Office of Equity & Compliance

3.3 OFFICE OF EQUITY & COMPLIANCE

 

The Office of Equity & Compliance  

The Office of Equity and Compliance (OEC) upholds CSUN’s commitment to the core principles of inclusion and equity and ensures CSUN’s compliance with the CSU Nondiscrimination Policy. OEC does this through facilitating a transparent, thorough, fair, and impartial process for resolving complaints that may include:

  • Discrimination or harassment based on a protected status;
  • Dating or domestic violence;
  • Sexual exploitation, harassment, or misconduct;
  • Stalking;
  • Prohibited consensual relationships; and
  • Retaliation

OEC strives to prevent such harm through prevention, education, and training opportunities for the community.

OEC can be reached via:

 

Title IX Coordinator/DHR Administrator: La Shonda Coleman, Assistant Vice President, Equity and Compliance

CSU Nondiscrimination Policy

The CSU Nondiscrimination Policy addresses discrimination or harassment based on a protected status; quid pro quo and hostile environment sexual harassment; dating and domestic violence; sexual exploitation and misconduct; stalking; prohibited consensual relationships; and retaliation. Read the policy here Links to an external site..

This Policy is informed by a number of state and federal statutes, including, but not limited to, Title IX, Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act, the California Equity in Higher Education Act, the Clery Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975.

Complaint procedures against an employee can be read here Links to an external site.. If a complaint alleges a violation of sexual harassment, exploitation, or misconduct; dating or domestic violence; or stalking as defined under Title IX 2020 Regulations, these complaint procedures will apply Links to an external site..

Please visit the Office of Equity and Compliance website to learn more information about CSUN’s approach and resources for:

Additional resources available:

The Rights and Options for Survivors of Sexual Misconduct, Dating and Domestic Violence, and Stalking – Download Pamphlet Links to an external site.

Student Resources and Reporting Options for Sexual Violence and Relationship Abuse – Download Pamphlet Links to an external site.

Responsible Employee Brochure – Available soon

OEC Syllabus Statement – Download Links to an external site.

These resources provide helpful information, including contact information for CSUN’s Campus Care Advocates (email: careadvocates@csun.edu) and other confidential supportive resources as well as reporting options for both employees and students.

Responsible Employees

All CSUN employees, excluding those classified as confidential employees in the CSU Nondiscrimination Policy and including student employees, are classified as Responsible Employees.

Responsible Employees who know or have reason to know of

incidents that may violate the CSU Nondiscrimination Policy must disclose all information available to the Title IX Coordinator/ Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation (DHR) Administrator within the Office of Equity and Compliance (OEC).

Why do we have responsible employees?

While it can feel difficult to report at times, there are several reasons we have this responsibility:

  • Helps them make decisions about how they would like to proceed by ensuring they receive all possible avenues;
  • Protects your mental health – it is not your job to investigate, solve an incident or ongoing issue, or oversee healing;
  • Drives a culture of inclusion, care, and compassion.

Is that the same as being a Mandated Reporter?

No. However, many people do hold both responsibilities. While a “Responsible Employee” is required by the Nondiscrimination Policy to report potential violations to the Office of Equity and Compliance, “Mandated Reporter” status is determined by the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA), California Penal Code §§ 11164-11174.3. Mandated Reporters have a legal obligation to report suspected or actual child abuse and/or neglect to the appropriate authorities. To learn more about CANRA at CSUN, please visit this website.

Reporting Potential Violations

To report a potential violation of the CSU Nondiscrimination Policy, please email all relevant information to the Office of Equity and Compliance at equityandcompliance@csun.edu.

Prohibited Consensual Relationships

A Prohibited Consensual Relationship includes relationships of a sexual or romantic nature between an employee and a student or a supervisor and their employee. When there is a power imbalance built into the relationship, participants may not be able to move freely within and out of the relationship; thus, creating the potential for situations that may lead to an incident that violates the Nondiscrimination Policy.

Required Training

All employees are required to complete a Gender Equity and Title IX training in CSU Learn. Supervisors are required to complete “CSU’s Discrimination Harassment Prevention Program for Supervisors” as well. To access this:

  • Log into the CSUN Portal
  • Navigate to “Training & Professional Development”
  • Select “Mandated Training – CSU Learn”
  • Select “Assigned Learning”
  • Complete the course

Request Training

All employees are able to request prevention and education materials and training from the Office of Equity and Compliance. The Outreach, Prevention, and Education team can adapt most trainings to your specific needs. Please reach out to csunprevents@csun.edu with your request.