Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action FAQs

What are affirmative action and equal employment opportunity, and are they the same thing? The ideas underlying affirmative action and equal employment opportunity are similar with respect to selection, employment, and promotion; however, affirmative action and equal employment opportunity embody different concepts. Equal employment opportunity means that all individuals must be treated equally in the hiring process, in training, and in promotion. Each person has the right to be evaluated as an individual on his or her qualifications without discrimination based on sterotypic conceptions of what members of minority groups or any other protected class are like. Classifications protected under federal and state equal employment opportunity laws are those of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, veteran status, and disability. Affirmative action goes further than equal employment opportunity. It affirms that organizations and individuals in organizations will seek to overcome the effects of past discrimination against groups such as women and minorities, disabled persons, and veterans by making a positive and continuous effort in their recruitment, employment, retention, and promotion. Affirmative action also means that organizations must actively seek to remove any barriers that artificially limit the professional and personal development of individuals who are members of protected classes. Affirmative steps should be taken to attract those qualified women and minorities in the field. These efforts include recruiting, employing, and advancing qualified women, minorities, and people with disabilities who have been or who are excluded from jobs. One way to increase the number of women and minorities in the workplace is through advertising job openings in journals and publications aimed at women and minority audiences. (See Advertising Resources.) An even more effective means of increasing women and minorities is developing a network of women and minorities in the field and contacting them directly about opportunities. Affirmative action applies to all job categories and levels. What are the responsibilities of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity? The Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity reports directly to the President of the University and is charged with the day-to-day implementation of affirmative action policies. The major responsibilities of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity are to educate the University community about affirmative action and equal employment laws, and to ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements. The director and staff members: Participate in the development of University policy statements concerning equal employment opportunity and affirmative action; Participate in establishing unit and department affirmative action goals and objectives; Develop action-oriented programs to attain established goals and objectives; Design and implement auditing and reporting systems to measure the effectiveness of the University's affirmative action program; Monitor the hiring process for Faculty and for Professional & Scientific positions; Participate in the identification of problem areas concerning discrimination and underutilization, and the determination of appropriate solutions and/or corrective action; and Ensure the University employment policies and programs are in compliance with regulations and guidelines of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), the EEOC, the ICRC, and other state and federal agencies.

The Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity also: Assists in developing resources for recruitment of members of protected groups; Provides training and workshops to students, staff, and faculty on sexual harassment, discrimination, diversity in the workforce, disability awareness, overcoming homophobia, and University hiring procedures relating to affirmative action; Collects statistical information related to affirmative action and employment practices at The University of Iowa; Reviews and approves employment procedures of the University to ensure nondiscrimination in the interviewing and placement of employees.

The day-to-day administration of Professional & Scientific and Faculty personnel recruitment and selection is carried out through the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity in coordination with the Associate Vice President for Finance and Operations and director of Human Resources, and the Associate Provost for Faculty, Personnel and Development. Recruitment and selection of Merit System personnel is carried out through Employment Services. All questions regarding procedures and documents for Merit System positions should be addressed to Employment Services, 102 University Services Building. If we concentrate on hiring only women, or only members of specific minority groups, are we satisfying affirmative action responsibilities? The goals of diversity cannot be achieved unless we hire veterans and people with disabilities, as well as women and members of all minority groups. Additionally, hiring women or minorities in positions which do not offer potential for advancement, or tokenism in hiring, is not acceptable. Everyone must be subject to equally applied standards of hiring and promotion or advancement. The same kinds of opportunities must exist for all individuals. Does affirmative action mean that we are applying different standards for white males than for women and minorities? Affirmative action was never meant to encourage the hiring of any candidate who is less than qualified. One standard should be applied to all candidates. Assuming that there is a double standard implies that minorities and women are less qualified, generally, than white males. It is important to note here that the term "best qualified" is subjective. Qualifications are often standardized preferences upon which we rely in making broad categorizations about people. We need to examine why we require the qualifications that we do. Sometimes people are differently qualified to do the job and bring different but equally important assets to the position. Candidates are often described as best qualified based on the number of years since award of their terminal degree. That measure of qualification is often not valid, and also works against women and minorities who are frequently newer in their fields. Sometimes women and minorities have to take different paths to arrive at the same place in their careers. Attention should be given to years of related experience. Qualifications are also sometimes measured by the candidate's degree-granting institution. This emphasis on the "top tier" schools (a very subjective description) also tends to work adversely against women and minorities. By themselves, the number of years of experience or the identity of the degree-granting institution are not always adequate indicators of the potential of a candidate. Emphasis on actual references (versus rumor) and on past duties and responsibilities is more reliable.

