To: The LaGuardia Community
From: Kenneth Adams, President
Date: September 25, 2024
Re: Reaffirmation of Diversity/Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action
C: Sabine Rospide, Esq.
Rebecca Jean, Esq.
Helen Skirchak
The City University of New York (CUNY) and LaGuardia Community College are dedicated to maintaining an inclusive work and learning environment, and I write to strongly reaffirm LaGuardia’s commitment, and my own commitment, to the principles of affirmative action, equal opportunity, and diversity. LaGuardia is enriched by the strengths and diversity of the people and perspectives in our community. Accordingly, I continue to be committed to our compliance with the CUNY Policies and Procedures on Equal Opportunity, Non-Discrimination, and Sex-Based Misconduct.
It is the policy of The City University of New York and LaGuardia Community College to recruit, employ, retain, promote, and provide benefits to employees, and to admit and provide services for students, without discriminating on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, creed, ethnicity, national origin, (including shared Israeli, Palestinian, Arab, and/or South Asian national origins, or the association with these national origins), 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, status as a victim of domestic violence/stalking/sex offenses, unemployment status, credit history, caregiver or familial status, prior record of arrest or conviction, or any other legally prohibited basis in accordance with federal, state, and city laws. Pursuant to the CUNY Equal Opportunity Policy, Italian Americans are among the protected groups. More on the CUNY Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Policy can be found here: Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Policy – The City University of New York (cuny.edu)
CUNY and LaGuardia do 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. LaGuardia and/or CUNY will promptly take all necessary and appropriate actions to address any such discrimination and remedy its effects. I encourage all students and employees who believe they have been subjected to discrimination, or who have information about an incident or situation involving discrimination, to report it immediately by using the University-wide Discrimination and Retaliation Reporting Portal.
Sexual harassment, including sexual violence, domestic/intimate partner violence, gender-based harassment, and other forms of sex discrimination are also prohibited by The City University of New York and LaGuardia Community College. CUNY’s Policy on Sex-Based Misconduct can be found here: https://www.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/page-assets/about/administration/offices/legal-affairs/policies-resources/Sex-Based-Misconduct-Policy.pdf
The City University of New York, as a public university system, adheres to federal, state, and city laws and regulations regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action, including, among others, Section 1324b of the Immigration and Nationality Act, Executive Order 11246, as amended, Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, Section 402 of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as amended, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the New York State Human Rights Law, and the New York City Human Rights Law.
The “protected classes,” as delineated in Executive Order 11246: (i.e. Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaskan Native and Women), were expanded on December 9, 1976 by the Chancellor of The City University of New York to include Italian-Americans. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget further expanded these protected classes in 2006 to include two or more races (not Hispanic or Latino) and replaced Asian/Pacific Islander with Asian (not Hispanic or Latino) and Native Hawaiian (not Hispanic or Latino). Black was renamed Black or African American (not Hispanic or Latino), and Hispanic was renamed Hispanic or Latino.
CUNY strives to expand inclusivity and accessibility to students and employees with disabilities. Per Governor Hochul’s Executive Order 31, CUNY is developing a Strategic Plan to enhance recruitment, advancement, and support of individuals with disabilities. Any CUNY employee requiring one or more accommodations to perform their job duties should contact Human Resources per our policy on Reasonable Accommodations and Academic Adjustments. I invite you to learn more about CUNY’s Reasonable Accommodations and Academic Adjustments policy here: Reasonable Accommodations and Academic Adjustments – The City University of New York (cuny.edu).
I have assigned the responsibility for the implementation and monitoring of our compliance program to the Interim Chief Diversity Officer, Sabine Rospide, Esq. The Office of Compliance and Diversity recently welcomed two new colleagues, Rebecca Jean, Esq, as Interim Title IX Coordinator, and Helen Skirchak as Title IX Investigator. Our vice presidents, deans, directors, managers, and supervisors share responsibility for ensuring our compliance with these important policies and laws. If you believe you have been the victim of any type of discrimination, sexual harassment, or sexual misconduct, please visit the Office of Compliance and Diversity, located in room E-506, or contact the team there at 718-482-5088, or email them at TitleIX@lagcc.cuny.edu. You may also use the University-wide University-wide Discrimination and Retaliation Reporting Portal on the CUNY website to file a complaint.
For your information, the following federal, state, and local agencies enforce laws against discrimination and sexual harassment:
- New York City Commission on Human Rights, http://www1.nyc.gov/site/cchr/index.page
- New York State Division on Human Rights, http://www.dhr.ny.gov
- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, http://www.eeoc.gov
- United States Department of Justice, http://www.justice.gov/
- United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, https://www.ed.gov/about/ed-offices/ocr
Thank you for helping to make LaGuardia a diverse, welcoming, inclusive community free from discrimination, bias, sexual harassment and misconduct.