AAAA President's Corner

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 AAAA President’s Corner
November 2012
 The American Association forAffirmative Action congratulates President Barack Obama on his re-election tohis second term as the 44^th President of the United States ofAmerica.  During our 2012 NationalConference (“The Fierce Urgency of Now: The Economic Case for EEO, AffirmativeAction and Diversity”), in Washington, DC this past June, we focused on thedemographic trends in America.  We did sobecause the work that we do regarding access, equity and diversity, has made itvery clear to us for some time that business, education and government cannotafford to side step this predictability.  Recent demographic changes inAmerica represent the people that made it possible for Mr. Obama to succeed bygarnering the majority electoral as well as the majority popular vote onNovember 6, 2012.
The United States of Americais rapidly becoming a minority-majority, and women, the GBLT community, and thegreat diversity in the Generation X must be included in the governance of thiscountry for us to maintain global leadership status with respect to economics,education, science, medicine, technology, and employment.
America has to make criticalinvestments and pay attention to our future leaders and decision makers toimprove the quality of life for everyone. That is why equal opportunity, affirmative action, and diversity areimperative tools that go beyond being morally correct. They are necessary toour nation’s social, economic, and political survival.
Please spread the word toyour friends, colleagues, community organizations and anyone who will listen,that we will partner with groups and organizations to champion this nation’sneed to authentically address demographic challenges.  We salute the University of Texas at Austinfor understanding the demographic reality and its bold admissions policy toaccommodate demographic changes.  Forthis reason we submitted an Amicus Curie Brief in the Fisher v. University of TexasCase.
May 6 – 10, 2013, we will hostour 39^th Annual Conference (“Diversity on Trial: The Compelling Casefor Affirmative Action in Education and the Workplace.”), in San Antonio,Texas.   Make certain you join us to learn and to makeyour voice heard in concert with the AAAA national movement. Gregory T. Chambers

Michigan will 'wait and see' how affirmative action fares in federal courts before changing policy

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By KellieWoodhouse, Higher education reporter

University officials are hesitant to reinstate formerly used affirmative action policies due to the possibility the ruling could be further appealed and because of an ongoing U.S. Supreme Court case that is examining the lawfulness of affirmative action.



Full Story:
http://www.annarbor.com/news/mary-sue-coleman-michigan-will-wait-and-see-how-affirmative-action-fares-in-federal-courts-before-ch/

Webinar: Worker's Compensation Update March 30th

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It is important to clarify when employees are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits and explain what you should and shouldn’t do if an employee is injured on the job. This seminar will discuss:


• When is an employee eligible for worker's compensation benefits?
• Dos and Don'ts when an employee gets injured on the job.
• 2011 changes to the workers' compensation system.
• New legislation and court rulings from 2010.
• Why offer modified work, and what to do when it is refused by your employee.
• Communicating with your injured workers – how and why.

HRCI Approved:
The use of this seal is not an endorsement by the HR Certification Institute of the quality of the program. It means that this program has met the HR Certification Institute’s criteria to be pre-approved for recertification.

Speaker: Steven Roberts Esq
Date: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 At 12:00 PM
Duration: 1 Hour

Mr. Roberts is a partner in the workers’ compensation defense firm of Yrulegui and Roberts. He is certified by The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in Workers’ Compensation.

He has full range of trial experience including all phases of workers’ compensation litigation; appellate court hearings and Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board trials.

Registration information Click Here



Established in 1937, CEA is a non-profit association providing personalized and cost effective comprehensive information, services, and training for all aspects of human resources management,California Labor Law and relations solutions throughout California. Located throughout the state, CEA’s staff of regional directors draw upon more than 150 years combined knowledge and experience to assist in all aspects of employer-employee relations.

