Equal Employment and Affirmative Action Policy
Ball State University is committed to the principles of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity in education and employment. Further, the University is committed to the pursuit of excellence by prohibiting discrimination and being inclusive of individuals without regard to race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, genetic information, ethnicity, national origin or ancestry, age, or protected veteran status. This commitment enables the University to provide qualified individuals access to all academic and employment programs on the basis of demonstrated ability without regard to personal factors that are irrelevant to the program or job requirements involved.
The University assigns a high priority to the implementation of this equal opportunity policy and, through its affirmative action program, seeks to expand its efforts to guarantee equality of opportunity in employment. Affirmative action is taken to attract and recruit diversity, including underrepresented minority groups, females, protected veterans or individuals with disabled veteran status, and otherwise qualified persons with disabilities. Ball State will hire, transfer, recruit, train, promote, assign work, compensate, layoff and/or terminate based upon the tenets of this policy.
The University President affirms the commitment to equal opportunity and accepts responsibility for the implementation of the affirmative action program along with the vice presidents, deans, directors and heads of units. All persons involved in the decision-making process, including members of faculty and other employee committees, shall act in a nondiscriminatory
manner. The Director of Employee Relations and Affirmative Action has been specifically designated to be responsible for overall compliance with all federal and state laws and regulations regarding nondiscrimination and for implementation and coordination of the
University’s affirmative action program. Information concerning the University's affirmative action program can be obtained from the Director of Employee Relations and Affirmative Action, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306.
To ensure equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination, each member of the Ball State University community must understand the importance of this policy and his/her responsibilities to contribute to its success. This policy seeks to encourage the reporting of incidents so they may be addressed. Students, employees, and applicants shall not be subjected to harassment, intimidation, threats, coercion, discrimination, or retaliation because they have engaged or may engage in any of the following: 1) filing a complaint; 2) assisting or participating in an investigation, compliance review, hearing, or any other activity related to the administration of any federal, state, or local law requiring equal employment opportunity; 3) opposing an act or practice deemed unlawful by a federal, state, or local law requiring equal employment opportunity; or 4) exercising any right according to this policy and/or any other lawfully protected right.
Complaints regarding unlawful discrimination or retaliation should be filed within 300 calendar days following the alleged act or incident giving rise to the complaint with the Assistant Director of Equal Opportunity and ADA Coordinator in accordance with the Ball State University Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Complaint Investigation Procedure and Appeal Process.
The University encourages the prompt filing of all complaints. A copy of this document may be obtained by contacting the Assistant Director of Equal Opportunity and ADA Coordinator. Any individual or group found to have violated this policy will be subject to disciplinary or remedial action, up to and including termination of employment or expulsion from the University. Faculty and staff who are determined to have violated this policy also may be held personally liable for any damages, settlement costs or expenses, including attorney fees incurred by the University.
The University maintains an audit and reporting system to determine overall compliance with its equal employment opportunity mandates. As a part of this system, the President will review the University's equal opportunity and affirmative action policy and program at least once each year, measure progress against the objectives stated in the affirmative action program, and report findings and conclusions to the Board of Trustees.
Revised by the Board of Trustees July 24, 1998, July 19, 2013, July 17, 2015, November 14,
2022; July 24, 2024.