Dear Campus Community, The City University of New York (CUNY) has a long-standing commitment to diversity and equal opportunity in all aspects of employment. Its leadership across the campuses fully supports policies and practices to foster non-discrimination, affirmative action, and diversity and inclusion, in the workplace and our community overall. CUNY is enriched by the strengths of the people and perspectives in our institution. Accordingly, I continue to be committed to our compliance with the CUNY Policies and Procedures on Equal Opportunity, Non-Discrimination, and on Sex-Based Misconduct. The Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Policy states CUNY’s commitment to recruit, employ, retain, promote, and provide benefits to employees without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status, partnership status, disability, genetic information, alienage, citizenship, military or veteran status, unemployment status, status as a victim of domestic violence/stalking/sex offenses, or any other legally prohibited basis in accordance with federal, state and city laws. Additionally, CUNY practices affirmative action for women, protected ethnicities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans consistent with federal requirements for employees in all title groups. Italian Americans are included among CUNY’s protected groups. Further, CUNY does not tolerate acts of hate or bigotry of any kind. This includes discrimination or harassment based on national origin or heritage – including shared Jewish, Israeli, Palestinian, Arab, Muslim or South Asian ancestry – and/or the association with these national origins and ancestries. The University will promptly take all necessary and appropriate actions to address any such discrimination and remedy its effects. We encourage students and employees who believe they have been subjected to such discrimination, or who have information about an incident or situation, to report it to the University. Anyone who believes they have been a victim of harassment, discrimination or retaliation should use the University-wide Discrimination and Retaliation Reporting Portal. CUNY desires to expand its inclusivity and accessibility to both students and employees with disabilities. As per Governor Hochul’s Executive Order 31, CUNY is developing a Strategic Plan to enhance recruitment, advancement, and support of individuals with disabilities. Any CUNY employee requiring one or more accommodations to perform their job duties should contact Human Resources as per our policy on Reasonable Accommodations and Academic Adjustments. I invite you to visit the CUNY website to view the Non-Discrimination Policy in its entirety as well as the polices on Reasonable Accommodations and Academic Adjustments and Reporting of Alleged Misconduct. For more information about how these policies are implemented and enforced at Brooklyn College, please visit the Office of Diversity and Equity web page. Additionally, effective August 1, 2024, the CUNY Policy on Sex-Based Misconduct replaces the CUNY Policy on Sexual Misconduct. The CUNY announcement is found here. The new policy is based on newly revised Title IX regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Education earlier this year. Following are some important changes: Expanded categories of discrimination: The Policy now lists discrimination based on gender identity; past, present, or potential pregnancy or related conditions; sex characteristics; sex stereotypes; and sexual orientation as Sex-Based Misconduct (Section IV(B)(1-5)); Expanded definition of Mandatory Reporters (formerly known as Responsible Employees) who have a duty to notify the Title IX coordinator of reports of sex-based misconduct: Mandatory reporters now include all employees who have authority to institute corrective measures on behalf of CUNY and employees who have responsibility for administrative leadership, teaching, or advising within CUNY (Section VI(B)); Expanded obligations for all non-confidential employees (even if not mandatory reporters) who are informed about conduct that could be prohibited under the Policy: All employees must provide the individual with the name of the Title IX coordinator and information about how to make a complaint; The Policy now lists the specific actions an employee must take if a student informs them that they are pregnant (Section VI(G)) and details the accommodations available to students and employees who are seeking an accommodation due to pregnancy or a related condition (Section VII(D)(4)). For more information on how the Policy differs from the previous Policy on Sexual Misconduct, please refer to the announcement on CUNY’s website. CUNY’s executives and administrators are responsible for maintaining a work environment free from discrimination and harassment, and for promoting diversity and inclusion in their units. Executive Legal Counsel, Jaclyn Helms, is serving as the college’s Chief Diversity Officer and is the responsible official charged with assuring Equal Employment Opportunity compliance. I encourage all managers to contact her to discuss diversity and inclusion strategies that would advance unit goals. Additionally, any individual who believes they have experienced discrimination or sex-based misconduct should contact the College’s Title IX Coordinator, Michelle Mendez. Incidents of discrimination or retaliation may also be reported utilizing the University-wide HR Discrimination and Retaliation Report Portal on the CUNY website. Individuals who are impacted by discrimination or sex-based misconduct are encouraged to seek support services. Free and confidential support is available for students via the Brooklyn College Personal Counseling Center, and for employees via the CUNY Work/Life Program. I ask for your continued support to ensure equal opportunity, affirmative action, diversity and inclusion in all our employment practices. Yours truly, Michelle J. Anderson President, Brooklyn College
