Policy No. 526 - Affirmative Action

Provide a written policy in compliance with Federal and State regulations for the provision of equal opportunity. For a more detailed description of equal employment opportunity policy and procedures, refer to the Research Foundation Affirmative Action Plans located in the Human Resources department.

As a matter of policy and conviction the Research Foundation of the City University of New York attempts, in all personnel activities, to ensure equal employment opportunity for employees and applicants for employment whatever their race, creed, color, ethnic origin, religion, sex, gender identity, marital status, partnership status, caregiver status, age, citizenship or national origin, sexual orientation, veteran status, genetic information, disabilities or any other protected characteristics under applicable law. This applies to recruiting new employees including advertising, interviewing, work assignment, compensation and benefits, selection for training, promotion, demotion, transfer, layoff or termination.

In addition to these non-discrimination efforts the Foundation utilizes affirmative action policies and procedures to advance the employment of members of certain historically underrepresented and protected classes, viz. Asian-Americans or Pacific Islanders, African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans or Alaskan Eskimos, women, individuals with disabilities and protected veterans. The Foundation adheres to all applicable Federal, State, and City laws and, regulations regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action in employment including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, Section 402 of the Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974 as amended (VEVRAA), the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, Executive Order 11246 as amended, New York Executive Law, Article 15, Section 296,  the New York City Human Rights Law, Chapter 1, Section 8-107 as amended in 2014, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008.

The Foundation agrees to post on its website, available to all employees and applicants for employment, notice of the provisions of this nondiscrimination policy, the procedures of which include:

• Equal opportunity will apply to all levels of employment.
• Equal opportunity will apply to all personnel practices, including, but not limited to recruitment, hiring, training, promotions, demotions, corrective performance actions or disciplinary actions, compensation, benefits, transfers, and terminations.
• A Personnel Vacancy Notice (PVN) is the primary method of communicating a vacant position to potential applicants and must be submitted for full-time and part-time A positions and approved by the Research Foundation Affirmative Action Officer prior to posting or advertising. The PVN will remain open until filled. Both interview and post interview information should be noted on the PVN system. For further instructions on the use of the PVN system, contact the Foundation's Department of Human Resources.
• All advertisements and notices must display:
  • The logo Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer/Americans with Disabilities Act/Protected Veterans Status/E-Verify Employer, AND
  • Instructions for applicants to apply online (i.e., To apply, please go to RFCUNY)
• The Research Foundation's Affirmative Action Officer will update yearly the Affirmative Action Plan for each campus describing current compliance by identifying areas of under utilization.
• In areas of under utilization, the Affirmative Action Officer will establish recruitment goals for the coming year and affirm that the recruitment process has complied with Affirmative Action guidelines.
• The duties of the Affirmative Action Officer include, but are not limited to, notifying managers of their responsibility in recruiting and selecting applicants.
• Complaints regarding breach of this policy may be confidentially reported to the employee's project director or supervisor. Research Foundation Policy 510, the employee complaint procedure, is applicable to complaints made under this policy.
• If employee is unable to discuss the situation with the their project director or supervisor, they may contact the Department of Human Resources for a confidential meeting.
• Pursuant to Research Foundation Policy 510, complaints will be promptly and fully investigated to ensure compliance with this policy.

Graduate students are not considered employees of the Research Foundation.