The Affirmative Action Committee at Cornell University Medical College was formed in 1975 in response to a series of executive orders and federal acts from the mid-1960s to early 1970s prompting universities receiving federal funds to reconsider their hiring policies and implement new practices to employ more faculty and staff from historically marginalized communities. The focus was primarily placed on women, Black, and Latino/a applicants, as well as applicants with disabilities. The Affirmative Action Committee’s first meeting took place on October 7, 1975. The meetings were held regularly for the first five months before turning annually or bi-annually beginning in 1977. At the second meeting, the committee was further split into subcommittees focused on faculty, Title IX, non-academic staff, and individuals with disabilities. Throughout the next decade, the committee members met to propose suggestions on staff and faculty recruitment, evaluate studies produced on the composition of staff, faculty, and students, build amenities, update grievance procedures, and discuss compliance with federal legislation. The committee was responsible for drafting an Affirmative Action Program, as well as updating the language in policies, guidelines, and manuals to comply with federal legislation, including adding explicit protection for job candidates who are pregnant and adding the grievance processes to faculty and student handbooks. The committee frequently corresponded with hiring departments, divisions, and sections to provide reminders and recommendations on fairer hiring policies. Furthermore, the committee worked on proposals for various programs to educate and inform medical college affiliates on affirmative action legislation and associated efforts in hiring and recruitment, including suggestions for an Affirmative Action Week in 1983 and a mentorship system for medical students to increase their interests in staying at the medical college post-graduation.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Correspondence, Memos, and Reports, 1970-1866; Box 1, Folder 2; RG02-SG002-002, Cornell University Medical College, Affirmative Action Committee Records, 1970-1987 (Medical Center Archives of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY).