What is equal employment opportunity and how does this differ from affirmative action?
Equal employment means all individuals shall be treated equally in all employment processes. That is, individuals shall be considered based on his/her qualifications without regard to his/her age, color, creed, disability, gender identity, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other basis protected by state and/or federal law. Affirmative action, while similar in orientation, goes further than equal employment. Affirmative action seeks to remove barriers that limit those in protected classes historically discriminated against. In other words, the University seeks to overcome past discrimination of women and minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans by being active in their recruitment, employment, and retention. Though the University, through its Affirmative Action Plan (AAP), has set goals to increase the recruitment, employment, retention, and promotion of protected classes, these goals are not intended as quotas that must be m