It is hard to attract minority candidates to Iowa Citythey would not want to live here. We are counting ourselves out of the game too soon by assuming that minority candidates would not want to live here. We must promote ourselves by informing candidates of the strengths this community has to offer such as a good school system, affordable housing, and diverse cultural activities and events. For example, one way to promote ourselves to minority candidates is to introduce them to other members of the University community who are members of that particular minority group so that they may learn more about the community from a minority perspective. The Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity can assist in this effort. How do we go about introducing candidates and new employees to members of their own cultural minority group? At The University of Iowa there are several constituent councils and cultural centers which are eager to assist in recruitment and retention by hosting candidates when they are being recruited, and in welcoming new hires once they arrive. Departments may inquire of applicants and new hires whether they are interested in meeting other members of their cultural group, and if so, the department can contact the EOD for the name of the appropriate University council or organization. Isn't affirmative action a form of reverse discrimination? No. The concept of affirmative action addresses the fact that discrimination against members of minority groups and women has been a part of our nation's history and continues to exist. Learning to value the contributions of women and minorities requires a change in how we think. It does not mean devaluing the contributions of others. The fact that a candidate is able to serve as a role model for other employees and students and can offer a range of perspectives are also relevant elements in the evaluation and selection process. However, no one should be selected solely because of their membership in any group; similarly, no one should be rejected on that basis. Do we have a quota of women and minorities that the University or its departments must hire? The University and its departments have hiring goals, not quotas. The use of goals is designed to achieve greater inclusion of individuals who were previously excluded or underutilized. Ideally, the percentage of women and minorities working in a department, college or unit at The University of Iowa should be similar to the percentage of women and minorities available for such positions in the relevant labor market. (See definitions of availability and underutilization below.) Affirmative action means reaching out to candidates and treating them with fairness. Quotas, as opposed to goals, have been assigned by courts to force organizations to correct a pattern of discriminatory employment practices. What does "underutilized" mean? To explain "underutilization," you must first understand "availability." A very brief, simple definition of availability is the presence of members of a protected class, such as women or minorities, who are ready, willing, and able to work at a particular occupation. Availability is calculated for all occupational categories at the University, and the degree of availability that exists for women or minorities is used to determine the goals that are set for each occupational category.

When The University of Iowa employs fewer members of a protected class in a particular occupational category than would reasonably be expected based on their availability, we are underutilized for the protected class. For example, if availability calculations show us that we should have 30 women accountants at the University, but we only have 20, we would be underutilized for women accountants by 10 women. For more information on availability and underutilization, see the current Affirmative Action Plan. See also, current Underrepresentation Reports.) What is the Affirmative Action Plan? A written affirmative action plan is required of all federal contractors holding contracts of $50,000 or more and with 50 or more employees. The affirmative action plan is designed to provide ways in which to measure yearly improvements in hiring, training, and promotion of minorities and women in all parts of an organization. The effectiveness of the plan is measured by the results it actually achieves rather than by the results it is intended to achieve. An affirmative action plan is prepared by the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity every year at The University of Iowa and distributed widely on campus. The plan helps us measure our progress and identify the need for different strategies. Isn't it true that once we hire a minority or woman, we cannot ever fire him or her? No. The standards for achievement, job requirements, and job expectations must be equally applied to all individuals. The terms of employment and performance are the same for everyone