How Can an Affirmative Action Representative Help Me?

Affirmative Action Representatives are available to listen and provide general information and advice regarding your concerns about discrimination. They can also provide you with options on what, if any, action you might want to take. That decision is yours, as long as you keep the conversation anonymous and non-specific. Initially you may not want to mention the name of the person who you feel has been discriminatory against you, until you have decided what action you feel most comfortable taking. Because discrimination is illegal, when the University learns who may be doing it, the University is legally obligated to take action.

If after talking to a representative, you choose to mention specific names, then the role of the representative changes. In this role, representatives listen to complaints, review and gather information by talking to you and the accused, and witnesses, if there are any. Representatives also keep records, give you information and advice, and attempt to help you achieve a satisfactory resolution to your complaint, if possible. The representative will probably use an Intake Form and an Information Checklist during the interview with you to ensure that they cover some important issues. These forms are also used to document what course of action you decide to follow. The representative will keep these forms for up to 30 calendar days while you decide whether or not to request the representative's services and proceed with the informal review process. If, at the end of the 30 days, no further action is requested, or if resolution was achieved without further action, the forms will be maintained in the UCD Staff Affirmative Action Manager's Office for statistical purposes or future informal resolution.