Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

About

The Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (OEDI) collaborates with Wofford students, administrators, alumni, faculty and staff to foster an accessible, diverse, equitable and inclusive campus community. OEDI also seeks to establish partnerships with the Spartanburg community and external agencies that will enhance the college’s relationships with the city’s residents and create educational opportunities for current and future Wofford students.

• 2019 Diversity Report
• A Vision for Wofford in the World

Consistent with the college’s mission, OEDI supports and advocates for a welcoming Wofford community committed to intellectual exploration free of bias, discrimination, and harassment as outlined in the college’s Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy and Procedures document. OEDI 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 against gender, gender identity, and sexual discrimination. Title IX offers protections against sexual harassment, sexual violence, and retaliation in educational programs that receive federal financial support.

OEDI receives and reviews all reported violations of Title VI, Title VII, and Title IX through Wofford’s Discrimination and Harassment Reporting Form. The Title IX office investigates alleged discriminatory behavior based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, citizenship or immigration status, creed, disability, religion, sexual orientation and gender expression, veteran or military status, predisposing genetic characteristics, and any other legally protected category.

If an alleged behavior or incident falls within OEDI’s purview, the Title IX Coordinator will facilitate its review in partnership with the college’s Institutional Equity Case Coordinators and, if necessary, external investigators. If a reported incident is not within OEDI’s purview or does not rise to the level of a policy violation, the Title IX Coordinator will inform the complainant and discuss possible next steps.

OEDI is committed to the liberal arts tradition of inquiry into diverse human historical and social experiences. Through its programming and partnerships, OEDI encourages the Wofford community to think critically about our shared and unique human experiences as a community of learners seeking areas of common understanding and mutual respect. OEDI particularly seeks to support initiatives that increase knowledge of society’s most marginalized and under-resourced communities and populations that are often not explored in high school and college curricula.

To achieve its goals, OEDI engages in and supports the following programming and initiatives:

• Strategic implementation of JEDI report recommendations.
• Collaboration with the campus offices to increase the student body’s diversity and to implement strategies to make Wofford as welcoming as it can be for all students.
• Heritage month celebrations and social justice-based experiential learning opportunities.
• Collaboration with and support for any student organization interested in issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, particularly the Diversity Council and Religious Council student organizations.
• Collaboration with faculty interested in opportunities to diversify curricular offerings
• Title IX training and discrimination or harassment reporting protocol.
• Diversity training and other 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 OEDI staff member.