Equal Opportunity 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 unlawful discrimination and providing equal opportunity to 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, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected 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 to expand its efforts to guarantee equality of opportunity in employment.
The University President affirms the commitment to equal opportunity. 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 has been specifically designated to be responsible for overall compliance with all federal and state laws and regulations regarding nondiscrimination, and with approval of the President, is authorized to make any necessary modifications to this policy for purposes of regulatory compliance.
To ensure equal 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 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.
Revised by the Board of Trustees July 24, 1998, July 19, 2013, July 17, 2015, November 14, 2022. Revised pursuant to delegation April 17, 2025