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UIS students, community to
participate in National Family Volunteer Day
By Janee Mitchell
National Family Volunteer Day is
on Saturday Nov. 20. According to Betty McLean, community
service placement coordinator, the purpose of the National
Family Volunteer Day is “to encourage families to volunteer
together; it has been proven that adults who do volunteering do
it because they did it with their parents as children and return
to do it with their children.”
McLean said on this day, people
from all over the country help others through their
volunteering. To honor this day, the UIS community service team
has partnered with the local organization.
UIS has been involved with the
National Family Volunteer Day for 4 years. This year the theme
is “A Life of Committed Volunteerism begins with the Family.”
The Office of Student Volunteers
and Service Learning has begun recruitment for the special day
and are seeking 12-15 volunteers. Those wishing to volunteer
have until Thursday, Nov. 18. The volunteers will lend their
services to the parent place, located at 314 S. Grand Avenue
West, from 8 a.m. until noon.
National Family Volunteer Day is
held in coordination with the National Day of Service that was
organized by the Points of Life Foundation.
Volunteering is a legacy that
can be carried on through generations. For Further information
on the National Family Volunteer Day and ways to help contact
Betty McLean at 217-206-7716 or the local office at
217-546-5257.
Administrators discuss UIS policies on sexual
harassment, human rights, and disability rights
By Janee Mitchell
UIS held a seminar discussing
its sexual harassment, human rights and disability rights
policies on Nov. 8. The seminar was hosted by Associate
Chancellor for Access and Equal Opportunity Margaret Noe.
The purpose of the seminar was
to notify the UIS community of the existence of the three
policies. The seminar also revealed the appropriate channels to
go through in cases involving sexual harassment, human rights
and disability rights violations.
Noe said having policies on
these issues is “just the right thing to do.” She also said
instituting such policies are both responsible and called for by
law. Noe said there have not been many complaints on violations
of these rights and out of 50 cases each year only 2-5 are
serious complaints.
In reference to this matter Noe
said, “how we deal with it makes the difference.” The school
deals with these issues by informing students during orientation
and seminars such as this. New methods are also being sought to
better inform the UIS community.
UIS’ sexual harassment policy
states sexual harassment can include “repeated sexually explicit
derogatory statements, gestures or physical contacts which are
objectionable to the recipient and which cause discomfort or
humiliation.”
Noe said most people are
uncertain sexual harassment has occurred when the harassment is
not physical and are reluctant to report it as such. Also,
according to Noe, victims who fear retaliation should not be
deterred from reporting.
The sexual harassment policy
states, “retaliation is a basis for disciplinary action or
sanctions by the appropriate administrators.” There are also
sanctions imposed on individuals making false reports.
Noe discussed key federal and
state statutes during the seminar to add to the necessity of the
policies, such as The Equal Pay Act of 1963, Illinois Human
Rights Title VII/ Title IX, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Civil
Rights Act of 1964, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and
Age Discrimination Act of 1967.
Noe said the human rights policy
ensures that employers treat employees with respect, likewise
for student-administrator and student-faculty relationships. Noe
also said it is important for employers to deal with human
rights and sexual rights issues in order to keep a positive
morale and public image while eliminating possibilities of
reduced productivity and psychological effects.
Disability rights are in place
to ensure fair treatment and accessibility for disabled
individuals. The Office of Disability Services provides
assistance in completing assignments, doing research and other
activities that would make life for the disabled easier at UIS.
Noe stated the proper responses
when an individual feels a violation of rights has occurred: let
the person know you dislike their behavior, maintain a journal
of the behavior, confide in a friend, report to your supervisor,
report to the access and equal opportunity office and as a last
resort, report behavior to the Illinois Department of Human
Rights.
UIS has been hosting informative
seminars on its policies for 1½ years. The seminars are geared
toward staff training and student informing. The university uses
these seminars to make students and employees aware of the
policy and discuss liability under the policies.
Noe encourages students and
faculty with concerns of violations of the sexual harassment,
human rights or disability rights policies to contact the
graduate assistant Connie Hui at 217-206-6267 and go through the
proper channels discussed on receipt of the call. |
