| Effective Date: 1/1/92 (revised 2/1/97) |
| Office of Origin: Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity |
A. It is a violation of University policy to require employees to speak English-only in the workplace, whether by policy, practice or custom, formal or informal, unless a true business necessity approval has been obtained.
B. No employees may be disciplined for speaking in languages other than English. Oral reprimands or the suggestion that employees speak English as a "courtesy" are a violation of campus policy. Any employee who violates this policy may be subject to disciplinary action.
C. Employees have the right to request review of their personnel file in order to have written warning, counselling memos, or other documentation related to English-only rules removed. No employee shall be subject to retaliation for requesting review of his or her file or for objecting to an English-only rule.
D. Questions or complaints should be directed to Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity and/or to the appropriate labor union if the employee is covered by a collective bargaining agreement. Any employee may contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for assistance.
E. Any department that wishes to establish an English-only policy must submit to Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity a formal request for approval on a questionnaire that may be obtained from that office. The circumstances under which such a policy will be approved are extremely rare and are limited to those which are a true business necessity.