Training & Compliance
Equity & Civil Rights Compliance’s Training and Compliance department provides professional development that educates faculty and staff on the policies and laws governing the university community and provides them with the knowledge and skills needed to observe best practices and make ethical and informed decisions in the workplace. This unit also ensures that the university community is in compliance with Federal, State, and Board of Regents posting policies/laws related to AA/EEO.
To request training or an educational session, please email [email protected].
To request training or an educational session, please email [email protected].
Affirmative Action and the University's Affirmative Action Plan
What is affirmative action?
The purpose of affirmative action is to ensure equal employment opportunities for applicants and employees. It is based on the premise that, absent discrimination, over time a contractor’s workforce generally will reflect the demographics of the qualified available workforce in the relevant job market. Affirmative action requirements are intended to ensure that applicants and employees of federal contractors have equal opportunity for recruitment, selection, advancement, and every other term and privilege associated with employment, without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or status as a protected veteran.
The federal government requires government contractors and subcontractors to take affirmative action to recruit and advance qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities and covered veterans. Affirmative actions include training programs, outreach efforts and other positive steps. These procedures should be incorporated into the company's written personnel policies. Employers with written affirmative action programs must implement them, keep them on file and update them annually.
The university’s current annual affirmative action plan is available at the circulation desks of the Law Library and Main Library. It also may be reviewed by appointment at the Equity & Civil Rights Compliance office; please email [email protected] to make an appointment.
Relevant Laws and Related FAQs
- Executive Order 11246 of Sept. 24, 1965, Equal Employment Opportunity, as amended (EO 11246) (prohibits discrimination and requires affirmative action on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin)
- Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 29 U.S.C. § 793 (Section 503) (prohibits discrimination and requires affirmative action on the grounds of disability)
- Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as amended, 38 U.S.C. § 4212 (VEVRAA) (prohibits discrimination and requires affirmative action on the grounds of protected veteran status)
Regulations on this Topic
- 41 CFR Part 60-1- Obligations of Contractors and Subcontractors
- 41 CFR Part 60-2- Affirmative Action Programs
- 41 CFR Part 60-741- Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination Obligations of Contractors and Subcontractors Regarding Individuals with Disabilities
Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Statement of Policy
It is the policy of Georgia State University not to discriminate or allow the harassment of employees or applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law with regard to any employment practices, including recruitment, advertising, job application procedures, hiring, upgrading, training, promotion, transfer, compensation, job assignments, benefits, and/or other terms, conditions or privileges of employment, provided the individual is qualified, with or without reasonable accommodations, to perform the essential functions of the job. This policy applies to all jobs at the university. The university will continue to ensure that individuals are employed, and that employees are treated during employment without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law in all employment practices as follows:
Employment decisions at the university are based on legitimate job-related criteria. All personnel actions or programs that affect qualified individuals, such as employment, upgrading, demotion, transfer, recruitment, advertising, termination, rate of pay or other forms of compensation and selection for training, are made without discrimination based upon the individual's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.
Employees may choose to voluntarily disclose their race, sex, national origin, disability and protected veteran status at any time by contacting Human Resources. Such information will be maintained in a confidential manner and will not be used against an individual when making any employment decisions. Employees and applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans are encouraged to inform Human Resources if they need a reasonable accommodation to perform a job for which they are otherwise qualified. The university makes, and will continue to make, reasonable accommodations to the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified applicant or employee to promote the employment of qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans, unless such accommodations would impose an undue hardship on the operations of the university's business.
Georgia State is fully committed to principals of equal employment opportunity and affirmative action. As President, I support the successful implementation of the university's Affirmative Action Programs. I have appointed Kieran B. Morrow, Senior Director of Equity & Civil Rights Compliance, as Affirmative Action Officer for the university, with responsibility for implementation of the university's affirmative action activities. The Affirmative Action Officer has the full support of senior administration and the staff necessary to fully implement this Program. All managers and supervisors will take an active part in the university's Affirmative Action Programs to ensure that all qualified employees and prospective employees are considered and treated in a nondiscriminatory manner with respect to all employment decisions. Furthermore, Georgia State will solicit the cooperation and support of all employees for the university's Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Policy.
