Office of Institutional Equity

Our Mission

The mission of UCF’s Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) is to ensure equal opportunity and to protect the civil rights of all University community members through proactive outreach, education, and effective response and resolution. The OIE supports a living, learning, and work environment that is free from unlawful discrimination, harassment and retaliation where all members of the UCF community feel welcomed and valued. This includes OIE serving as the office of the ADA Coordinator, Title VI Coordinator, Title IX Coordinator, Section 504 Coordinator, and Affirmative Action Officer. OIE staff are responsible for the following activities:

  • Compliance: monitoring the University’s compliance with equal opportunity and civil rights laws and related University policies and regulations.
  • Complaint Resolution: investigating and/or otherwise resolving complaints of unlawful discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation. This includes complaints of being subjected to sexual violence, such as sexual assault, relationship violence and stalking.
  • Accommodations: facilitating employee requests for workplace accommodations based on disability, religion, and/or pregnancy; and facilitating student requests for accommodations based on religion and/or pregnancy (disability-based accommodations for students are facilitated by Student Accessibility Services).
  • Affirmative Action: developing and monitoring the University's Affirmative Action Plan.
  • Recruitment and Hiring: facilitating and monitoring employee recruitment and hiring processes, and training employees (including search committee members) regarding applicable laws and best practices for search and hiring processes.
  • Information: disseminating information about laws, policies, and procedures regarding equal opportunity and civil rights laws and related University policies and regulations for students and employees.
  • Training: training faculty, staff, and students about their rights and responsibilities under applicable equal opportunity and civil rights laws and related University policies and regulations.

Students walking

Let's Be Clear

Let’s Be Clear, sex discrimination (including sexual misconduct) is prohibited at UCF. OIE, along with campus partners, is responsible for responding to and providing resources for those involved in a report of sex discrimination. To learn more, please visit the University’s Let’s Be Clear website, which is a resource that explains what sex discrimination is, what to do if it happens, where to go for support, and more. To file a report related to sex discrimination, please click on “File a Report” at the top of this page.

Learn More
Students walking
Students walking

UCF IntegrityLine

The UCF IntegrityLine is a secure reporting system administered by an independent third party. This service provides individuals who may be reluctant to report suspected misconduct through university administrative or central offices a way to report with complete confidentiality and anonymity. Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Speak Up

Accommodations

UCF is committed to providing equal access and full participation for individuals with disabilities within all University programs and activities. The Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) monitors the University’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The Director of OIE, Nancy Fitzpatrick Myers, serves as UCF’s ADA Coordinator and Section 504 Coordinator. These statutes prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability in any service, program or activity. In particular, OIE has responsibility for:

  • resolving allegations of unlawful discrimination based on disability;
  • facilitating requests for workplace accommodations for employees with disabilities;
  • overseeing and ensuring University compliance with all relevant laws and regulations related to the ADA and Section 504, as well as other applicable state and local laws and University policies;
  • providing consultation, information and referral to appropriate resources for disability‐related issues (including consultation with the Student Accessibility Services Office's work accommodating students with disabilities); and,
  • providing training regarding the ADA and Section 504

Employees should direct requests for accommodations to the Office of Institutional Equity. Supervisors who receive an employee request for an accommodation should contact the OIE. Students should direct requests for accommodations to the Office of Student Accessibility Services. Anyone with questions or concerns can contact the ADA Coordinator/OIE by telephone: 407-823-1336; email oie@ucf.edu; or in person: 12701 Scholarship Drive, Orlando, FL 32816-0030.

In addition to the above, OIE facilitates requests for accommodation based on religion, pregnancy, pregnancy-related condition, and/or childbirth. Individuals seeking these accommodaitons also should contact OIE.

Digital Accessibility

Digital accessibility refers to the process of designing technology and digital environments that are available to and usable by all people, including people with disabilities. Some specific examples of digital accessibility include captioning and audio description for videos, alternative text for images, renamed hyperlinks that provide context, and appropriate reading order (including headings).

