Affirmative Action Statement

(Adapted from Council on Social Work Education policy and including the official protected classes of the University and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.)

In compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Pennsylvania Executive Order 11246, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, and in compliance with the administrative policies of Millersville University, the Social Work Department at Millersville University will ensure that no persons, students, faculty, or staff, will be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disabled status, marital status, ancestry, sexual orientation, creed, life style, union membership, or veterans' status.

The Social Work Department has the responsibility of promoting the highest level of educational achievement for every student. The scope of this policy governs student, faculty, and staff interactions and relations. These should be geared toward academic requirements and faculty/student performance, rather than to personal characteristics.

The objective of this policy is to express social work values and ethics, in accordance with Council on Social Work Education policy, and to promote societal values of equal access to opportunity and social justice within the Social Work Program.

The Social Work Program attempts to provide an environment where each person can learn and work to his/her fullest capacity, and to create an environment of respect for the dignity and worth of all its members, i.e., students, faculty, staff, and administration. Establishing a supportive environment and excluding potentially discriminating practices applies especially to admission to the Program, employment in the Program, treatment and evaluation of students in classes, the Screening and Selection process necessary for Senior Placement, and the Problem Resolution Process applied when students are having difficulty with or not meeting program requirements. Discrimination is defined as action or inaction, based on one or more of the aforementioned categories or characteristics (see first paragraph), which affects a person's educational or employment opportunities. Discrimination is frequently based on prejudice, stereotypes and negative attitudes toward classes or categories of people.

The Social Work Department is responsible for developing procedures to carry out this policy and for making the policy available and known to all students, faculty, and staff. This includes educating its students and employees about what constitutes prejudice, discrimination and harassment and about what steps to take to report and resolve such issues. Specifically, the Social Work Program's practices should include procedures to protect rights to fairness and pursuit of equity for individuals of differing age, gender, race or ethnicity, physical ability, or sexual orientation.

The Social Work Department recommends that if a student experiences a problem regarding affirmative action, that the student engage the Departmental Problem Resolution Process, Students' Appeal and Grievance Procedures as stated in the Social Work Department Student Handbook. If the problem has not been adequately addressed at the Departmental level, then the student is advised to speak to the Director of Social Equity and to follow the sequence of the University grievance procedures as reported in the Millersville University Student Handbook, as well as the Millersville University Undergraduate Catalog. Each student has the responsibility to obtain a copy of the Social Work Department Student Handbook containing the statement on affirmative action.