University of Central Florida
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

An up to date version of the non-discrimination policy 2-004 is located at https://policies.ucf.edu/

2-004.1
POLICY STATEMENT
The University of Central Florida is committed to maintaining a safe and non- discriminatory learning, living and working environment for all students, employees, registered student organizations, DSOs, and third-parties. Academic and professional excellence can exist only when each member of our community is assured an atmosphere of safety and mutual respect. All members of the university community are responsible for the maintenance of an environment in which people are free to learn and work without fear of discrimination, discriminatory harassment, or interpersonal violence. Discrimination diminishes individual dignity and impedes equal employment and educational opportunities.
The university does not unlawfully discriminate in any of its education or employment programs and activities on the basis of an individual’s race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or non-religion, age, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy and parental status), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental disability (including learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and past or present history of mental illness), political affiliations, veteran’s status (as protected under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistant Act), or membership in any other protected classes as set forth in state or federal law. To that end, this Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment and Related Interpersonal Violence (the “Policy”) prohibits specific forms of behavior that violate state and federal laws, including but not limited to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”), Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”), the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (“VAWA”), Florida’s Civil Rights Act (Sections 760.10 and 110.1221) and related state and federal anti-discrimination laws. Such behavior may also require the university to fulfill certain reporting obligations under the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (the “Clery Act”), as amended by VAWA, and Florida state law regarding reporting suspected child abuse and neglect.
The university prohibits discrimination, as well as discriminatory harassment, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, relationship violence, stalking, sexual or gender-based harassment, complicity in the commission of any act prohibited by this Policy, retaliation against a person for reporting, in good faith, any of these forms of conduct or participating in or being a party to any investigation or proceeding under this Policy (collectively, “Prohibited Conduct”). Religious discrimination includes failing to reasonably accommodate an employee’s or student’s religious practices where the accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. Disability discrimination includes not making reasonable accommodations to the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual with a disability where the accommodations do not impose an undue hardship. These forms of Prohibited Conduct are unlawful and undermine the mission and values of our academic community. In addition, inappropriate amorous relationships with employees in positions of authority can undermine the university’s mission when those in positions of authority abuse or appear to abuse their authority.
The university adopts this Policy with a commitment to: (1) eliminating, preventing, and addressing the effects of Prohibited Conduct; (2) fostering a safe and respectful university community; (3) cultivating a climate where all individuals are well-informed and supported in reporting Prohibited Conduct; (4) providing a fair and impartial process for all parties in the investigation and resolution of such reports; and (5) identifying the standards by which violations of this Policy will be evaluated and disciplinary action may be imposed. In addition, the university conducts ongoing prevention, awareness, and training programs for employees and students to facilitate the goals of this Policy.
A student, employee, or registered student organization determined by the university to have committed an act of Prohibited Conduct is subject to disciplinary action, up to and including permanent separation from the university. Third-parties or DSOs who commit acts of Prohibited Conduct may have their relationships with the university terminated and/or their privileges of being on university premises withdrawn.
It is the responsibility of every member of the university community to foster an environment free of Prohibited Conduct. All members of the university community are encouraged to take reasonable and prudent actions to prevent or stop an act of Prohibited Conduct. The university will support and assist community members who take such actions. Also, many university employees must report Prohibited Conduct to the university (see Section IX below).
2-004.1 Prohibition of Discrimination, Harassment and Related Interpersonal Violence 8
Retaliation against any individual who, in good faith, reports or participates in the reporting, investigation, or adjudication of and/or is a party to an investigation related to Prohibited Conduct is impermissible, unlawful and will not be tolerated by the university.
This Policy applies to all reports of Prohibited Conduct occurring on or after the effective date of this Policy. Where the date of the Prohibited Conduct precedes the effective date of this Policy, the definitions of misconduct in effect at the time of the alleged incident(s) will be applied. The procedures under this Policy, however, will be used to investigate and resolve all reports made on or after the effective date of this Policy, regardless of when the incident(s) occurred.

The Just Knights Response Team (JKRT) is an inter-divisional team that assesses bias incidences in order to coordinate university resources for the creation of effective interventions and future incident prevention programming. The JKRT creates timely interventions to incidents that are sensitive to the rights of all parties involved. It is intended that any JKRT programming or intervention will be educational at its core. It will involve a variety of activities including discussion, mediation, training, counseling and consensus building. Through the voluntary participation of the persons involved in and impacted by bias incidences, the JKRT’s interventions and prevention programming will foster a sense of civility and campus community encompassing respect and understanding that supports a multicultural and diverse campus environment.

https://jkrt.sdes.ucf.edu/

Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI)
In fall 2017, UCF’s Hispanic/Latino undergraduate student population exceeded the 25% threshold to be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as an HSI in January 2019. Since then, UCF has embraced this HSI campus identity as it provides another opportunity for us to demonstrate our commitment to an inclusive and diverse campus that emphasizes serving. The criteria outlined for HSI under the Higher Education Act highlights the specifics of enrollment, but at UCF, our focus is retention and success by way of culturally responsive practices.

