Mrs. Katrina McFarland, President, Defense Acquisition University has published the following policy memorandums regarding Equal Opportunity, Sexual Harassment and his open door policy.  These policies are applicable to all DAU faculty and staff as well as students while they are accessing DAU learning assets/resources on or off campus.

Equal Opportunity

DAU is committed to the goal of a work environment free from any type of behavior which threatens morale, is rude, or intimidating.  Leadership at all levels will ensure strict enforcement of this goal.  Each employee and supervisor is personally responsible, through his or her own actions, for full implementation of EEO/EO principles.

All employees will comply with the letter and spirit of Federal Government policies governing equal employment opportunity for civilians and equal opportunity for military.  These policies prohibit discrimination for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, and physical or mental disability, or in retaliation for having participated in activity protected by the various civil rights laws.

The first step in most cases involving behavior contrary to these principles is to tell someone that his or her behavior is offensive and to give that person a chance to correct the behavior.  The chain of command should be used to raise subsequent or serious incidents of abusive or discriminatory behavior.  Any DAU employee or student engaging in inappropriate or offensive behavior will be dealt with strictly and swiftly.

DAU must maintain and foster a positive equal employment opportunity climate if we are to build a diverse and fully representative workforce.  The Director of Human Resources, the Management Employee Relations Representative, as well as the Operations Director or Deputy Director and the Senior Enlisted Advisor are available to DAU civilian employees and military members who have questions about the EEO/EO process or concerns about discrimination in the work place.  Additional information on policies and processing civilian employee equal employment opportunity complaints is available by contacting the Fort Belvoir EEO office at (703) 805-2006. 

Sexual Harassment I am committed to the goal of a work environment free of sexual harassment.  Deans, directors, supervisors, and course managers must remain cognizant of their responsibilities to prevent this unacceptable conduct. Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination that involves unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, when (1) submission to or rejection of such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of a person’s job, pay, or career; or (2) submission to or rejection of such conduct by a person is used as a basis for career or employment decisions affecting that person; or (3) such conduct interferes with an individual’s performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment. Individuals who are sexually harassed should make it clear that such behavior is offensive and report the behavior to the appropriate supervisor or Equal Employment Opportunity/Equal Opportunity (EEO/EO) official.  The Sexual Harassment Hotline at Fort Belvoir is (703) 805-2001; Wright Patterson Campus is (937) 257-3995; and Fort Lee Campus is (804) 734-6582.  Additional support counseling is available through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or at each local installation.  Prompt action will be taken against any military or civilian member who is found guilty of sexual harassment. I expect all personnel to support my commitment to zero tolerance against sexual harassment at the Defense Acquisition University.

An Open Door An essential element of leadership is maintaining a two-way communication between supervisors and employees.  Therefore, it is my policy that every supervisor has an open door policy. Supervisors, employees, and students should normally resolve problems or concerns by working through the chain of command.  Our deans and directors play a particularly important role in resolving personnel issues.  Their counsel should routinely be sought before seeking other remedies.  While I do not encourage bypassing levels in the supervisory chain, there may be occasions when it may be appropriate to do so.  Senior supervisors should not insist that an individual work through the chain of command with an issue, instead of talking directly to the more senior person first.  Clearly, determining why a person feels a need to “go to the top” is an issue that needs to be discussed and carefully reviewed. If an individual is not willing to discuss a problem with a supervisor there are many alternate channels available.  Military members may discuss issues with their senior service representatives or the Senior Enlisted Advisor.  The military installation serving as the host organization or in the vicinity of each DAU Region also offers a variety of support counseling services.  Our Human Resources personnel provide a range of personnel support services as well.  In all cases, a person may contact Human Resources  to seek advice or to locate a source of information or support applicable to the specific situation. My own door is open to anyone who feels that “going to the top” is the only way to get a problem resolved.  For an appointment with me, contact my office at (703) 805-5051.