Open Discussion Set for June 17 for Community Members to Share Concerns about Incidents of Harassment or Discrimination on Campus

Dear Duke Community Member:

The Duke Office for Institutional (“OIE”) implements the Duke Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment, and Related Misconduct (“the Policy”). This Policy prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or veteran status (collectively, “protected status” or “protected characteristics”). This prohibition includes discrimination and harassment based on the perception of an individual’s protected status, even if that perception is incorrect.

Our office is interested in hearing from students, faculty and non-faculty staff regarding any concerns or incidents of harassment or discrimination prohibited under the Policy. This includes, but is not limited to, sexual harassment, harassment or discrimination based on race, anti-Semitic harassment or other harassment or discrimination based on religion, national origin, age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status.

Examples of prohibited conduct includes:

• The repeated use of racial epithets or sex based slurs.
• Repeated instances of anti-Semitic slurs directed toward an individual, regardless of whether that individual is Jewish.
• The repeated use of disparaging or negative comments about anyone based upon their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.
• Refusing to hire, promote or provide some other work or educational benefit based upon an individual’s religion, national origin, age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status.

In an effort to provide an opportunity for the community to share such concerns, OIE will host a meeting (via Zoom) for any student, faculty or non-faculty staff to discuss incidents of harassment. OIE appreciates the sensitivity surrounding sharing information about possible harassment. In order to facilitate a level of privacy, those who wish to share will have the opportunity to share the incidents with an OIE compliance staff member or via OIE’s “help” e-mail address, which is copied here: oie-help@duke.edu

The meeting will be held on June 17, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. The deadline to register is June 15, 2021. To register for the meeting, you can click on the link below:

https://duke.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwsf-ysqTwoEtwQ8pywo5mkON-d1lGnI3Up

Once registered, you will receive an email reply from Zoom that will include a unique link for the meeting.

Thank you for your continued support in sustaining a Duke community that is inclusive, diverse, equitable and free from prohibited discrimination and harassment.

Sincerely,

Kimberly D. Hewitt, J.D.
Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer