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Affirmative Action & Hiring

Affirmative Action & Hiring

IU’s commitment to equal opportunity and affirmative action

Among IU’s core values is the diversity of community and ideas. The university is committed to cultivating an environment where differences are celebrated, and everyone is valued for their unique contributions.

IU is dedicated to providing equal access to our employment environment while at the same time taking affirmative actions to recruit and retain outstanding female faculty and staff as well as those historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, veterans, and persons with disabilities in compliance with its Non-Discrimination/Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Policy, Executive Order 11246 (as amended by 11375), Section 402 of the Veterans Readjustment Act, and Section 503 of Rehabilitation Act.

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What our office does

We are responsible for monitoring overall employment practices at Indiana University and driving initiatives to recruit applicants from underrepresented groups including women, racial and ethnic minorities, veterans, and individuals with disabilities. As part of that work, we collect and analyze IU’s applicant and employee data; develop an annual Affirmative Action Plan for IU Bloomington, and educate IU Bloomington community on affirmative action initiatives and best practices for recruiting a diverse workforce.

For assistance with creating an inclusive search, writing position descriptions, and ensuring bias-free interviewing, please contact our office at oie@iu.edu or 812-855-7559.

General search guidelines

We believe that to find the best candidate for a position, search committees must ensure that applicant pools are as inclusive as possible.

To achieve that, search committees should use multiple search strategies and multiple forms of advertisement and announcement. The position announcement should be free of bias language and clearly distinguish between required and desirable qualifications.

Required language

Indiana University requires that all employment announcements advertised outside the university contain the following wording:

"Indiana University is an equal employment and affirmative action employer and a provider of ADA services. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment based on individual qualifications. Indiana University prohibits discrimination based on age, ethnicity, color, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, disability status or protected veteran status."

To emphasize IU’s commitment to diversity, we also encourage the use of additional wording including:

Indiana University is committed to excellence through diversity.
Indiana University has a strong commitment to principles of diversity and in that spirit seeks a broad spectrum of candidates including women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.
Indiana University encourages applications from candidates with diverse cultural backgrounds.

General screening guidelines

Indiana University policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, color, disability, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

It is essential that all screening criteria reflect the content of the position description and departmental needs. Interview questions should be consistent with all candidates, and all questions should be free of bias.

Indiana University is an equal employment and affirmative action employer and a provider of ADA services. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment based on individual qualifications. Indiana University prohibits discrimination based on age, ethnicity, color, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, disability status, or protected veteran status. Indiana University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational programs and activities, including employment and admission, as required by Title IX. Questions or complaints regarding Title IX may be referred to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights or the university Title IX Coordinator. See Indiana University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination here which includes contact information.

The Annual Security Reports, containing policy statements and crime statistics for Indiana University campuses, are available through Public Safety and the IU Police Department websites at protect.iu.edu/police-safety/annual-reports/index.html. A paper copy will be provided upon request from Public Safety at iups@iu.edu