Users Guide to the Principles for Professional Conduct
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Principles for Career Services Professionals
6. Compliance with EEO and AA principles
"Career services professionals will maintain EEO compliance and follow affirmative action principles in career services activities in a manner that includes the following:
a) Referring all interested students for employment opportunities without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, or disability, and providing reasonable accommodations upon request;
b) Notifying employing organizations of any selection procedures that appear to have an adverse impact based upon the student's race, color, national origin, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, or disability;
c) Assisting recruiters in accessing certain groups on campus to provide a more inclusive applicant pool;
d) Informing all students about employment opportunities, with particular emphasis on those employment opportunities in occupational areas where certain groups of students are underrepresented;
e) Developing awareness of, and sensitivity to, cultural differences and the diversity of students, and providing responsive services;
f) Responding to complaints of EEO noncompliance, working to resolve such complaints with the recruiter or employing organization, and, if necessary, referring such complaints to the appropriate campus department or agency." (See Employer Principle 6, See Third Party Principle 3)
(Intent / Rationale / Resources)
The recruitment of students from colleges will be carried out in a manner mirroring the standards of justice in the American employment system.
Inherent in this entire principle is the notion that employment
justice, as currently defined and implemented by the American
court system, adheres to the notion that
1) hiring must be done in a nondiscriminatory manner (EEO) and
2) American society has the moral obligation to remedy the effects
of past employment discrimination, known as compensatory justice.
While there is much debate about the merits of affirmative action,
its moral foundation is a basic tenet of this association.
The challenge to career services offices is posed by the apparent contradiction between the messages of this principle and the notion of providing equal services to all students. Sections (c) and (d) of this principle are at the core of this dilemma. Section (c) directs or at least legitimizes that career services professionals reach out to minority group members, though the purpose is to broaden the pool of applicants. That implies that the pool needs broadening. This is comparable to stating, "Women and minorities are encouraged to apply," in a job listing. The concern may be "will nonminority students take this to mean they should not bother to apply?" And if so, what can the career services office do to make sure that all students know that their applications are welcomed? At the same time, would a nonminority student be justified in claiming that by aiding employers in accessing minority students, the career services professional is not providing equal treatment?
In short, adhering to section (c) does not automatically mean unfair treatment for nonminority students. The key is in how the career services office works with the employer. Minority-only recruiting schedules would not be an acceptable response. Notifying only minority students about a company’s visit would likewise be inappropriate. On the other hand, directing the employer to the campus’s minority student adviser in an effort to "spread the word" would certainly be an acceptable step. Working with the minority student adviser to determine if his/her clientele felt disenfranchised from campus services, including the career services office, and subsequently reaching out to bring these students into the recruitment process would also be a defendable practice. (Note: Career services offices also make this sort of effort with certain traditionally "underserved" student groups, such as commuters and humanities majors.)
Section (d) expresses the duality of this principle but also offers an acceptable, even laudable rationale. It begins by reaffirming the underlying value system of the profession, i.e., full and equal opportunity for all students. It implies that notifying only minorities or women about certain jobs or organizations is not the intention of this principle. At the same time, it reminds us that access for women and minorities to certain fields has been traditionally limited or blocked, either intentionally or through the belief that these fields were "off limits." This section promotes the idea that employer affirmative action programs can be assisted if career services professionals alert minorities and women to the opportunities that they may have ruled out. White males generally do not need to be told that they can become engineers, geologists, dentists, or other professionals. However, the career services professional’s educational mission may include reaching out to minority group members and alerting them to the possibility of these career directions and opportunities.
Kaplan, Rochelle. "Stay Within the Law While Building a Diverse Work Force." Spotlight. September 1, 2000.
Kaplan, Rochelle. "U.S. Supreme Court Clarifies Sexual Harassment issues for Employers, Colleges." Journal Career Planning and Employment. Fall 1998.
NACE. "College Nondiscrimnation Policy."
Principle 7. Disclosure
of student information
