Affirmative Action - actions undertaken with conviction and effort to overcome effects of past practices, policies or barriers to equal employment opportunity; employment equity initiatives, creation of a diverse workforce (some legally or compliance driven), measures to actively promote under-represented groups to ensure that a workforce reflects the community

Anti-Bias - an active approach to challenging prejudice, stereotyping, bias and the “isms”

Attitudes - an overall learned core disposition which guides an individual’s thoughts, feelings and actions towards specific others and objects

Civil Service - Constitution of the State of New York (Article V, Section 6) mandates that “appointments and promotions in the civil service of the State and all of the civil divisions thereof, including cities and villages, shall be made according to merit and fitness to be ascertained, as far as practicable, by examination which, as far as practicable, shall be competitive.”

Competency - a skill or focused grouping of skills or knowledge that facilitates the performance of a role by an individual; competencies are internal capabilities which individuals bring to their jobs; capabilities which may be expressed in a broad, even finite, array of on-the-job behaviors

Culture - is a frame of reference consisting of learned patterns of behavior, values, assumptions and meaning; they are shared to varying degrees of interest, importance and awareness with members of a group; it is expressed in what we do, how we do it, what we say, and how we say it; it is how we identify ourselves

Dimensions - race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion, creed, marital status, disability (including HIV infection and AIDS), ethnicity, physical or mental abilities, real or perceived sexual orientation, ex-offender status as a Vietnam era or a special disabled veteran

Discrimination - refers to judgements about individuals that spring from prejudice rather than merit and thus restrict their rights or otherwise exclude, penalize or exploit them; unequal treatment of workers because of race, religion, nationality, gender, appearance, membership, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or some other unfair bias

Diversity – the condition of being different or having differences within, among and between people; the essence of diversity is recognizing and responding to the needs of different cultural and occupational groups within the workforce so that they will stay with an employer, be productive and have effective working relationships; diversity focuses on a broader set of issues than does equal opportunity or affirmative action; various diversity dimensions include race, gender, national origin, religion, age, ability, veteran status, ethnicity, real or perceived sexual orientation, educational background, income, marital status, military experience, communication style, work style, etc

Equal Opportunity - Equal opportunity is a legally mandated employment practice that prohibits an employer from segregating, classifying or limiting job applicants or employees based on their age, race, color, national origin, gender, veteran status, disability or religion in any manner that would deprive them of employment or adversely affect their status as employees. New York State and Tompkins County law also includes the area of marital status, ex-offender status and sexual orientation. 

Equity Principle - the principles that underlie anti-discrimination laws and practices - that all employees must be treated equally and afforded equal opportunity 

Human Rights – Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) Article 1-30, all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights; endowed with reason and conscience; encompasses a broad spectrum of economic, social, cultural, political and civil rights

Inclusion - the behaviors and practices that seek out, invite, welcome, allow, engage, involve or in other ways include the participation of others in information sharing, events, dialogue, input, creative initiatives, support, problem solving, decision making, and sharing of resources and control

Minority – in a strict sense, minority is defined as a smaller number than the majority, however in the context of affirmative action a definition commonly used is “groups that have experienced oppression or have limited to no power or influence”

Multicultural Education – is a long term life commitment and dynamic process; it is for all people, inclusive, beginning of self respect and respect of other culture, it is building awareness, respect, interest and appreciation of the cultures of a variety of racial, ethnic and social groups and a willingness to create policies, programming and practices that that encourage the expression, exchange of information and inclusion of differing cultural perspectives

Prejudice – to pre-judge; any preconceived opinion of feeling, favorable or unfavorable, formed without knowledge, thought or reason (stereotype)

Race – a local, geographic or global human population distinguished as a more or less distinct group by genetically transmitted physical characteristics. Race has also been defined as a group of people united or classified together on the basis of common history, nationality or geographic distribution

Racism – Prejudice PLUS power; the systematic mistreatment of any group of people which isolates and divides human beings from each other; the systematic discrimination and exploitation of human beings on the basis of race…etc 

Valuing Diversity - the recognition that it is not only ethical and fair to make one’s organization accessible to all people, but that their differences in identity, perspective, background and style are in fact valuable qualities and human resources that can significantly enrich and strengthen the organization and its capacity to achieve excellence

If you have ideas or suggestions for this of terms and definitions, feel free to contact Diane Bradac or Naomi Arndt at 274-5590 or 5591. Thank you.