Civil Rights Investigations

Discrimination, discriminatory harassment, and retaliation are defined by the University of Wisconsin System Regent Policy Document 14-6 “Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation” (RPD 14-6). 

Discrimination 

Discrimination is conduct that adversely affects any aspect of an individual’s employment, education, or participation in an institution’s activities or programs, or has the effect of denying equal privileges or treatment to an individual on the basis of one more characteristics of that individual’s protected status or category as defined herein. 

Discriminatory Harassment 

Discriminatory harassment is a form of discrimination consisting of unwelcome verbal, written, graphic, or physical conduct that: 

1. Is directed at an individual or group of individuals on the basis of the individual or group of individuals’ actual or perceived protected status, or affiliation or association with person(s) within a protected status; and 
2. Is sufficiently severe or pervasive so as to interfere with an individual’s employment, education or academic environment or participation in institution programs or activities and creates a working, learning, program or activity environment that a reasonable person would find intimidating, offensive or hostile. 

To constitute prohibited harassment, the conduct must be both objectively and subjectively harassing in nature. Harassment may include, but is not limited to, verbal or physical attacks, threats, slurs or derogatory or offensive comments that meet the definition set forth herein. Harassment does not have to be targeted at a particular individual in order to create a harassing environment, nor must the conduct result in a tangible injury to be considered a violation of this policy. Whether the alleged conduct constitutes prohibited harassment depends on the totality of the particular circumstances, including the nature, frequency and duration of the conduct in question, the location and context in which it occurs and the status of the individuals involved. 

To be considered discriminatory harassment, the complainant must allege that the harassment is based on one or more of the categories listed in these procedures depending on whether the complainant is a student or applying for admission to the University; an employee, or applying for employment at the University; or a visitor to campus. 

Retaliation 

Retaliation is defined as adverse action taken against an individual in response to, motivated by or in connection with an individual’s complaint of discrimination or discriminatory harassment, participation in an investigation of such complaint and/or opposition of discrimination or discriminatory harassment in the educational or workplace setting.  

Additionally, students, employees, and visitors/participants in UW-Madison programs are prohibited from using UW-Madison technology (computers, email systems, voice mail systems, and webpages) in a manner that would violate RPD 14-6. 

University of Wisconsin System and UW-Madison non-discrimination policies and procedures comply with the following state and federal laws:

• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin.  
• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. 
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability.
• Age Discrimination Act of 1975, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of age. 
• Wisconsin Fair Employment Law, which prohibits employers, employment agencies, labor unions, and licensing agencies from discriminating against employees and job applicants because of age, arrest and/or conviction record, ancestry, color, national origin or race, creed, disability, genetic testing, honesty testing, marital status, military service, pregnancy or childbirth, sex, sexual orientation, use or nonuse of lawful products off the employer’s premises during nonworking hours. 
• Discrimination in Public Places of Accommodation or Amusement, which prohibits discrimination in places of public accommodation and amusement because of sex, ancestry, national origin, race, sexual orientation, disability or the presence of a service animal, color, creed, age (protected for lodging and minors are excluded). 

State of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development 

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Department of Education Office for Civil Rights 

Please email an Office of Compliance Case Manager to schedule an informational meeting to discuss your complaint: OC_CaseManager@wisc.edu 

Lauren Hasselbacher, JD, Assistant Director of Civil Rights Compliance and Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Compliance, is the university designee to handle inquiries regarding this nondiscrimination policy and inquiries regarding sexual harassment and sexual violence. She can be reached at  lauren.hasselbacher@wisc.edu, (608) 265-6018; Relay calls accepted; 361 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706. 

Ruben Mota, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator in the Office of Compliance is the university designee to handle inquiries regarding denied disability accommodation requests for employees, students, academic program applicants, and visitors or guests. He can be reached at ruben.mota@wisc.edu, (608) 265-4508; Relay calls accepted; 361 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706. 

Protected Bases

• age
• ancestry
• color
• creed
• disability
• ethnicity (specifically involving harassment by UW employees)
• gender identity or expression
• marital or parental status
• national origin
• pregnancy
• race
• religion
• retaliation for opposing discrimination, making a complaint of discrimination or taking part in an investigation relating to discrimination
• sex
• sexual orientation
• or any other category protected by law, including physical condition or developmental disability as defined in Wisconsin Statutes§51.01(5).

*Title VI’s protection from race, color, or national origin discrimination extends to individuals based on their (i) actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, or (ii) citizenship or residency in a country with a dominant religion or distinct religious identity.

Protected Bases

• age
• ancestry
• arrest record
• color
• conviction record
• creed
• disability
• ethnicity (specifically involving harassment by university employees)
• gender identity or expression
• genetic information including genetic testing
• honesty testing
• marital or parental status
• military service
• national origin
• pregnancy
• race
• religion
• retaliation for opposing discrimination, making a complaint of discrimination or taking part in an investigation relating to discrimination
• sex
• sexual orientation
• use or nonuse of lawful products off the employer’s premises during nonworking hours,
• veteran status
• declining to attend a meeting or participate in any communication about religious matters or political matters, or any other category protected by law

*Title VI’s protection from race, color, or national origin discrimination extends to individuals based on their (i) actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, or (ii) citizenship or residency in a country with a dominant religion or distinct religious identity.

Protected Bases

• age
• ancestry
• color
• creed
• disability
• gender identity or expression
• national origin
• pregnancy
• race
• retaliation for making a complaint of discrimination, or taking part in an investigation relating to discrimination, or opposing discrimination
• sex
• sexual orientation

*Title VI’s protection from race, color, or national origin discrimination extends to individuals based on their (i) actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, or (ii) citizenship or residency in a country with a dominant religion or distinct religious identity.