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Affirmative Action Committee

The Affirmative Action Committee’s mission is to help develop, refine and monitor University of Illinois Extension equal opportunity plans for programs and employment. The Committee is responsible for assisting both campus and field staff to meet or exceed all state and federal affirmative action guidelines.

The committee strives to complete its mission in a professional and efficient manner through communications and activities that are available to all staff within the University of Illinois Extension system.

Definition of Affirmative Action

Actions taken to eliminate the effects of past and present discrimination, intended or unintended, that are evident by analysis of present practices and policies.

Affirmative Action became law in 1965, when employers who receive federal funds were required to establish goals for representation of women and minorities.

Source: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/intranet/ifiles/commteamres/AffirmativeFAQ.doc

Mission

Affirmative Action is responsible for helping to develop, refine and monitor University of Illinois Extension equal opportunity plans for programs and employment.

Source: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/intranet/intranet.cfm?s=committee_detail&CommitteeID=1

The primary goal of affirmative action is to ensure that minorities and females have the opportunity to benefit from Extension programs. When we are planning, we must consider the needs of groups that have been traditionally underserved. This can have implication for how we plan and deliver programs.

Specific Duties

All University of Illinois Extension employees have some degree of responsibility to provide equal opportunity in program delivery and access. This includes seeking out underrepresented groups within our clientele; identifying, planning and modifying programs to better serve their needs; making sure underrepresented groups are aware of our services and their availability.

Because some underrepresented groups may have been denied access (either intentionally or unintentionally) to our programs in the past and may not be adequately represented in our program planning processes, we must make an extra effort to reach out. In many areas, both rural and urban, this means we must reach out to women and minorities in order to appropriately serve them.

The Affirmative Action Committee has the following duties:

• Offer recommendations on refining and improving the Affirmative Action Manual for Extension Programs, the Preparation Guide for Affirmative Action Program Reviews, the Program for Equal Employment Opportunity, the Affirmative Action Program Review Guide and the Equal Employment Opportunity Counselors Handbook Coordinate statewide Extension affirmative action/equal opportunity efforts.
• Assist Extension staff with implementing the equal opportunity plans for program and employment.
• Assist with the development and delivery of affirmative action/equal opportunity professional development opportunities for off campus staff.
• Pilot-test new affirmative action initiatives that are not ready for statewide adoption.
• Assist Extension in developing affirmative action/equal opportunity materials.
• Review and make recommendations for strengthening affirmative action/equal opportunity materials.
• Coordinate program reviews, as requested.
• Monitor progress in implementing affirmative action/equal opportunity plans Assist with EEO Counselor and related affirmative action training.

Source: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/intranet/intranet.cfm?s=committee_detail&CommitteeID=1

Appointments and Funding

• Members will be appointed to four-year terms, beginning September 1.
• Appointments will be staggered.
• Previous year's chairperson serves as an ex-officio member of the committee.
• Ex-officio members may serve indefinitely.
• Each year the committee will select a chairperson and a secretary.
• Funding will be provided for committee members to attend four, one-day meetings per year.

Source: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/intranet/intranet.cfm?s=committee_detail&CommitteeID=1

For a list of members, please click here.