Affirmative Action in Employment

The University's Affirmative Action function, which resides in the University's Office of Human Resources, serves all students, staff, and faculty at the University of Dayton.

What is Affirmative Action?

Affirmative Action is a federally mandated program for federal contractors with respect to employment.  It helps create a level playing field that gives everyone an equal opportunity to compete for a job and career.  Its primary goal is to ensure that no qualified person is disadvantaged or treated unfairly during the hiring or promotion process because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. 

Affirmative Action Program

As a federal contractor receiving more than $50,000 of government contracts a year (in fact, millions of such dollars each year), the University of Dayton must comply with Affirmative Action requirements and also have an Affirmative Action program in place.  This program is implemented by the University’s Affirmative Action Officer, who, with the assistance of others on campus, tracks and reports compliance with affirmative action goals and regulations.

Affirmative Steps in Hiring

The steps the University takes to ensure its hiring and promotion practices are fair, equitable, and free from discrimination include:

• Ensuring that each position's minimum requirements and preferred qualifications are carefully and clearly written, so that all interested applicants can understand them.  This requires the hiring manager to consult early with Human Resources.
• Widely promoting open positions and targeting outreach efforts to ensure applicant pools (that is, the people who apply) are as diverse and qualified as possible.
• Advancing only those applicants who meet all the minimum requirements of the posting.  The Minimum and Preferred Qualifications Worksheet (.xls) can assist a hiring committee in tracking whether applicants meet the minimum requirements and preferred qualifications for a job. 
• Not basing hiring decisions, in whole or in part, on any applicant's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

Behind the Scenes Work

In carrying out the Program, the Affirmative Action Officer measures the University's yearly improvements in the recruitment, selection, hiring and promotion of minorities and women in all parts of the organization.  That Officer also collects demographic data the government requires about job applicants for each position that is posted and monitors searches and promotions to help ensure that discriminatory practices and patterns are avoided.  This means that, if a search firm is used to help fill a position, the search firm is expected to be able to collect and provide the data required for Affirmative Action needs.

Good Faith Efforts Require Everyone's Help

The Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Compliance Contract Programs is the federal office that oversees institutions’ Affirmative Action compliance and audits their good faith efforts to advance the goals of Affirmative Action.  Such good faith efforts require that all members of the University community understand and adhere to institutional hiring and promotion practices.  Human Resources welcomes all inquiries and invitations to consult regarding these practices.

Questions?

Any questions about Affirmative Action should be directed to the University’s Affirmative Action Officer, Troy Washington, at 937-229-2541 or twashington1@udayton.edu.