Adopted by President’s Cabinet 12/20/17
Revisions Adopted by President’s Cabinet 9/25/18; 1/7/25
Affirmative Action Policy
This policy ensures fair treatment of all employees and applicants as well as compliance with related laws.
Equal Employment Opportunity: Equal opportunity and decisions based on merit are fundamental values of East Georgia State College and the University System of Georgia (USG). EGSC prohibits discrimination on the basis of an individual’s age, color, disability, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or veteran status (“protected status”). No individual shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise subjected to unlawful discrimination, harassment, or retaliation under, any EGSC program or activity because of the individual’s protected status; nor shall any individual be given preferential treatment because of the individual’s protected status, except that preferential treatment may be given on the basis of veteran status when appropriate under federal or state law.
All employment processes and decisions, including but not limited to hiring, promotion, and tenure, shall be free of ideological tests, affirmations, and oaths, including diversity statements. The basis and determining factor for all such decisions should be that the individual possesses the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the role, and is believed to have the ability to successfully perform the essential functions, responsibilities, and duties associated with the position for which the individual is being considered. At the core of any such decision is ensuring EGSC's ability to achieve its mission and strategic priorities in support of student success.
Responsibility for ensuring compliance and continued affirmative implementation of the policy is assigned to the Chief Human Resources Officer, who is the Affirmative Action Officer for the College. A copy of the East Georgia State College Affirmative Action Plan is available for inspection in the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer and the College Library between the hours of 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding official college holidays.
Affirmative Action Plan
An Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) is an annual report containing information and analysis of the college’s workforce by race, gender, and job group. This includes an analysis of current qualified college employees for each job group. The college’s workforce data is compared with the demographics of qualified and available individuals in the relevant local and regional labor pool. If protected individuals (women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, veterans) are underutilized in a given job group at EGSC, placement goals are established. The AAP’s narrative contains this information as well as the college’s efforts to remedy the inequities and remove barriers for the underutilized groups.
The college must make a good-faith effort to address underutilization by completing the following steps:
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- Identify and remove barriers that negatively affect underutilized groups;
- Support inclusion through respect and equal dignity of all persons;
- Review recruitment strategies to ensure focused outreach;
- Ensure equal representation in all applicant pools for all job groups and at all levels in the college and
- Put forth retention efforts and provide professional development opportunities for underutilized groups equal to the efforts and opportunities afforded others in the workforce.
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The college must be able to show that it has taken vigorous, active, measurable steps to ensure that qualified women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and covered veterans are included in applicant pools and be able to objectively demonstrate that the selection process was fair and consistent.
The Office of Human Resources works with unit heads and search committees to relay the affirmative action policy, underutilization in job groups, recruitment strategies, and professional development opportunities.
Affirmative action does not allow the use of quotas. All employment decisions must be based on merit as determined by an applicant’s qualifications.
The annual Affirmative Action Plan and recommendations are shared with and approved by the President’s Cabinet. All employees are required to participate in annual Affirmative Action Policy and Plan training.
