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Dear Lehman College Community,
The City University of New York (CUNY) and Lehman College have a long-standing commitment to diversity and equal opportunity in all aspects of employment. Senior management fully supports policies and practices to foster non-discrimination, equity, and diversity and inclusion, in the workplace and our community overall. CUNY is enriched by the strengths of the people and perspectives in our institution. Accordingly, I continue to be committed to our compliance with the CUNY Policies and Procedures on Equal Opportunity, Non-Discrimination, and on Sexual Misconduct.
The Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Policy states CUNY's commitment to recruit, employ, retain, promote, and provide benefits to employees without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, ethnicity, political belief or affiliation, ancestry, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status, partnership status, disability, genetic information, alienage, citizenship, military or veteran status, unemployment status, status as a victim of domestic violence/stalking/sex offenses, or any other legally prohibited basis in accordance with federal, state and city laws.
Further, Lehman/CUNY does not tolerate acts of hate or bigotry of any kind. This includes discrimination or harassment based on national origin or heritage – including shared Jewish, Israeli, Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, or South Asian ancestry – and/or the association with these national origins and ancestries. The University will promptly take all necessary and appropriate actions to address any such discrimination and remedy its effects. We encourage students and employees who believe they have been subjected to such discrimination, or who have information about an incident or situation, to report it to the University. Anyone who believes they have been a victim of harassment, discrimination or retaliation should use the University-wide Discrimination and Retaliation Reporting Portal.
Lehman/CUNY has a commitment to continuing to build on its culture of inclusivity for both students and employees with disabilities. For employees, CUNY has adopted a Strategic Plan to enhance recruitment, advancement, and support of individuals with disabilities. This is consistent with Governor Hochul’s Executive Order 31, promoting New York State as Model Employer. Any CUNY employee requiring one or more accommodations to perform their job duties should contact Human Resources as per our policy on Reasonable Accommodation and Academic Adjustments. For any questions or concerns about religious accommodation requests, please contact Zoraida Rosa, Director of Human Resources, at (718) 960-8181 or via email at zoraida.rosa@lehman.cuny.edu.
I invite you to visit the CUNY website to view the Non-Discrimination Policy in its entirety as well as the polices on Reasonable Accommodations and Academic Adjustments and Reporting of Alleged Misconduct.
Lehman’s executives and administrators are responsible for maintaining a work environment free from discrimination and harassment, and for promoting diversity and inclusion in their units. Maritza Rivera is responsible for Equal Employment Opportunity compliance and diversity initiatives. I encourage managers and chairs to contact them to discuss diversity and inclusion strategies that would advance unit goals. Additionally, any individual who believes they have experienced employment discrimination should contact Maritza Rivera at 718-960-8111 or maritza.rivera@lehman.cuny.edu. They may also utilize the University-wide HR Discrimination and Retaliation Report Portal on the CUNY website.
Regarding Bias-Related Incidents and Hate Crimes, Lehman College is dedicated to ensuring the safety and inclusivity of all students and members of our campus community. To effectively handle incidents of bias-related crimes and prevent future occurrences, we strongly encourage victims or witnesses of hate crimes to immediately report these incidents to the Office of Public Safety. Reports can be made by calling (718) 960-8593, visiting the Office in the Apex, Room 109, or by submitting a report through Lehman’s Internal Complaint Reporting System.
This is also now a good time to complete the three Required Trainings for All Employees for the academic year, both trainings can be accessed via Brightspace in the My Organizations section.
- The Employee Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response Course (eSPARC)
- The Workplace Violence Prevention Program
- Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
New York State law and University policy require all full-time and part-time employees to complete these programs annually. Each training takes approximately 30 minutes to complete, and once finished, you can claim your certificates. By completing these courses, you will gain a clear understanding of your rights and available resources, and how you can contribute to a safe, supportive work and learning environment.
I ask for your continued support to ensure equal opportunity, equity, diversity, and inclusion in all our employment practices.
Sincerely,
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