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3. Discriminatory Acts

It is illegal to discriminate in any aspect of employment or education, such as:
  • hiring and firing;
  • compensation, assignment, or classification of employees;
  • transfer, promotion, layoff, or recall;
  • job advertisements;
  • recruitment;
  • testing;
  • grading;
  • acceptance or participation in an academic program or school activity;
  • use of employer's facilities;
  • training programs;
  • fringe benefits;
  • pay, retirement plans, and disability accommodations or leave; or
  • other terms and conditions of employment.
Determining what constitutes discrimination under this policy will accomplished on a case-by-case basis and depends upon the specific facts and the context in which the conduct occurs. Some conduct may be inappropriate, unprofessional, and/or subject to disciplinary action, but would not fall under the definition of discrimination. The specific action taken, if any, in a particular instance depends on the nature and gravity of the conduct reported, and may include non-discrimination related disciplinary processes.

Discriminatory acts also include:
  • discrimination on the basis of a person's age, disability ( including service connected disabilities), gender (including pregnancy related conditions), military status or military obligations, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, race, or religion;
  • retaliation against an individual for filing a charge of discrimination, participating in an investigation, or opposing discriminatory acts;
  • employment or education decisions based on stereotypes or assumptions about the abilities, traits or performance of individuals of a certain age, disability (including service-connected disabilities), gender (including pregnancy related condition), military status or military obligations, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, race, or religion; and
  • severe, persistent or pervasive conduct that has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual's academic or work performance, or of creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment in which to work or learn.
This behavior is unacceptable in the work place and the academic environment. Even one incident, if it is sufficiently serious, may constitute discrimination. One incident, however, does not necessarily constitute discrimination.