Student Handbook

Policies and Procedures: Discrimination Complaint Procedures

Summary

Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act states, in Part 5, "that no otherwise qualified disabled individual shall solely by reason of such disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination in programs or activities sponsored by a public entity." The purpose of this procedure is to attempt to resolve all types of complaints at the level where they can occur in a timely manner.

Any employee, student, or other member of the University community injured by the discriminatory behavior of an employee may file a complaint under the University’s Discrimination Complaint Procedures. Similar complaints against students should be filed with the Office of the Dean of Students under The Student Code.

University policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex (gender, sexual harassment), age, national origin, ethnicity, physical or mental disabilities, sexual orientation, martial status, religion, status as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam Era, and any other group protected by civil rights laws. Discrimination means unequal treatment or harassment based upon any of these group characteristics. Retaliation against a complainant for filing a complaint, or against witnesses for providing testimony during an investigation, is also prohibited and can be files as a separate charge under these procedures.

1. Complaints may be filed with Dana McGee, Director of the Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE), within 30 days after the discriminatory act by calling (860) 486-2943 or writing to the ODE at the University of Connecticut, Wood Hall, 1st Floor, Unit 2175, 241 Glenbrook Rd., Storrs, CT 06269-2175. Alternatively, a complaint may be filed with the line administrator in the college, school, unit, or division in which the incident occurred.
2. The ODE staff or line administrator interviews complainants to obtain complete accounts of their allegations, and advises them of their right to file complaints through the internal administrative systems and with civil rights agencies. They may also counsel complainants on self-resolution techniques or refer them to additional sources of support. Line administrators may enlist the ODE’s advice or support in this phase.
3. Cases filed directly with the ODE (a) If the accused employee is a member of a collective bargaining unit (CBU), the ODE will immediately involve the Office of Labor Relations (OLR) unit of the Department of Human Resources (DHR/LR) and the line administrator responsible for resolving the problem. Throughout the complaint process, the ODE and the DHR/LR will advise line administrators from the perspective of civil rights and contractual obligations, respectively. (b) If the accused employee is not in a bargaining unit, the ODE may either conduct the investigation or have the line administrator handle the complaint. In the former case, the ODE’s finding and recommendations are referred to the appropriate line administrator for action.
4. Cases filed directly with line administrators. In all cases, line administrators receiving complaints must consult with the ODE who may advise them on the appropriate handling of the case. If the accused employee is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, then both the ODE and the DHR/LR should be consulted. If not, the ODE will work with the line administrator to determine whether the ODE, the administrator, or another University official should be the appropriate action party.

Although the student is encouraged to attempt to resolve a complaint within the campus process, he or she has the right to file any complaint directly to the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) at any time. The Statute of Limitations for filing a complaint with OCR is 180 days from the time the incident occurred.