Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity Policy
Domestic Partnership Policy
AIDS Policy and Guidelines
District of Columbia Human Rights Act (Chapter 25)

Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity Policy
American University provides equal opportunity for all qualified persons in its educational programs and activities.  The university does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, family responsibilities, political affiliation, source of income, or Vietnam-era veteran status. It conforms with all applicable federal and state non-discrimination laws. This policy of non-discrimination applies to every aspect of the operations and activities of the university generally and includes admissions and employment.

American University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action university.

To read the full policy as well as avenues for reporting and pursuing discrimination complaints, please see the American University Student Handbook.

*There is a separate policy for sexual harassment/discrimination.

Domestic Partnership Policy
All benefits that are offered to the spouses of faculty and staff are available to same-sex domestic partners of faculty and staff.  The children of domestic partners are also eligible to receive the same coverage opportunities as the children of spouses of employees.  But, the federal government does not recognize domestic partners as qualified dependents for tax purposes.  Consequently, contributions American University makes toward the benefits of domestic partners may have significant tax consequences. Please review the policy and consult with your personal tax advisor for more specific details.  If you have questions about this policy, please contact Mindy Michels in the GLBTA Resource Center or Human Resources.

AIDS Policy and Guidelines
In accordance with Title 1, Chapter 25 of the D.C. Human Rights Act and Section 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, it is the policy of American University to provide equal treatment to (and not to discriminate against) persons who have contracted the AIDS virus or AIDS-related conditions.  Further, university policy does not allow discrimination based on the perception that a person has one of the above, or the perception that he or she is more likely than other members of the general population to contract one of the above because of his or her membership in a protected class identified as being at high risk, or because of an individual's responsibility for a person in one of the above categories.

American University has a moral commitment to its employees and students, and intends to show compassion and understanding toward individuals with HIV, AIDS Related Complex (ARC), or AIDS.  The term "HIV" as used in this policy refers to all three of these conditions.

For information on HIV/AIDS, please see this fact sheet on the Student Health Center website.

Information on HIV/AIDS Testing.

You can see a list of HIV/AIDS resources on the Youth Resources website.

District of Columbia Human Rights Act (Chapter 25)
The District of Columbia Human Rights Act reads, in part:

§ 12511. Equal opportunities.
Every individual shall have an equal opportunity to participate fully in the economic, cultural and intellectual life of the District and to have an equal opportunity to participate in all aspects of life, including, but not limited to, in employment, in places of public accommodation, resort or amusement, in educational institutions, in public service, and in housing and commercial space accommodations. 

§ 12512. Unlawful discriminatory practices in employment.
(a)  General. It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice to do any of the following acts, wholly or partially for a discriminatory reason based upon the race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, disability, matriculation, or political affiliation of any individual: 

(The code goes on to list a number of prohibited employment practices)

§ 12520. Unlawful discriminatory practices in educational institutions.
It is an unlawful discriminatory practice, subject to the exemptions in § 12503(b), for an educational institution:  (1) To deny, restrict, or to abridge or condition the use of, or access to, any of its facilities and services to any person otherwise qualified, wholly or partially, for a discriminatory reason, based upon the race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, familial status, family responsibilities, political affiliation, source of income, or disability of any individual.

(The code does provide an exemption to non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation to religiously affiliated institutions. See §12520(3))

The full DC Human Rights Code is available online.