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Equal Opportunity and Access
Equity & Engagement

  2. Compliance
  3. EEO Program

EEO Program

The Equal Opportunity and Access Office (EOA) is responsible for developing, implementing and monitoring Vanderbilt’s Affirmative Action Programs, pursuant to the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program (OFCCP) guidelines.

OFCCP created its guidelines pursuant to Executive Order 11246 (Order), which prohibits federal contractors, such as Vanderbilt, from discriminating against any employee or applicant for employment, based on race, sex, religion, color or national origin. In addition, the Order requires federal contractors to take affirmative action to recruit and advance qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities and covered veterans. The intent of affirmative action is to promote education and employment access to historically socio-politically non-dominant groups. The motivation is to redress the effects of past and current wrongful discrimination and to encourage institutions, such as universities, to be more representative of the population.

The implementation and monitoring of Vanderbilt’s affirmative action efforts is accomplished through Vanderbilt’s Affirmative Action Programs (AAP). The AAP is a set of specific and result-oriented procedures that commits a federal contractor such as Vanderbilt to assure equal opportunity in employment throughout Vanderbilt's workforce.

An Affirmative Action Plan (Plan) must be developed for the following groups:

  • Minorities and women (41 CFR 60-1 and 60-2);
  • Special disabled veterans, Vietnam era veterans, and other covered veterans (41 CFR 60-250); and
  • Individuals with disabilities (41 CFR 60-741).

Affirmative Action procedures are incorporated into Vanderbilt's operations through its policies. In recruiting applicants, recruiters must follow Recruitment Procedures to guarantee each applicant has an equal opportunity to be considered. These efforts are necessary to ensuring that Vanderbilt’s Plan is sufficiently executed and that Vanderbilt is in compliance with federal law. The EOA retains and updates the Plan in the event agencies such as the OFCCP wish to conduct compliance reviews.