Our Affirmative Action Programs include an audit and reporting system, which, among other things, uses metrics and other information to measure the effectiveness of our Programs. The Affirmative Action Officer has been assigned responsibility for periodically reviewing progress in the compliance and implementation of the policy of affirmative action. In accordance with public law, the university's program of affirmative action for qualified individuals with disabilities and the program of affirmative action for protected Veterans are available for inspection in the Human Resources Department, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. upon request.
In addition, employees and applicants will not be subjected to harassment, intimidation, threats, coercion, or discrimination because they have engaged in, or may have engaged in, filing a complaint, assisting or participating in an investigation, compliance review or hearing, or other activity related to the administration of Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Era Veteran's Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, Executive Order 11246, all as amended, and/or any other federal, state, or local law or regulation regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, opposing any act or practice made unlawful, or exercising any other right protected by such laws or regulations. Georgia State will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is {a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, {b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer or {c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.
- Title VI & Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
- Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act
- Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act
- Age Discrimination in Employment Act
- Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008
- Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
- Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as amended (VEVRAA)
- Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
- Pregnancy Discrimination Act
- Executive Order 11246, as amended
- Executive Order 13665-Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision
- Equal Pay Act of 1963
- Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (eff. June 27, 2023)
- Georgia Fair Employment Practices Act of 1978
Vector (formerly Foundry)
The University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents requires its colleges and universities to provide prevention tools to conduct ongoing awareness, prevention programming and training for the campus community related to sexual misconduct. Georgia State University offers sexual misconduct related training virtually and via the Vector platform for employees to assist in promoting a violence free campus.
Vector is an online learning module that provides information on the prevention of sexual misconduct and your role as a responsible employee. Employees are invited to attend a virtual sexual misconduct educational session or to complete the Vector modules. This will ensure that the university is following the Board of Regents mandate. If you have not attended a virtual session, the online modules are an option for you to receive the information. The online modules will take approximately one-hour and 30 minutes to complete. You do not have to complete the course and surveys in one sitting. Responses to the surveys are anonymous. Georgia State will only receive information about the faculty and staff body as a whole and will not see individual employee answers.
Email [email protected] to receive the online Vector module assignment if you will not be attending a virtual class.
Tips for completing the employee Vector modules:
- Use Google Chrome or Firefox web browsers (updated versions).
Make sure to login using your campus id (example: employee1) do not use your Georgia State email. - You may stop the training and continue later.
- There are interactive elements (accurate responses must be achieved to proceed to the next module).
- When requesting help take screenshots to assist in troubleshooting efforts, send to [email protected].
- Email [email protected]to request the virtual sexual misconduct training.
If you are a student and you are experiencing problems logging into the AlcoholEdu course, please email Dr. Tammy Turner at [email protected]. Please provide Dr. Turner with your name, campus id and student email.
Women at Work Series
The Beginning
In 2003, the Advancement of Women at Georgia State University held a staff-track Women Working Smarter: Administrator Panel seminar which was designed specifically for senior non-faculty women administrators. This seminar resulted in the completion of a survey that identified additional professional development needs on campus for all women regardless of their position (job title). The university’s director of Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity was given the challenge to develop a program with the specific goal to generate new knowledge for women as a protected class identified in the institution’s Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) and as required by Executive Order 11246 for all federal contractors. Upon review of existing professional development in place for women faculty, the focus was placed on implementing a program for all women staff. The director developed the program to create a more informed and business-savvy citizen and to provide an additional professional development option for the community, regardless of the person’s job title at the university. This was the beginning of the Women at Work Series.
In 2017, the Women at Work Series committee established six pillars for participants to work on for work-life balance: image, communication, financial fitness, community service, health and wellness and fun. In addition, the committee added an overall goal of the series: to educate, motivate and empower participants. Each year, the committee invites representatives from the community to facilitate educational sessions and present at the annual workshop to educate the participants on the six pillars. The Women at Work Series has become a tool to educate, motivate and empower those who participate, and is a professional development opportunity sought by women staff.
Through the years, the Women at Work Series’ offerings have been attended by more than 3,000 individuals. Georgia State is a public institution; therefore, the Women at Work Series offerings have been attended by faculty, staff, students and the community, regardless of gender. The director also used the series as the model/template to develop programs for other protected classes, such as veterans, identified in the Georgia State AAP.
Contact Us
Office Location
Office Hours
Monday-Friday,
8:30 a.m.-5:15 p.m
Mailing Address
One Park Place
P.O. Box 3983
Atlanta, GA 30303