The College values a broad degree of human understanding amongst its community members: students, faculty, staff, visitors and alumni. A vibrant, productive learning environment requires a richness in the variety of voices and life experiences that are represented among us. For this reason, prejudice, discrimination, and bias related actions by community members or visitors and guests, based on race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, or criminal conviction, are counterproductive and harmful to the purposes of our educational community.
Non-Discrimination
SUNY Oswego values the contributions to learning for its members that result from maintaining a diverse student body, faculty and staff. SUNY Oswego does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, nationality, creed, color, sexual orientation, marital status, age or disability.
Bias
Any act of bias or inciting violence targeted toward an individual, a group of individuals or property based on actual or perceived identities so as to interfere with or limit the ability of an individual to participate in or benefit from the educational institution’s programs or activities
- Bias-related harassment or inciting violence through verbal, written (including electronic mail and/or digital communication), graphic or physical conduct that is sufficiently severe, pervasive, or persistent.
- Threatening, intimidating or fear provoking.
Bias-related crimes (also called hate crimes) are defined, when a person commits a specified offense and either:
- Intentionally selects the person against whom the offense is committed or intended to be committed in whole or in substantial part because of a belief or perception regarding their protected characteristic, regardless of whether the belief or perception is correct; or
- Intentionally commits the act or acts constituting the offense in whole or in substantial part because of a belief or perception regarding their protected characteristic, regardless of whether the belief or perception is correct.
Accessibility
Students with disabilities — like students from any other underrepresented group — bring experiences and perspectives that enrich our knowledge of the full range of the human condition. A disability may not necessarily be visible, or affect the participation of a student in your class. In order to ensure access to the curriculum, qualified students who have disabilities have the right to receive reasonable accommodations. This right is grounded in Federal legislation which protects the civil rights of Americans who have disabilities.
Title IX
Title IX is the federal anti- discrimination law. Title IX bans sex discrimination throughout our college and campus community -- in all programs and activities including, but not limited to, academic and athletic programs, financial aid and student records and accounts, health and counseling services, and housing and residence life programs. Title IX also prohibits sexual harassment, including sexual violence, which is a crime.
Preferred Name
The SUNY Oswego preferred first name policy allows students and employees to officially notify the college of their preferred first names, and have this change reflected in on-campus communication systems, as long as the preferred first name is not used for purposes of misidentification, fraud or misrepresentation and that the preferred first name meets community standards (e.g. not profane, obscene, or derived from hate-speech; and conform to technical requirements).
Attendance
Any student who is unable, because of military obligations (p. 59, 2020-21 Student Handbook) or religious beliefs (p. 60, 2020-21 Student Handbook), to attend classes on a particular day or days shall be excused from any examination or any study or work requirements because of such absence on the particular day or days. However, students must communicate with the faculty prior to the absence to make reasonable plans for making up the missed work.