Faculty Excellence, Inclusive Excellence Program
Inclusive Excellence is a change framework constructed by the American Association of Colleges and Universities to make the academic pursuit of excellence more inclusive. Access is part of our mission at UCF and we want our campus to be a space of belonging for everyone. For Faculty Excellence this means helping to recruit and retain the best and most diverse faculty. We are working to fully realize institutional goals of diversifying our faculty to better reflect our student population while providing resources to help make UCF an equitable and inclusive working and learning environment. Faculty Excellence has prioritized these efforts by establishing a Faculty Fellow for Inclusive Excellence and a Faculty Excellence Advisory Committee on Inclusion who have been working on important initiatives with campus partners since 2018.
https://facultyexcellence.ucf.edu/inclusive-excellence/

The LEGACY Leadership and Mentoring Program
The LEGACY Leadership and Mentoring Program supports the retention and success of first-year Black/African American students at the University of Central Florida. LEGACY Scholars are assigned a faculty/staff member as their committed Mentor for their first academic year. Mentors are members of UCF’s Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA) and assist LEGACY Scholars with acquiring the knowledge and skills to be effective students.

CREAR (College Readiness, Achievement and Retention) Futuros
CREAR Futuros, which means “To Create Futures” in Spanish, is a peer-mentor based initiative designed to improve student success at targeted UCF colleges. CREAR students will be paired with knowledgeable and highly trained upper-class UCF peer-mentors that will introduce them to campus resources, provide tips on stress and time management, and offer insight on how to make the most out of their time at UCF.

LGBTQ+ Services
The mission of the UCF Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Questioning/Queer (LGBTQ+) Services is to connect our diverse student population to opportunities, resources, and each other to achieve the vision of a stronger, healthier, and more equitable world for LGBTQ+ people and its allies. LGBTQ+ strives to support the community by: Fostering greater opportunities for students to succeed at UCF; Organizing programs and experiences geared toward educating the UCF community; Creating a forum where LGBTQ+ history and culture is acknowledged and celebrated; Creating a space where resources can be created and explored in the future. LGBTQ+ Services offers the Alliance Mentoring Program; LGBTQ+ Workshops and celebratory events.

Leadership Empowerment Program (LEP)
LEP provides opportunities for selected faculty and staff to gain career-enhancing skills and experiences in today’s changing educational environment. The program engages scholars in an exploration of leadership principles and strategies, professional skills, and higher education issues through self-reflection, mentorship, engagement with dozens of guest speakers, and project development.

Summer Faculty Development Conference Diversity Tracks:
2019 - Applying Inclusive Teaching Strategies in the Classroom
2018 - Reviewing, Researching, and Supplementing Diversity and Inclusion Resources – Expanding Opportunities for Continued Growth
2017 - Developing and Facilitating Diversity and Inclusion Experiences – Capitalizing on Faculty Expertise

Black Faculty and Staff Association
The University of Central Florida’s Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA) is an organization representative of UCF’s goal to be more inclusive and diverse.
The BFSA’s mission is to promote an environment which fosters cultural sensitivity and enrichment by providing quality programming, networking opportunities and guidance to UCF’s Black students, faculty and staff; and the greater UCF community.
HTTP://WWW.BFSA-UCF.ORG

Latino Faculty and Staff Association
The University of Central Florida’s Latino Faculty and Staff Association (LaFaSA) is an organization dedicated to raising awareness and advocating for the needs and goals of Latino faculty and staff at UCF. LaFaSA seeks to promote a family environment that embraces and respects the various identities within the Latino/a culture.
HTTP://WWW.UCFLAFASA.ORG

PRIDE Faculty and Staff Association
We are an organization for faculty and staff whose focus is on making the University of Central Florida a better place for our every person. We are committed to all of UCF’s goals with primary focus on goal 4, to make UCF a more inclusive and diverse campus. Many members of PFSA are actively involved in the LBGTQ+ community on campus and throughout Central Florida. We are proud to represent UCF in many organizations and groups. We serve in a variety of volunteer positions on numerous boards of directors offering our guidance and leadership to the greater community. We are proud of the student-activists on our campus and of the graduate-activists who are working to change our state and nation.
HTTP://WWW.UCFPRIDE.ORG