Reviewer:____________________________
Date:___________________________
_______
______________ County CIVIL RIGHTS PLAN AND REVIEW
(Year)
The 2006 federal Civil Rights review of the Oregon State University Extension Service (OSUES) reiterated the
preceding plan of 2000 recommending that OSUES develop and implement a plan to renew and strengthen onsite Civil Rights compliance reviews at OSUES field offices. OSUES responded in 2007 The OSUES Regional
Directors will conduct Civil Rights compliance reviews of OSUES field offices assuring that all offices are
reviewed on a five-year rotational basis beginning in FY 2001.
The point of Civil Rights is to be sure “all reasonable effort” is made to provide access to Extension
programming for protected groups. Affirmative Action has to do with equality in hiring practices, and the
federal review of 2000 was not concerned with hiring practices.
To ensure OSUES remains in compliance with all state and federal Civil Rights laws, all OSUES faculty and
staff are required to complete online Civil Rights review training. This course provides training to ensure
programs offered are as inclusive as possible and that OSUES continues to work toward achieving our Civil
Rights goals. The entire organization will have completed the training by July 1, 2009.
In order to be in compliance with federal Civil Rights guidelines, county office staff/faculty need to file Civil
Rights materials as they are generated or come into the office. As part of the Civil Rights Review the following
need to be performed every other year:

Review the Advisory Councils and program committees to determine if minorities and genders are
represented as determined by Census and Agriculture Census data and knowledge of the field faculty.
(Form 3) Review how members are selected and appointed. If minorities and a particular gender are
under represented then a plan should be developed to obtain the needed percentage of these groups on
councils and committees.

Review participation in Extension programs and contacts by analyzing the Monthly/Annual Contact
form data, 4-H enrollment data, etc., compared to the County Census, Agriculture Census, or school
enrollment. (See County Racial/Ethnic Data Table.) Program areas should determine if minorities and a
certain gender are under represented in Extension programs. If they are under represented then a plan
should be developed for increased efforts to obtain adequate participation by all. Increased efforts may
include methods of notifying people of program availability, format of programs, language, bilingual
volunteers or paid temporary help or staff, meeting sites, etc.

Review 4-H Club names. Actively work with clubs, established and new, to be sure names are gender
neutral and they do not reflect commercial interests.

Review the discrimination letters from groups that Extension sponsors or regularly assists. Every four
years request a new letter or statement from such groups stating that they do not discriminate. This
could be done on a rotating basis rather than request on the same date once every five years from all
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groups. This would keep the file current no matter when a review might take place. Groups that seek
occasional assistance from Extension must be informed of Extension’s non-discriminatory policy. This
should be done when the invitation is negotiated. Extension assistance shall not be provided to groups
that are known to discriminate.

Review the office facilities for handicapped access. Assist with the development of a plan for making
any needed changes with whoever owns the facilities.

