WSU Extension is committed to the realization of the spirit and letter of federal and state civil rights law and regulations. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and subsequent legislation prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, or disability.

The kinds of discrimination prohibited by WSU policy are those which occur on the basis of race, sex, religion, age, color, creed, national or ethnic origin; physical, mental or sensory disability; marital status, sexual orientation, and status as a Vietnam-era or disabled veteran.

The Smith-Lever Act and subsequent amendments dictate that Extension programs be designed to serve all the people. This includes all socio-economic classes as well as the protected classes identified in civil rights laws and regulations.

To fulfill the intent and requirements of civil rights laws and regulations, all paid and volunteer employees are expected to:

• Avoid discriminatory exclusion in both the workforce and program participation.
  
  
• Remediate situations in which there is underutilization or underrepresentation resulting from prior discrimination.

To fulfill these expectations:

• All paid and volunteer employees are expected to make all reasonable efforts to encourage people from underrepresented groups to seek employment in Extension and to participate in programs. All reasonable efforts include:
  
  Creating awareness (e.g. notification of opportunity by direct contact, mailings and mass media), assuring access (e.g. appropriate selection of time and location for events; preventing inappropriate pre-employment inquiries), providing utility (e.g. offering programs of interest to the targeted audience; using only bona fide occupational qualifications to evaluate candidates)
  
  
• All paid employees are expected to report clientele contacts by race and gender through the WEMIS monthly statistical summary of activities.
  
  
• All county offices are expected to develop a county civil rights plan and maintain documentation files to show that the plan is fully implemented and to provide an annual report of specific efforts made to implement the state and county plan.
  
  
• The Director's office is expected to develop a state civil rights plan and maintain documentation files to show that the plan is fully implemented.
  
  
• All faculty and staff are expected to participate in county civil rights reviews when selected.
  
  
• All administrative personnel are expected to review policies to assure compliance, inform employees and program participants of complaint procedures, and seek timely resolution of situations indicating non-compliance.
  
  
• All faculty and staff will be evaluated on their contribution to non-discrimination and affirmative action through the performance appraisal system.