President’s Affirmative Action Statement

As the Chief Executive Officer of Quinebaug Valley Community College, I hereby reaffirm my personal commitment to the ideals and philosophy of affirmative action. I intend, by both personal example and through the authority of my position, to assure that the College maintains its past commitment and strengthens its efforts to achieve the stated employment goals within the timetables proposed.  Affirmative action and equal opportunity are immediate and necessary objectives.

We will continue our efforts to overcome any past practices that may have constituted barriers to equal employment opportunities to students and employees. Our objective is to achieve the full and fair participation of members of protected classes and the physically challenged who are underutilized in the workforce.

Quinebaug Valley Community College, through its affirmative action programs, is striving to redress any past discrimination against ethnic minorities and women. With respect to equal employment opportunities, we are directing efforts to assure that recruitment and selection practices, working conditions, and promotion opportunities are consistent with this program and assure full justice in employment. The College formally documents and implements procedures for the recruitment and selection of personnel in a consistent manner. According to Quinebaug Valley Community College policy, no member of a protected class who is capable of performing the tasks required of the job be excluded because of race, color, religious creed, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status, gender identity or expression), marital status, national origin, ancestry, veteran status, age, handicap, political beliefs, sexual orientation or civil union status, workplace hazards to reproductive systems, genetic information, learning disability, present or past history of mental disabilities, intellectual disability, or physical disability, including but not limited to blindness or prior conviction of a crime, unless the provision of Sections 46a-60(b), 46a- SO(r), or 46a-8l(b) of the Connecticut General Statutes are controlling, or there is a bona fide occupational qualification excluding persons in one of the aforementioned protected groups.

In an effort to maintain the commitment to affirmative action, the following procedures are operative at this College and have been developed in accordance with Section 46a-68 of the Connecticut General Statutes and Sections 461-68-31 through 46a-68-74:

1. Every effort will be made to recruit, hire, train, and promote persons in every job classification;
2. All employees will have available to them opportunities for training, development, and advancement consistent with the individual’s ability and performance;
3. All decisions on employment will advance and further the principles of equal employment opportunity and affirmative action;
4. All decisions on promotions will be in accord with the principles of equal employment opportunity and affirmative action by imposing only those requirements that are valid for promotional opportunities;
5. All personnel actions such as compensation, benefits, transfers, layoffs, return from layoff, institution-sponsored training, education, tuition assistance, social and recreational programs will be administered without regard to race, color, religious creed, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status, gender identity or expression), marital status, national origin, ancestry, veteran status, age, handicap, political beliefs, sexual orientation or civil union status, workplace hazards to reproductive systems, genetic information, learning disability, present or past history of mental disabilities, intellectual disability, or physical disability, including but not limited to blind ness or prior conviction of a crime, unless the provision of Sections 46a-60(b), 46a-80(r) or 46a-81( b) of the Connecticut Genera l Statutes are controlling, or there is a bona fide occupational qualification excluding persons in one of the aforementioned protected groups;
6. All educational programs  and related  supporting  services and benefits  will  be administered in a fair and impartial manner that does not discriminate because of  a  student’s race,  color, religious  creed,  sex (including pregnancy,  transgender  status, gender identity  or expression), marital  status, national  origin, ancestry,  veteran  status, age, handicap,  political  beliefs,  sexual  orientation  or civil union  status, workplace hazards to reproductive systems, genetic information, learning disability, present or past history of mental disabilities,  intellectual disability, or physical  disability, including  but not limited to blindness or prior conviction of a crime, unless the provision of Sections 46a- 60(b), 46a-80(r) or 46a-8 l(b) of the Connecticut General Statutes are controlling, or there is a bona fide occupational qualification excluding persons in one of the aforementioned protected groups;
7. Every effort will be made to recognize the difficulties experienced by the aged and the handicapped in the hiring process to achieve full and fair utilization of these people in the workforce;
8. No employee shall be coerced, intimidated or retaliated against by this College (agency) or any person performing any of the duties recited in Section 46a-68-36.
9. Any person so aggrieved may file a complaint with the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, provided that nothing herein shall preclude an agency from disciplining or discharging any employee for just cause.

We have a special obligation as an educational institution to set a standard and example for the employment and fair treatment of members of all protected classes. Through personal statements, interaction with members of the various College constituencies and in other appropriate ways, I shall seek a full-fledged commitment to affirmative action on the part of every individual in our College community.

Dr. Karen Hynick
CEO