About

“Words like ‘freedom,’ ‘justice,’ ‘democracy’ are not common concepts; on the contrary, they are rare. People are not born knowing what these are. It takes enormous and, above all, individual effort to arrive at the respect for other people that these words imply.”

-James Baldwin, “The Crusade of Indignation,” 1956.

The Office for Civil Rights, Compliance and Community Initiatives administers the college’s Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy and Procedures (hereafter referred to as the Policy). The Policy expressly forbids discrimination based on age, color, creed, disability, ethnicity, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other legally protected class. Furthermore, the Policy regulates Wofford’s investigation of allegations of sexual misconduct.

Wofford’s Title IX office provides institutional oversight of Title VI, Title VII and Title IX processes and staff.

  • Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in any program that receives federal financial assistance.
  • Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits intentional and structural employment discrimination against persons based on race, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity) or religion. It also prohibits retaliation against persons who complain about discriminatory behavior or participate in a discrimination investigation.
  • Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects students from discrimination based on gender, gender identity, and sex, including sexual harassment, sexual violence and retaliation, in educational programs that receive federal financial support.

The Office of the Chief Equity Officer and Vice President for Community Initiatives receives and reviews ADA accommodations grievances.

Allegations of discriminatory harassment and sexual misconduct should be reported using Wofford’s Discrimination and Harassment Reporting Form. If the office receives a report of an alleged discriminatory behavior that falls outside of its purview or that does not rise to the level of a Policy violation, the Title IX Coordinator will inform the complainant and discuss possible next steps under the Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities or through recourse to law enforcement.

The Office for Civil Rights, Compliance and Community Initiatives is committed to the liberal arts tradition of inquiry into diverse human historical and social experiences. The office actively seeks opportunities to forge partnerships with arts, civic, cultural, educational, religious, and social organizations and to support faculty- and student-led programming.

Inspired by the example of Wofford’s long-running Lyceum series, the office offers a wide range of programming for both the campus community and the Spartanburg community at large, including art exhibits, gallery talks, and dramatic performances in addition to lectures. The college’s Lifelong Learning program is a signature community initiative that offers educational and social engagement for interested adult learners. The Title IX office offers conversations and workshops related to sexual assault awareness, consent, and other related issues.

To achieve its goals, the Office for Civil Rights, Compliance and Community Initiatives engages in and supports the following programming and initiatives:

  • Implementation of institutional imperatives as identified in strategic planning documents
  • Collaboration with campus offices to develop and/or support initiatives and programming that ensure all students feel welcome at Wofford.
  • Heritage month celebrations and experiential learning opportunities.
  • Collaboration with and support for any student organization interested in programming related to the office’s mission to encourage and facilitate dialogue across lines of difference.
  • Collaboration on co-curricular programming with interested faculty, staff, and students.
  • Title IX training and discrimination or harassment reporting protocol.
  • Faculty, staff and student workshop requests.

We are here to help. If you have general questions about the office or its work, please e-mail us at OEDI@wofford.edu. Your message will be directed to the appropriate staff member.