Skip to Main Content Skip to Footer Toggle Navigation Menu

3.1 Staff Equal Employment Opportunity & Affirmative Action Policy

This policy affirms Macalester College’s commitment to Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action with and through the principles, practices, procedures and decisions that encompass the hiring of our staff.

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and in pursuing its own goals of diversity, Macalester College shall not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, membership or activity in a local commission dealing with discrimination issues, disability, sexual orientation, age, and veteran’s status in employment policies and practices, education, and all other areas of the College. The College willingly provides reasonable accommodations to individuals who qualify.

The College’s voluntary Affirmative Action program ensures employment policies and recruitment practices that focus on inclusion and representation of women, people of color, and any other group(s) who have been historically underrepresented. The Affirmative Action program fosters support for multiculturalism and internationalism, two core values of the College. Recruitment policies and practices support the mission of Multiculturalism at Macalester.

Macalester College will commit resources, both financial and human, to achieve the goals of Equal Employment Opportunity and the voluntary Affirmative Action Program.

STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES

Macalester College considers a diverse employee population a matter of strategic importance for several reasons. The mission statement for the College explicitly states its commitment to diversity, not only in the makeup of its student body, but also in curriculum, intellectual inquiry outside of the classroom, and in the quality of work and life across the campus. A diverse staff supports these elements of the mission statement. The variety of perspectives that flow across a diverse campus contributes to an intellectually exciting atmosphere. This encourages the transformation of students into active learners which is at the heart of a liberal arts education. The interest in diversity also stems from the College’s concern for social justice; we recognize the lengthy history of discrimination and restricted opportunity. By making the commitment to diversity, the College plays its part in reversing the impact of that history, and thereby provides new hope to succeeding generations of scholars.

In order to establish and maintain a diverse staff, the College has established Affirmative Action policies and procedures for US racial minorities and women. Implementation of these policies and procedures advances the College’s ability to recruit, employ and nurture persons in these groups at all levels, particularly where they are underrepresented. The value of diversity will be an integral element in the evaluation of all applicants. Through this Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Policy, the College institutionalizes an ongoing commitment to standards and practices to ensure the institution’s access to the skills and vitality of the entire population, as well as ensuring the general population’s access to employment at Macalester.

DEFINITIONS

Affirmative Action: Intentional and purposeful actions or policy that guide and promote employment opportunity for individuals from historically underrepresented identities. They include, but are not limited to, the following elements:

1. performing an analysis of the staff to determine whether females or US racial minorities are underrepresented relative to United States census data;

2. scrutinizing employment practices, procedures, or conditions which have resulted in under- representation;

3. increasing visibility of employment opportunities to reach target applicants. Tactics could include, advertising and networking with appropriate professional associations, community organizations, or publications;

4. establishing formal policies and procedures to guide department managers in carrying out their responsibilities in hiring, retaining and advancement that uphold the principles of non- discrimination and that are uniformly applied to all applicants and staff;

5. evaluating and measuring the College’s efforts.

Equal Opportunity: Administering programs and treating all persons without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, membership or activity in a local commission dealing with discrimination issues, disability, sexual orientation, age, and veteran’s status, except where such a distinction is required by law or proved to be a bona fide occupational qualification. This shall not exclude from consideration the value of an individual’s ability to enhance service to the College and performance of their job responsibilities as a result of their diverse background.

Minority: The term minority for our purposes refers to “deep American minorities” which generally includes US citizens who identify themselves as belonging to one or several of the following population groups as defined by Federal agencies:

  • African American (Black–Not of Hispanic Origin) A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.
  • Asian or Pacific Islander- A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent or the Pacific Islands.
  • Latino/a (Hispanic)–A person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Caribbean, Central or South American or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
  • Native American (American Indian or Alaskan Native)–A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America, and who maintain cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community recognition.

Staff Affirmative Action Working Group (SAAWG): The Staff Affirmative Action Working Group is committed to upholding Macalester’s commitment to diversity and equity. We aim to facilitate inclusion through equitable working, learning, and living environments. We promote the benefits of robust diversity as a key strategic initiative, and strive to bring equity to the forefront of everyday decisions in the workplace. We do this by raising awareness among staff members about Macalester’s diversity initiatives, facilitating inclusive hiring practices across campus, and educating on the benefits of affirmative action policies.

STAFF RECRUITMENT STATEMENT

Macalester College is a voluntary affirmative action and equal opportunity employer strongly committed to providing equal access to employment for all people regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, membership or activity in a local commission dealing with discrimination issues, disability, sexual orientation, age, and veteran’s status. It is the policy of the College to hire people who are qualified for employment as determined by the qualifications outlined for each position at the time of recruitment. Every effort is made to place people in positions that best utilize their abilities and in which they will be able to achieve both personal and professional satisfaction. Each Staff hiring opportunity will follow a uniform, multi-step process [1] facilitated by Employment Services. A distinguishing element of the staff hiring process, is the purposeful partnering of a SAAWG representative with hiring managers to engage in a collaborative approach that is mindful of our commitment to diversity.

While selection authority rests with the hiring manager, hiring processes will utilize several evaluative factors as appropriate, including identified skill sets, work and educational experience, interview results, references, background check and consultation between the hiring manager, SAAWG representative and the Employment Services Department representative.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR POLICY AND PROGRAM

  • Board of Trustees and the President: As the ultimate institutional authority for the College, the Board of Trustees has charged the President with the responsibility and authority to ensure that there is a significant presence of women and minority persons in the faculty, student body, and staff. The President is responsible for supporting all affirmative action policies and procedures by allocating appropriate resources to implement efforts, and by directing members of senior staff to develop and appraise affirmative action efforts for the divisions under their supervision. The President will review affirmative action efforts and report any significant problems or achievements to the Board.
  • Director of Employment Services: The Director of Employment Services will be responsible for the development, maintenance and implementation of policies, practices and procedures in pursuit of EEO and Affirmative Action hiring efforts.
  • Hiring Manager: the hiring manager is responsible for managing their respective hiring processes in accordance with the stated principles of this policy and adhering to identified processes and procedures adopted in pursuit of the College’s desire for a diverse staff.
  • SAAWG Representative: Representatives are responsible for facilitating the mitigation of bias through conscious evaluation and decision making with hiring managers in pursuit of Macalester’s EEO and Affirmative Action policy and procedures for staff hiring.

[1] See Staff Hiring Process available in Employment Services