Review procedures for accommodating clientele disabilities at programs. The most common will be
sight and hearing problems. Review notices of meetings and workshops for the correct statement of
accommodation. Plan for any needed changes.
The following questions along with the forms need to be completed every five years, prior to the Civil Rights
Review.
A. OVERALL COUNTY PARTICIPATION
ALL County Faculty and Staff complete online Civil Rights training.
YES
NO
If NO, indicate the individuals to complete the training on the “Response Form/Checklist”.
1. In Oregon, each County Extension office may have a single overall Extension Advisory committee or meet
at least annually with an ad-hoc committee of representative citizens. Please fill out Form 1 and list the
number of members by race and gender. If the county does not have such a committee, please explain.
Explanation:
2. How many times did the committee meet during the last fiscal year?
3. Do minority representatives attend these meetings? ______(Yes or No)
If no, please explain why:
4. Please describe the manner in which members of the overall Extension Committee are chosen:
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5. Do you anticipate making any changes or adjustments to the Advisory Committee with reference to gender
and/or racial composition, selection procedure, or the way the committee meets, etc.?
______ (Yes or No) Please describe:
6. Does the Civil Rights file contain documentation of the nondiscrimination status of associations,
organizations, and groups which are sponsored by or regularly receive assistance from the local County
Extension service personnel?
_____ (Yes or No)
a) Do you request this documentation from the associations, organizations, and groups who are requesting
regular assistance from your local Extension office staff? _____(Yes or No)
b) Is the documentation updated every four years? _____(Yes or No)*
If no on either 6 (a) or (b), please explain why:
7. On the table in Form 2, please list racial-ethnic minority groups, organizations, businesses, churches, etc., to
which your county office distributed information and announcements regarding new programs, adjustments
or special invitations in present programs.
(a) If there were no county mailings to racial-ethnic minority groups and/or organizations, please explain.
(b) Have you tried to contact organizations on a national or statewide level which may be represented in
your county area? _____(Yes or No)
If no, please comment:
(*) Reviewer will verify.
Staff Facilities and Interaction with Public
8. Is the “…And Justice for All” poster(s) prominently posted in all office locations and in meeting rooms that
are frequently used for Extension public meetings? _____(Yes or No)
If no, when will they be posted? ____________________________________________________________
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9. Each county’s Extension staff and faculty should meet together periodically. Please specify in the following
categories approximately how often they meet.
(a) We meet as a County group:
1) to discuss, review, or develop plans for County Extension programs and activities on a ___________
basis.
2) to coordinate and exchange mutual effort activities with regard to reaching minority groups for
Extension activities on a ___________ basis.
(b) We meet with the members of the County Advisory Committee on a ___________ basis, whenever they
meet.
1) Is increasing minority participation in program activities discussed at these meetings?
If Yes, how often? ______________
If No, what are your plans for having this discussion?
As a direct result of the coordinated efforts set forth in the above meetings, what efforts or activities have
been accomplished during the past year to reach minority groups?
(If these are listed specifically in the rest of the questions, just enter the number of the question in the above
space.)
10. Does the public have equal access to Extension employees, facilities, materials, information, equipment,
etc., according to their need? _____(Yes or No) If no, please explain:
(a) Have any of your employees been called on to extend services to people who were sight impaired or
deaf? _____(Yes or No) If yes, what resources did your staff employ to assist them?
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(b) Is there a language barrier present in your county? _____(Yes or No) If yes, what have you done to
provide assistance where necessary to insure equal access as indicated above?
(c) Can handicapped clientele in wheelchairs enter, use, and exit your county office(s) and meeting rooms?
_____(Yes or No)* If no, what arrangements have been made to accommodate them? What
remodeling is planned?
(d) Have program, workshop announcements, notices been reviewed as to the appropriate accommodation
statements? _____(Yes or No) Explain if not appropriate or if they have not been reviewed:
11. Has any Civil Rights complaint (formal or informal)** been lodged against you, your staff, or office
regarding county programs? _____ (Yes or No) If yes, please describe the nature of the complaint, and
how and when it was/is being resolved.
* Reviewer will verify.
** Informal complaints of this nature can be held in strictest confidence. Therefore, anyone wishing to discuss this question privately
with the reviewer is encouraged to do so directly following the meeting.
(The following section involves those county activities relating to Agriculture, Forestry, Sea Grant, Family and
Community Development (FCH), and 4-H Programs. Staff members from each program area should work
together to complete this section. Please do not try to complete this section as individuals for each program area
involved.)
B. PROGRAM PLANNING AND PROGRAM ACTION
In Oregon, individual county Extension offices do not always use an overall Agriculture, Forestry, FCH,
4-H and Marine Advisory Program Planning Committee. However, they do work closely with various
commodity groups and other organizations in determining the direction of their county’s Agriculture,
Forestry, FCH, 4-H or Sea Grant programs. Nondiscrimination statements take care of these. Groups used
in an advisory capacity and/or constituted (put together) by Extension faculty should be entered in this
section on Form 3. Indicate the name, composition, and membership by gender of all such groups and
organizations. (Such as: Fisherman’s Wives, Wheat Growers League, 4-H Leaders Association, Master
Gardeners Board, Master Woodlands Board, and county commodity groups.)
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12. Referring to the Advisory Groups table (Form 3) Column 2, please describe the manner in which your
committee members were provided orientation/training prior to their advisory role. (List by program area.)
13. Please describe the manner in which the members of those Extension Committees identified above (Column 2
only) are chosen. If you anticipate making any changes with reference to gender and/or racial composition,
selection procedures, or the way the committees meet, etc., please describe. (List by program area.)
(a) In the past five years, as a natural part of the selection process, have there been non-white
representatives on these committees? _____(Yes or No for FCH) _____(Yes or No for Agriculture)
_____(Yes or No for Forestry) _____(Yes or No for 4-H) _____(Yes or No for Sea Grant)
14. Using the most recent completed Annual Contact Form and county racial/ethnic statistical data, determine if
the county clientele are participating in appropriate proportions. County Extension staff are encouraged to
involve all people, including racial/ethnic minorities and women in existing Extension programs, projects,
and activities. Specific programs, events, projects, or activities designed to serve the needs of racial/ethnic
minorities and both genders are also encouraged in instances where they are not participating in existing
programs in proportion to the Census data (or school data) for gender and race composition. On Form 4
list any special programs, projects, or activities conducted in your county for racial/ethnic minorities and/or
under represented genders, and indicate the composition of participants. Use the number of participants for
each program, not the number of contacts.
(a) Is there a significant minority labor force that works in the county? ____Yes ____No
If Yes, has there been any programming to address their needs?
15. County Extension staff are encouraged to take reasonable steps to reach minority and both gender clientele
with FCH, Agriculture, Forestry, 4-H, Sea Grant, and related program area information through their
mailing lists (electronic or hard copy). On Form 5, please indicate the number and composition of clientele
reached by all programs through mailing lists(s) during the last program year. Please be sure to indicate
which mailing lists were directed to FCH, 4-H, Agriculture, Forestry, and Sea Grant programs.
16. List any efforts that will be made to inform minority recipients and/or under represented genders of program
opportunities and to promote minority and/or gender participation in Agriculture, Forestry, FCH, 4-H or Sea
Grant programs, and other related activities and events.
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(a) What are your specific targeted recipients? How will they be informed?
17. County Extension staff are encouraged to recruit and train minorities and both genders to assume leadership
roles in programs and activities. Please describe any recruiting and training for leadership which will be
done by program area.
18. Is program information which would normally attract only males, or only females, being designed to
encourage participation of the opposite gender as well? _____(Yes or No for each program area)
If no, please explain by program area:
If yes, please cite examples by program area:
(This completes Section B.)
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