Our mission statement states that "...Lesley prepares socially responsible graduates with the knowledge, skills, understanding, and ethical judgment to be catalysts shaping a more just, humane, and sustainable world." At Lesley, we believe that how we prepare socially responsible graduates is inextricably linked to how students experience the university academically, socially, and culturally.
We use our guiding Community Standards of Conduct to articulate the values and beliefs that define the experience of equity, diversity, and inclusion every person in the community deserves and should come to expect.
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Equal Opportunity/Title IX Office
The Equal Opportunity/Title IX Office supports our mission at Lesley of preparing socially responsible graduates. We partner with the team in the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice (EDIJ), as well as other collaborators and stakeholders, to create the conditions that optimally support our Community Standards and other University policies.
Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal funding. Consistent with Title IX, Lesley University prohibits discrimination against students, faculty, or professional staff based on sex in any of its programs or activities, including (but not limited to) educational programs, employment, and admission. Sexual harassment, including sexual violence, is a kind of sex discrimination and is prohibited by Title IX and by Lesley.
Equal Opportunity, as defined by our Equal Opportunity and Inclusion Policy, is about Lesley’s commitment to preventing discrimination and promoting equal opportunity, affirmative action, and inclusion for all current and prospective faculty, students, and staff. This policy explicitly prohibits discrimination on the basis of federally- or state-prescribed protected categories, including but not limited to discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, pregnancy or parental status, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, veteran or military status, or membership in Uniformed Services.
Services
The Equal Opportunity/Title IX Office provides these services:
- Training and education related to the Community Standards, Title VII, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX
- Policy development consistent with Massachusetts and federal regulations
- Supportive measures and accommodations
- Complaint resolutions for reports of violations of University policies
When a Lesley community member personally experiences or observes a breakdown in Lesley's Community Standards, they can rely on the support and, when necessary, the intervention of the Community Standards Administrator - Equal Opportunity/Title IX Coordinator.
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Community Standards Administrator - Equal Opportunity/Title IX Coordinator
Lesley’s Community Standards Administrator and Equal Opportunity/Title IX Coordinator is Valerie Yeakel. Valerie is passionate about providing students, faculty, and professional staff with information, education, resources, and support to develop their self-awareness and capacity to understand in a manner that fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Additionally, Valerie responds to submitted reports of sexual violence and reports of discrimination or harassment based on a protected category, whether on the basis of race, national origin, gender identity, disability, or another protected category.
Lastly, to ensure that they are working in alignment with Lesley’s Community Standards, Valerie regularly reviews the University’s policies related to Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Violence, Equal Opportunity and Inclusion, and Unequal Consensual Relationships.