Office for Civil Rights, Compliance and Community Initiatives

About

The Office for Civil Rights, Compliance and Community Initiatives collaborates with Wofford students, administrators, alumni, faculty and staff to foster an accessible, diverse, equitable and inclusive campus community. Additionally, the office seeks to establish partnerships with the Spartanburg community and external agencies that will enhance the college’s relationships with the city’s residents and create educational opportunities for current and future Wofford students.

Consistent with the college’s mission, The Office for Civil Rights, Compliance and Community Initiatives supports and advocates for a welcoming Wofford community that values intellectual exploration free of bias, discrimination and harassment, as outlined in the college’s Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy and Procedures. The office provides institutional oversight of Title VI, Title VII and Title IX processes and staff.

• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in any program that receives federal financial assistance.
• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits intentional and structural employment discrimination against persons based on race, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity) or religion. It also prohibits retaliation against persons who complain about discriminatory behavior or participate in a discrimination investigation.
• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects students from discrimination based on gender, gender identity, and sex, including sexual harassment, sexual violence and retaliation, in educational programs that receive federal financial support.

The Office for Civil Rights, Compliance and Community Initiatives reviews all reported violations of Title VI, Title VII and Title IX submitted through Wofford’s Discrimination and Harassment Reporting Form. The Title IX office investigates alleged discriminatory behavior based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, citizenship or immigration status, creed, disability, religion, sexual orientation and gender expression, veteran or military status, predisposing genetic characteristics, and any other category protected by law.

If an alleged behavior or incident falls within The Office for Civil Rights, Compliance and Community Initiatives’ purview, the Title IX Coordinator will facilitate a review in partnership with the college’s Institutional Equity Case Coordinators and, if necessary, external investigators. If a reported incident falls outside The Office for Civil Rights, Compliance and Community Initiatives’ purview or does not rise to the level of a policy violation, the Title IX Coordinator will inform the complainant and discuss possible next steps.

The Office for Civil Rights, Compliance and Community Initiatives is committed to the liberal arts tradition of inquiry into diverse human historical and social experiences. Through its programming and partnerships, The office encourages Wofford’s community to think critically about our shared and unique human experiences as learners seeking common understanding and mutual respect. In particular, the office seeks to support initiatives that increase knowledge about society’s most marginalized and under-resourced communities and populations often overlooked in high school and college curricula.

To achieve its goals, The Office for Civil Rights, Compliance and Community Initiatives engages in and supports the following programming and initiatives:

• Strategic implementation of JEDI report recommendations.
• Collaboration with campus offices to increase the student body’s diversity and to implement strategies that ensure all students feel welcome at Wofford.
• Heritage month celebrations and social justice-based experiential learning opportunities.
• Collaboration with and support for any student organization interested in issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion, particularly the Diversity Council and Religious Council student organizations.
• Collaboration with faculty interested in opportunities to diversify curricular offerings.
• Title IX training and discrimination or harassment reporting protocol.
• Diversity training and other workshop requests.

We are here to help. If you have general questions about the office or its work, please e-mail us at OEDI@wofford.edu. Your message will be directed to the appropriate staff member.