UCF's Digital Accessibility Policy was adopted on June 20, 2022, and applies to all information and communication technology (ICT) developed, procured, maintained, and used by UCF. Information and communication technology covers a wide variety of electronic technology and resources that are used for communication, instruction, and distribution of information. Some examples of the technology and resources covered include online instructional resources, electronic documents, telecommunication products, video and multimedia products, and online events.

The guiding digital accessibility standard for UCF is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.0 AA. The Digital Accessibility Policy outlines specific compliance deadlines for various types of digital content. For more information, please review the information in the drop down menus below.

Report an Accessibility Barrier

Discrimination & Harassment

UCF’s Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) is committed to preventing and addressing unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in the workplace and the educational environment, including educational programs and activities. The University's Nondiscrimination Policy prohibits unlawful discrimination and harassment on the basis of an individual’s race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, non-religion, age, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy and parental status), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental disability (including learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and past or present history of mental illness), veteran’s status (as protected under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistant Act), or membership in any other protected classes as set forth in state or federal law. The Nondiscrimination Policy also prohibits retaliation against individuals who complain of discrimination and harassment, as well as individuals who participate in an investigation into such complaint.

OIE encourages all members of the University community to partner in ensuring an environment free of unlawful discrimination at all University-related activities and in the working and learning environments. To that end, incidents of discrimination or harassment should be reported to OIE by calling our offices at (407) 823-1336 or by email to oie@ucf.edu. Reports may also be submitted to OIE using our OIE Intake and Complaint Form (English and Spanish available) or Reporting Form Regarding Incidents of Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Misconduct or Interpersonal Violence.

OIE is responsible for reviewing, and where applicable, objectively investigating complaints of unlawful discrimination and harassment based on a protected classification to determine if employee conduct violates the University's non-discrimination policies. Where investigations reveal the presence of discriminatory or harassing behavior, OIE is responsible for making recommendations that are designed to mitigate the effects of discriminatory conduct. OIE also objectively investigates complaints of sex discrimination and sexual harassment (including sexual misconduct) against students. Individuals interested in filing a complaint with OIE may complete an OIE Intake and Complaint Form (English and Spanish available), and are encouraged to do so as soon as possible.

Title IX

Title IX is a federal law that prohibits discrimination based on the sex of employees and students of educational institutions that receive federal financial assistance. This prohibition includes prohibition of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct. OIE’s Amber Abud serves as the University’s Title IX Coordinator. Anyone with questions or concerns can contact Ms. Abud by telephone: 407-823-1336; email oie@ucf.edu; or in person 12701 Scholarship Drive, Suite 101, Orlando, FL 32816-0030. For more information regarding the University’s prohibition of sex discrimination, please visit the University’s Let’s Be Clear website, including About Title IX at UCF.

In addition, Title IX prohibits discrimination based on pregnancy and parental status. UCF is committed to creating an inclusive environment for pregnant and parenting faculty, staff and students. Please visit the Pregnancy and Parenting section of the Let’s Be Clear website to learn more about this, including how to request reasonable accommodations as a result of pregnancy, childbirth or related conditions. In the "Accommodations" section above, you can also find the form to request reasonable accommodations based on pregnancy, childbirth or related conditions.

Employment Equity

UCF’s Office of Institutional Equity is responsible for ensuring the University’s compliance with various Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity (AA/EEO) rules, regulations, and reporting, monitoring the University’s search and hire process for compliance with AA/EEO regulations, and search committee education and training. As part of our compliance with state and federal AA/EEO regulations, we annually prepare an Affirmative Action Plan on behalf of the University, which is compiled using various workforce, payroll, and search committee data. Additionally, the OIE in partnership with Human Resources and Academic Affairs monitors the recruitment, search, and hire process for compliance with state and federal AA/EEO regulations and University policies. In addition to the Affirmative Action Plan, the OIE prepares the Florida Equity Report each year on behalf of the University in compliance with the Florida Educational Equity Act (F.S. Sec. 1000.5) and the Florida Board of Governors Regulation 2.003.

