The following summary provides a brief overview of the laws affecting equal employment opportunities that Extension adheres to. The law forbids discrimination in employment and employment-related activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, or religion. Other pieces of legislation are more explicit.
Sexual harassment is held to be an act of discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
To implement the spirit of these laws, Cornell Cooperative Extension recruits widely, advertising positions in a number of ways throughout the state and basing decisions to hire upon the experience and knowledge of the individual. The extension association has an Equal Employment Opportunity Program and a continuing Action Plan for Progress in compliance with federal laws and regulations as well as the laws of New York State. The Civil Rights acts affect Cornell Cooperative Extension not only in the selection of target audiences for programs, but also as an employer. Sexual harassment, a discriminatory act, is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature which affects an individual's work status, work performance, or work environment. Under some local governmental laws, an individual's sexual preference is also protected against acts of discrimination.