Report a Concern

(If you do not find your Concern addressed, you may email aad@uwlax.edu for a personal response or referral to the appropriate office.)

The category that best describes the nature of my CONCERN is:

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Discrimination

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse does not tolerate unfair or unequal treatment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age or physical handicap.  Employees should use established grievance procedures when problems or complaints arise in work-related situations.

Faculty and Academic Staff who believe they have been discriminated against, on the basis of the factors mentioned above, by the University or members of the University community are encouraged to talk with Nizam Arain, Director of Affirmative Action, at 785-8541.  You will be given the option of filing an informal or a formal complaint.

An informal complaint must be filed in writing. Affirmative Action will meet with the grievant and, if requested, conduct an investigation of the complaint.  At this point, the grievant will be kept confidential, if at all possible.  The Director of Affirmative Action will recommend alternatives regarding further action.  If the grievant chooses to bring the complaint before a Formal Hearing Panel, this will begin the process of a formal complaint.   

A formal complaint......

Affirmative Action Grievance Procedures & Forms

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Sexual Harassment or Assault
  • Sexual Harassment definition and policy statements
  • Sexual Harassment Formal Hearing Petition form (Word) (pdf)
  • Sexual Assault Information
    • What is it?  What to do?
    • Legal definitions in the State of Wisconsin
    • UW-L procedure for reporting sexual assault
    • Confidential reporting form 
      This form should be filled out as completely as possible by anyone who has received a firsthand report of sexual assault. The expectation is that the form will be completed only after talking with the victim, not during the conversation. When the form is completed, it should be turned into the Office of Student Life, 149 Graff Main Hall.
  • Violence Prevention - Help for Victims of Sexual Assault-Relationship Violence-Stalking

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Unfair or Unequal Treatment

"A grievance is a personnel problem involving a faculty member's expressed feeling of unfair treatment or dissatisfaction with aspects of his/her working conditions within the university which are outside his/her control and which are not covered by other personnel rules. A grievance relates to such matters as academic freedom, salaries, promotions, assignment of teaching duties, assignment of space or other facilities, and unethical or improper action by administrators. In a grievance a faculty member claims substantial personal harm and seeks redress for himself or herself."

"A grievance is a personnel problem involving an appointee's expressed feeling of unfair treatment or dissatisfaction with aspects of his/her working conditions within the University which are outside his/her control. A grievance relates to such matters as salaries, promotions, assignments of duties, working conditions, and propriety of conduct claimed to harm the petitioner substantially whether the claim alleges unethical or improper action by colleagues or by administrator. A grievance is a matter other than one involving dismissal proceedings and other than a complaint proceeding involving (other) severe sanctions."

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Hate Comment or Incident

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Conduct by a faculty member violating university rules or procedures and affecting performance

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Campus Climate or Work Environment

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is committed to an environment which is safe and free from physical assault, threats, and harassing behaviors for its students, faculty, staff, and visitors. All reports of possible workplace violence will be taken seriously by members of the campus community. The emphasis on campus will be proactive. The goals are education and training, early detection and intervention, and fair and expedient resolution. This policy is the result of cooperative efforts of the campus community including administrators, faculty, academic staff members, classified staff members, and students.

Policy Statement

Workplace violence is the attempted, threatened, or actual conduct of a person who endangers or is likely to endanger the health and safety of campus community members (administrators, faculty, academic staff members, classified staff members, and students) or visitors, any threatening statement, harassment, or behavior that gives a campus community member or visitor reasonable cause to believe that their health and safety is at risk.

Violence, threats, and harassment are always prohibited, especially whenever: 1) the act, behavior, or communication is abusive and could cause another person physical, emotional, or psychological harm; and/or, 2) the act, behavior, or communication damages or threatens damage to UW-La Crosse's or an individual's property or disrupts the education, work, or activities of an individual or group of people.

Employees or students who engage in actions or threats of violent behavior toward other employees, students, or the public while at UW-La Crosse will be disciplined, up to and including dismissal and/or arrest. A purpose of this policy is to deal with workplace violence proactively, through education, mediation, consultation, before it escalates to the formal level of disciplinary action. Workplace violence incidents reaching the formal level will be dealt with by relevant rules, regulations, and policies.

Examples of workplace violence include but are not limited to the following:

• Threats of harm

• Brandishing a weapon or an object which appears to be a weapon

• Intimidating, threatening, or directing abusive language toward another person

• Stalking a campus community member or visitor anywhere on the campus

• Slapping, punching, or otherwise physically attacking a person

• Telling another person you will "beat them up" to intimidate them

• Putting your closed fist close to another's face in an intimidating/threatening manner

• Using greater physical size/strength or greater institutional power to intimidate another.

A complete copy of UW-L Workplace Violence policy including procedure for reporting is available on the HR webpage http://www.uwlax.edu/hr/current/workplace_violence.htm. 

Source:  UW-L Employee Handbook