Religion

The University of Central Florida is committed to providing welcoming and inclusive learning and workplace environments. As part of this commitment, the University prohibits unlawful discrimination and harassment based on religion or non-religion, and will make good faith efforts to provide reasonable religious accommodations to faculty, staff and students whose sincerely held religious practices or beliefs conflict with a University policy, procedure, or other academic or employment requirement, unless such an accommodation would create an undue hardship.

In keeping with the University’s commitment to building and maintaining a welcoming and inclusive work environment, the University will consider religious accommodation requests based on the totality of the circumstances.

  • If you are seeking a religious accommodation please contact OIE by email (oie@ucf.edu) or by phone (407-823-1336) to initiate consideration of your request.

A religious practice or belief is a sincerely held practice or observance that includes moral or ethical beliefs as to what is right and wrong, most commonly in the context of the cause, nature and purpose of the universe. Religion includes not only traditional, organized religions, but also religious beliefs that are new, uncommon, not part of a formal religious institution or sect, or only subscribed to by a small number of people. Social, political, or economic philosophies, as well as mere personal preferences, are not considered to be religious beliefs.

A religious accommodation is a reasonable change in the work or academic environment that enables a student or employee to practice or otherwise observe a sincerely held religious practice or belief without undue hardship on the University. A religious accommodation may include, but is not limited to: time for prayer during a work day; the ability to attend religious events or observe a religious holiday; or any necessary modification to University policy, procedure or other requirement for a student’s or employee’s (or prospective employee’s) religious beliefs, observance or practice; provided such accommodation is reasonable and does not cause undue hardship.

Policies and Procedures

Meet the Team

Director, ADA Coordinator, Title VI Coordinator, Section 504 Coordinator & Affirmative Action Officer

Nancy Fitzpatrick Myers

Nancy Fitzpatrick Myers, J.D.

Director
ADA Coordinator
Title VI Coordinator, Section 504 Coordinator & Affirmative Action Officer
Nancy.Myers@ucf.edu
Marsha Kernica

Marsha Kernica

OIE Coordinator
Marsha.Kernica@ucf.edu

Title IX Compliance

Amber Abud

Amber Abud, M.S.

Assistant Director
Title IX Coordinator
Amber.Abud@ucf.edu
Christey Oberbeck

Christey Oberbeck, M.S.

Deputy Title IX Coordinator & Training Specialist
Christey.Oberbeck@ucf.edu
Lauren Wallace

Lauren Wallace, J.D.

Title IX Investigator
Lauren.Wallace@ucf.edu
Kristy Beitler

Kristy Beitler

Title IX Investigator
Kristy.Beitler@ucf.edu

Clarisse Shaheed

Title IX Investigator
Clarisse.Shaheed@ucf.edu

EEO Investigations, ADA Compliance, and Accessibility

Jeffrey Scott

Jeffrey Scott

EEO Investigator
Jeffrey.Scott@ucf.edu
James Huff

James Huff

EEO Investigator
James.Huff@ucf.edu
Kristeena LaRoue

Kristeena LaRoue

Deputy ADA Coordinator Digital Accessibility & Universal Design
Kristeena.LaRoue@ucf.edu

Equal Employment Opportunity Search Compliance & Affirmative Action Program

Pam Fletcher

Pam Fletcher, M.B.A.

EEO & Search Compliance Manager
Pamela.Fletcher@ucf.edu
Nika Gooding

Nika Gooding, PHR, SHRM-CP

EEO & Search Compliance Specialist
Nika.Gooding@ucf.edu
David Amaro

David Amaro

EEO & Search Compliance Specialist
David.Amaro@ucf.edu