Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination Policy
Otis College of Art and Design is an equal opportunity employer and educator, firmly committed to providing an environment in which people respect the rights of others to live, work, and learn in peace and dignity, and to have equal opportunity to realize their full potential as individuals and members of society. Otis College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, family care status, veteran status, age, disability, medical condition, national or ethnic origin, or any other protected category under state or federal law in the administration of its student admissions, employment, access to programs, or administration of educational policies. The College prohibits harassment, discrimination and/or retaliation based on the perception that anyone has any of these characteristics or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of these characteristics.
Otis College will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would result in an undue hardship or fundamentally alter the nature of the service, program, or activity.
This prohibition against discrimination, harassment and/or retaliation includes engaging in behavior that may:
- Threaten the physical safety of any member of the community;
- Create an educational environment hostile to any member;
- Discriminate against another person or persons; or
- Inflict physical, emotional, or mental injury to, or provoke a violent response from, a reasonable person.
Students with questions regarding this policy or believed instances of discrimination or harassment on the basis of any of these criteria should be brought to any of the following individuals: Dean of Student Affairs or designee, Title IX Coordinator, or file a formal student grievance at www.otis.edu/complaint-procedure. The College will not retaliate against anyone for filing a complaint made in good faith and will not knowingly permit retaliation by management, faculty, staff, or students.
Academic Freedom Statement
The College is committed to creating an atmosphere of freedom for faculty and students to pursue and advance truth. Accordingly, the Executive Committee of the Otis College Board of Trustees has affirmed the general principles of academic freedom in teaching and research expressed in the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP).
Educational Vision Statement
Through its commitment to a fully inclusive and career-oriented education, Otis College of Art and Design prepares a diverse community of emerging artists and designers to become change-makers within creative fields, finding novel solutions to the challenges of the 21st century.