The West Virginia Human Rights Act protects employees from unlawful discrimination in the workplace. It states that an employee cannot be fired, denied employment, or treated in a different manner which adversely affects that employee’s employment status or environment because of their race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age (40 and above), blindness and/or disability. The Human Rights Act also protects employees from sexual and racial harassment and allows for reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities. As with the Fair Housing Act in West Virginia, the West Virginia Human Rights Act also protects individuals who oppose discrimination and/or complain about discriminatory practices to management within the company or to the West Virginia Human Rights Commission. The Act states that these are protected activities, for which an employer cannot retaliate against an employee for participating.
WVSOM is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture by promoting diversity, inclusion, equality, intercultural and intercommunity outreach. Accordingly, WVSOM does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, veteran or military status, disability, genetic information, or other category that is protected under federal, state, or local anti-discrimination laws, in the administration of any of its education programs or activities, or with respect to admission or employment. WVSOM prohibits discrimination, harassment, stalking, and retaliation as defined in policy GA-28 (collectively referred to as “prohibited conduct”) by or against any member of the WVSOM community. WVSOM employees and students are responsible for maintaining a discrimination and harassment free work and educational environment. The Office of Human Resources and the Office of Student Affairs are responsible for the promotion and implementation of this policy as well as responding to any and all complaints of violations of this policy.