VISION STATEMENT

In accordance with the university Human Relations Code , the Office of Human Relations Programs defines multiculturalism as including, but not limited to, race; color; ethnicity; geographic origin; language; socioeconomic class background; sex; gender; gender identity; sexual orientation; physical, developmental, or psychological disability; religious or spiritual affiliation; creed; age; generation; physical appearance; environmental concern; marital status; family configuration; employment status; political affiliation; and associations based on the exercise of rights secured by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

The Office of Human Relations Programs: 1) supports the diversity-related work that other units and departments initiate; 2) collaborates on diversity-related work with other units and departments; and, 3) initiates campus-wide diversity-related work on behalf of the Office of the President.

The Office of Human Relations Programs also: 1) acts as a consultant to other units and departments on campus who want to develop their own diversity programming; 2) co-facilitates diversity programming with other units and departments who seek co-sponsorship; and, 3) facilitates campus-wide diversity programming on behalf of the Office of the President.

The Office of Human Relations Programs' two primary areas of responsibility, legal compliance and proactive education with regard to issues of diversity, are integrally connected. Its proactive educational efforts are oriented toward the creation of a campus community in which every member of the community is valued. Its legal compliance efforts are dedicated toward ensuring that no member of the campus community is denied access to full participation in the community. Proactive education is the prescription for the prevention of discrimination, and legal compliance is its cure, if and when it occurs.

The Office of Human Relations Programs envisions a university where commitment to building a community of excellence through the affirmation of difference is seen: 1) in the composition of its leadership, faculty, staff, and students; 2) through its policies, procedures, and practices; 3) within its organizational structures; 4) across its curricula; 5) integrated into its co-curricular services and programs; and, 6) woven into the fabric of its interpersonal relationships.