Overview

Mission and Duties

• The Office will complement Penn’s already robust efforts to address bias and create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all students, irrespective of their national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics).
• To ensure uniformity and fairness, the Office will replace existing school-specific processes and have exclusive, University-wide authority as the initial point of contact and review for relevant complaints from all Penn community members (regardless of school affiliation) regarding any member(s) of the Penn community (students, faculty, or staff).
• The Office will create and make the campus aware of easily accessible incident reporting mechanisms for members of the Penn community to have a clear way to report incidents of relevant discrimination.
• The Office will have the authority to: (1) receive and investigate complaints confidentially; (2) attempt mediation among the relevant parties; (3) dismiss the complaint; and (4) refer or bring a complaint to the appropriate disciplinary process and/or law enforcement.
• In partnership with other stakeholders, including the Office of the Provost, the Office of Equal Opportunity, and the Office of Institutional Research & Analysis, this Office will:  (1) develop and deliver trainings to educate the Penn community on discrimination, bias and hate based on shared ancestry, religion, and national origin, and (2) conduct “campus climate” surveys to assess progress and identify religious inclusivity challenges.
• The Office will prepare and maintain records of all complaints and reports received alleging relevant discrimination, and will provide periodic updates on trends (as illuminated by the results of the surveys) to the President and the Board, along with recommendations for further action.