AFFIRMATIVE RECRUITMENT

Effective: August 15, 2024

Purpose: To provide guidance and criteria for employee recruitment.

Scope: This policy applies to the University campus wide.

Responsible Office: Human Resources

Policy Statement: Emporia State University recognizes that preferential hiring on the basis of minority status, sex or protected group is unlawful, even as a means of addressing underutilization.

Accordingly, the institution undertakes a vigorous program of affirmative recruitment for minority group members and women in all job categories in which they are found to be underutilized.

In all positions, regardless of whether or not such underutilization exists, Emporia State University pursues a program of open recruitment to avoid the possible discriminatory effects on informal job networks and similar systems. Emporia State University's affirmative recruitment program includes but is not limited to the following specific actions:

• Review of existing recruitment procedures, identification of any procedures which may have an unjustifiable adverse effect on minorities or women, and elimination of procedures which do;
• Development of search strategies for minorities and women for appointments;
• Open posting of vacancy announcements;
• Broad public announcement of vacancies;
• Contracting sources of minority and women applicants;
• Affirmative recruitment file; and
• High-level monitoring of each recruitment effort for appointments at all levels.

Job Qualifications and Testing

Emporia State University does not select individuals for employment or promotion on the basis of job qualification, written tests, or other criteria which screen out minorities, women, disabled or Vietnam Era Veterans at a greater rate than others and which are not conclusively demonstrated to be related significantly and directly to job performance.

Even those selection criteria which are so related to job performance but which also have adverse impact on the employment opportunities of protected group members will be eliminated and replaced by other valid selection criteria which do not have adverse effect, if such can be accomplished without unreasonable cost or burden to the operations of the institution. Retention, change, or abolishment of selection criteria which create adverse impacts shall be in accordance with Title 41 CRF 60-3 (published by the U.S. Department of Labor).

Job classifications are analyzed in terms of the actual tasks performed, the frequency and difficulty of performance, and the relative importance of specific employee traits and skills needed to perform those tasks.

Such qualifications may include but are not limited to:

• Educational requirements;
• Requirements for specific job experience; and
• Requirements for, and weight given to, personal references particularly those from people to whom minorities and women are likely to have less favorable access than others.

Career Development

Emporia State University recognizes that to some extent achievement of equitable distribution of minorities, women, disabled and Vietnam Era Veterans throughout all job classifications in the institution will be the result of initial assignments, subsequent transfers, promotions, and training.

To assure that protected group individuals are given access, affirmatively, to all positions and lines of progressions within the institution, the following considerations shall be made:

• Initial referrals for job interviews in operating units are made solely on the basis of valid job qualifications and not in any way on the basis of stereotypical beliefs regarding appropriate positions or units for various classes of persons.
• All employees are permitted to apply through transfer, promotion, or otherwise for higher or more favorable positions in the institution without advance approval by, or notice to, the present supervisor. However, employees are expected to give adequate notice of a change, as would be the case in accepting a position outside the institution.
• All employees who apply and are not selected for such positions are so advised in writing. The applications of protected group individuals who meet the valid qualifications for positions but are not selected are placed in the affirmative recruitment file if underutilization of those groups has been found to exist in the positions for which the applicants have applied.
• The institution does maintain specific career ladders as a generally sound procedure in personnel management as well as a measure to help assure that protected group individuals will not be improperly relegated to dead end jobs.
• In-house training programs are periodically reviewed for possible modification or expansion to better achieve the purposes of this plan.

Definitions: All words and phrases shall be interpreted utilizing their plain meanings unless otherwise defined in another University or Board of Regents policy or by statute or regulation.

Procedures: All procedures linked and related to the policies above shall have the full force and effect of policy if said procedures have first been properly approved by the University’s administrator in charge of Human Resources procedures.

[Human Resources procedures - coming soon]

Related Policy Information: [coming soon]