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Contact Information:

Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity
Slagle Hall, Room 135
414 East Clark
Vermillion, SD 57069
phone: 605-677-5651
fax: 605-677-6630
equalopp@usd.edu

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Last Modified: 01/21/04

definitions

Accessibility: A disabled individual's ability to approach, enter, and use an employer's facilities, such as reception areas, employment offices and the actual job site.

Affirmative Action: Proactively hiring and promoting qualified individuals in protected groups such as minorities, disabled veterans, Vietnam-era veterans and women.

American Indian or Alaska Native: Persons with origins in the original peoples of the North, South or Central Americas who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment.

Asian: Persons with origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, Japan, India, Malaysia, Korea, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam and the other Philippine Islands.

Black or African American: Persons with origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.

Disabled Veteran: A person entitled to disability compensation under laws administered by the Veteran's Administration for disability rated at 30 per centum or more, or a person whose discharge or release from active duty was for a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.

Discrimination: The illegal treatment of a person or a group of persons based on a prohibited factor. Prohibited factors include race, national origin, color, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, or veteran status.

Equal Employment Opportunity: The employment system where no persons are excluded
from consideration for employment, promotion, or other benefits of employment because of their race, national origin, color, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, or veteran status. Laws are enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Handicapped Individual: The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, defines a "handicapped" individual for any purpose of the program as any person who (1) has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of such person's major life activities; (2) has a record of such impairments; or (3) is regarded as having such impairment.

Hispanic or Latino: Persons of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South American, Central
American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.

Hostile Environment: An environment which is intimidating, or demeaning and interferes
with a person's ability to participate in or to realize the intended benefits of an institutional
activity, employment or resource.

Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander: Persons with origins in any of the original
peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.

Quid Pro Quo: an equal exchange or substitution.

Sexual Harassment: Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other
verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when (1) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment, (2) submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as a basis for employment decisions affecting such individual or, (3) such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work environment. (EEOC guideline definition of sexual harassment).

Vietnam-Era Veteran: A person who served on active duty for a period of more than 180 days, any part of which occurred between August 5, 1964 and May 7 1975.

White: Persons with origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa or the Middle East.