Why does the university request personal demographic information such as my sex, race, ethnicity, veteran status, and disability status?
Collecting this data provides the university as well as state and federal agencies, an opportunity to assess whether our recruitment, retention, and other employee processes are effective at ensuring equal employment opportunity.
The university is a federal and state contractor, which means that it receives funds from the federal government and the State of Ohio in the form of financial aid, service contracts, research funds, and grants. The government, granting agencies, as well as accrediting bodies often require the university to complete assurances; which often include a statement of compliance and information to verify that the university maintains compliance with state and federal civil rights laws.
The university is required to submit reports to federal agencies that include aggregate data on employee demographics. The university does not submit individually-identifying information.
Which laws require the university to collect personal demographic information?
As a federal contractor, the university is subject to Presidential Executive Order 11246 and the regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the U.S. Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). Per the OFCCP, “Executive Order 11246 requires affirmative action and prohibits federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.”
The university is also required to file annual IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) reports with the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) containing summary data about its employees (e.g.: type of job held, sex, race, and ethnicity).
Both regulatory mandates require the university to collect data within the demographic categories provided by these federal requirements, but the university recognizes that these categories, particularly the sex, race, and ethnicity categories, do not necessarily embrace the full diversity of our workforce.
Who has access to employee demographic information and how is it used?
The university treats all self-disclosed demographic information as private, but it may be used to inform EEO and diversity efforts and could be subject to public records requests.
The information is used by the university to provide compliance reports to government agencies, granting agencies, and accrediting bodies. Individual employment data gathered through the self-identification questionnaire is not available to appointing authorities, search committees, or supervisors.
As required by federal law, the university uses employee demographic data to develop a yearly Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) which includes information on the university’s action-oriented programs designed to increase outreach to women, underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and protected veterans. These reports help the university comply with federal regulations by monitoring the impact of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) efforts.
Could the university choose to not collect personal demographic information and decline to report it to the government, granting agencies, and accrediting bodies?
The university’s failure to collect and report employee demographic information would result in the loss of eligibility for government funding, including financial aid, research funds, and service contracts. This would jeopardize research, educational, and professional opportunities for our students, faculty, and staff and impede our efforts to recruit and retain a qualified workforce that reflects the diversity of our community.
May I choose not to disclose my personal demographic information?
Yes. Submission of this information is voluntary and refusal to provide it will not subject you to any discipline or adverse treatment.
How are my demographics reported if I do not voluntarily disclose them?
The university is still required to report employee demographic information to the government, granting agencies, and accrediting bodies even if an individual does not voluntarily self-disclose them. If an individual does not self-identify their demographics, the university will input the information on their behalf based on post-employment records or other means the university has available.
Can I later self-disclose or change my identified demographics?
Yes. Employees can change their demographics selections at any time in Workday. The university will always prioritize reporting the demographics self-disclosed by an employee over those gathered through visual identification.
If the university identifies my demographics for compliance reporting, will this information be available and used in internal reports?
No. The visually identified demographics will ONLY be used for compliance reports and employees will continue to be identified as undeclared in all other internal reports.
Does collecting personal demographic information violate the university’s nondiscrimination policy?
The university does not use demographic information to discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or any other bases protected by law.
Why are both current employees and new employees being asked to provide personal demographic information?
Federal regulations require that we give applicants and new employees an opportunity to complete voluntary self-identification forms.
For some of the demographic categories, answers may change over time and employees can update their identity at any time in Workday.
Where can I find out more about the laws and regulations that require the University to collect this personal demographic information?
The following links are to relevant federal regulations and state laws:
Federal Affirmative Action Regulations
Contact
For additional questions, contact the Office of Institutional Equity at aaeeo@osu.edu.