiring, promotions, separations, compensation); and
  • training and consultation.

A copy of our staff and/or faculty affirmative action plan is available to view in our offices 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Monday – Friday. Please call (951) 827-7070 or email us at affirmativeaction@ucr.edu to schedule an appointment.

AA Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is Affirmative Action?

    Affirmative action are the policies, practices and procedures that the University implements to ensure that all qualified applicants and employees are receiving an equal opportunity for recruitment, selection, advancement and every other term and privilege associated with employment.

  • What is an Affirmative Action Plan?

    Affirmative action programs are all the initiatives, policies, processes, and activities that the campus engages in to promote equal employment opportunity and diversity relating to women, minorities, people with disabilities, and certain veterans.  An affirmative action plan is a document produced every year that summarizes the affirmative action program.  The plans also  contain a diagnostic component--a number of quantitative analyses designed to evaluate the composition of the University’s workforce and compare it to the composition of the relevant labor pools, and to identify any problem areas, particularly hiring, promotions, or terminations disproportionately impacting women, minorities, people with disabilities, or veterans. Affirmative action plans are used by management in their efforts to increase diversity.  

  • Why does the University have to develop and implement an Affirmative Action Program?

    As a federal contractor, the University of California, Riverside is responsible for complying with Executive Order 1126, as amended, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 38 USC 4212 - Vietnam Era Readjustment Assistance Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act which require the University to develop and implement Affirmative Action Programs.

  • Doesn't Proposition 209, also known as the California Civil Rights Initiative or CCRI, prohibit affirmative action; why then is the University required to implement Affirmative Action Programs?

    Proposition 209, passed by California voters in November 1996, amended the California Constitution by prohibiting preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.

    Proposition 209 does not conflict with the affirmative action regulations contained in 41 Code of Federal Regulations Chapter 60. The regulations prohibit the University from extending a preference or preferential treatment to any individual, select an individual, or adversely affect an individual's employment status, on the basis of that person's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.

  • As a manager and supervisor, what are my responsibilities to comply with the University's affirmative action policies?

    The University’s managers and supervisors are responsible for maintaining a hospitable work environment free from discrimination, harassment and retaliation. They are responsible for reviewing all personnel activities for potential differential impacts on different groups and unintentional bias in such personnel actions as selection, salary increases, promotion, reclassification, layoff, corrective action, training and termination. They are also responsible for applying policies and standards consistently and having legitimate reasons for all employment decisions.

    Additionally, managers and supervisors who desire to serve on a selection committee must, at a minimum, complete one of the learning activities listed below before serving on the committee for staff recruitment, and two mandatory courses for academic recruitment:

    • Search Advisory and Hiring Committee Best Practices (designed for both academic and staff recruitment)
    • Equal Employment, Affirmative Action & the Hiring Process (required for academic search committee members)
    • Promoting Faculty Diversity Workshop (required for academic search committee members; managed by Academic Personnel Office)
    • Applicant Pool Statistics and Creating Diverse Applicant Pools Module (designed for staff recruitment)
    • Role of AACL on the Search Committee (designed for both academic and staff recruitment)

    For more AP-recruit search committee requirements, please visit the Academic Personnel Office website describing work of Search Committee Members.

     

    For more information about these and other training offerings, please visit the UC Learning Center. 

  • As University employee (faculty or staff), how do I update my race, ethinicty, gender, disability status or veteran status?

    You can update self-identification of gender, race/ethnic group(s), veteran status, and disability status via the UCPath Self Service Portal under the “Personal Information” tab.