Questions about this policy may be directed to: The Office of the Dean of the College
Haverford College is committed to freedom of thought, discourse and speech, and the rigorous pursuit of knowledge within the context of a deep concern for social and ethical issues. The College, furthermore, has established policies directed toward behaviors that interfere with these freedoms and concerns. Foremost among these policies is the College’s Statement of Non-Discrimination, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, color, age, religion, disability, genetic information, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. The College has also adopted the following policies concerning discrimination or harassment. A student equal opportunity grievance is a complaint regarding education or student life at Haverford College in which the student feels there has been discrimination or harassment by a member of the faculty, the administration, the staff, or a fellow student on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, age, religion, national or ethnic origin, and physical disability or handicap. Precise criteria for identifying discrimination and harassment are hard to establish. In general, discrimination or harassment may be said to occur when a student suffers a significant disadvantage at the College that results primarily from her or his sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, color, age, religion, national or ethnic origin, or physical disability or handicap. While the right to grieve is clearly established, the merits of each case have to be considered separately and with great care; moreover, the College is constrained by federal legislation and judicial decisions in this area.
The College encourages students with complaints of discriminatory behavior or harassment to file charges, but it must also protect the reputation of its staff, faculty, and administration as well as other students. Primary responsibility for preventing and remedying discrimination and harassment is in the hands of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Officers (currently Marilou Allen, Director of the Women’s Center; Danielle Macbeth, Professor of Philosophy; and Norm Medeiros, Associate Librarian).