For more information please contact:
Scott J. Dear, Director of Membership Services
Toll free 1-800-399-5331 or 916-921-1312
Mobile 916-281-5898
Email: sdear@employers.org
Website: www.employers.org
Twitter: Caemployers

Think You Know an Employee's "Age"? Don't Be So Sure

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The article below addresses key points related to UIC HR policy102 that provides a nondiscrimination statement that applies to admissions, employment, access to, and treatment in the University programs and activities. Age is one of the protected classes under Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Amendments.
From Diversity Executive

By Frank Kalman 11/5/12
A recent study unearths myriad ways to look at a person’s age. Consider this to drive engagement and performance. Age in the workplace is far more complicated than adding up the number of birthdays an employee has celebrated. Not only is age a measure of how old an employee is, but it’s also a measure of energy, career trajectory, company tenure and more.Read more http://www.diversity-executive.com/articles/view/think-you-know-an-employee-s-age-don-t-be-so-sure/?interstitial=dwb110512

Update on the Revised Nepotism Management Process

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Robert A. Crouch, Assistant Vice President for Human Resources
As a result of feedback received from stakeholders across the campus, UIC Human Resources (UIC HR) convened a team of human resource professionals to analyze the Civil Service hiring process. The project team was charged with finding ways to streamline the hiring process to create a system that is more efficient and effective.

Mapping each step, the team took a critical look at the entire hiring process and identified several opportunities to make the process more efficient. One step identified as adding a significant amount of time to the process is the completion of the nepotism form. Although this is a necessary step in the process, the team discovered that the requirement for numerous signatures could add six to eight weeks to the hiring cycle.  
A key contributing factor to the slowdown in the current process is the need for multiple signatures. In certain cases up to as many as 10 signatures were needed. After evaluating the form and the signature and approval processes, the team discovered an opportunity for streamlining the hiring cycle time by reducing the number of signatures required to complete the form, and received approval from the Ethics Office to make the changes.
In the new process, only the signatures of the employees involved and the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, and/or Assistant Vice President for Human Resources, and/or Head of Student Employment are required, and PDF’s, rather than a single circulated hard-copy, are acceptable. It is no longer necessary to obtain the signatures of multiple layers of supervision as in the past. In the revised process, once the necessary signatures are received, department heads and supervisors will receive an electronic copy of the completed nepotism agreement via an email from the appropriate campus unit. This will significantly shorten the entire process, allowing units to onboard new hires in a more timely fashion.
The revised forms and corresponding instruction sheets are available on the UIC HR website under ‘HR Forms’. If you have any policy questions or issues, you may direct them to Dan Harper, Associate Director of Labor & Employee Relations at djharper@uillinois.edu or 312.413.4788. Processing questions may be directed to Susan Balmes, HR Associate at balmes@uillinois.edu or 312.355.5230.
Positive feedback has already been received from colleagues regarding these process changes and within a few weeks of implementation, the usual process time has been reduced from several weeks to two days or less. Please know that UIC HR is committed to continuous process improvement and we will continue to explore opportunities to provide more timely and effective support.

Supreme Court affirmative action ruling won’t affect UTD

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The Mercury
Posted: Monday, November 26, 2012 11:46 am
Meera Iyengar

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision of Fisher v. University of Texas, when implemented, will not affect UTD.The case involves the legality of affirmative action, an option that encourages employers and admission committees to increase the representation of minority groups in companies and schools. Plaintiff Abigail Fisher filed her lawsuit against UT Austin in 2008 because she believed the university did not admit her because she is white. Because Fisher did not fall under the top 10 percent of her graduating class, admission factors were based on leadership roles, extracurricular activities, volunteering, SAT scores and, according to Fisher, race.  Full Story: http://www.utdmercury.com/news/article_6ad34cf4-37f1-11e2-9d4e-001a4bcf6878.html

Affirmative Action's Push-Pull on Diversity in Higher Education

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Huff Post College the Blog
Posted: 11/13/2012 6:55 pm
Jackie Jenkins-Scott
President, Wheelock College

Last Tuesday's election showed us how the face of our country is changing. We saw the most diverse electorate in the history of the country with increases in the Latino and Asian American vote, and the African American vote at 13 percent -- the same high level as in the 2008 election. Notably, whites made up their lowest voting population ever at 72 percent of the electorate.
How do these shifting demographics impact higher education and affirmative action? The affirmative action case of Fisher v. University of Texas currently before the United States Supreme Court is a hot topic in higher education.

Full Story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jackie-jenkinsscott/college-affirmative-action_b_2121560.html