Updates to systemwide administrative policy statements approved

The Office of Policy and Efficiency (OPE) has announced updates to the following administrative policy statements, effective Aug. 1, 2024:

1. APS 5014 (2024 version) – Sexual Misconduct, Intimate Partner Abuse, and Stalking

Revisions were made to:

• Ensure compliance with recent changes to the federal Title IX regulations.
• Align this policy with the new Protected Class Nondiscrimination policy (APS 5065) – which also became effective on Aug. 1, 2024 – to ensure continued protections against discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy or related conditions, and related retaliation as required by state and regent law.
• Incorporate the new Regent Policy 10.A: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
• Incorporate guidance and resources for reporting options and confidential resources.
• Describe the role and jurisdiction of campus Equity Offices.

Although the new Title IX regulations went into effect Aug. 1, recent federal court rulings temporarily blocked them from taking effect for certain university campuses nationwide. Based on those rulings, CU Anschutz, CU Boulder, CU Denver and system administration (which follows CU Boulder policies) will therefore not implement the 2024 version of APS 5014 at this time and will instead continue to follow the 2021 version of APS 5014. UCCS will follow the 2024 version of APS 5014.

2. APS 5065 – Protected Class Nondiscrimination (New)

This policy was created to:

• Align campus nondiscrimination policies to provide consistent definitions for discrimination, harassment/hostile environment, retaliation, related violations and protected classes.
• Include protections against discrimination based on gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation as required by state and regent law.
• Incorporate the new Regent Policy 10.A: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
• Ensure compliance with recent changes to state law (POWR Act).
• Provide clarification for discrimination provisions related to “failure to accommodate” (disability, pregnancy and religion) as well as antisemitism, Islamophobia and caste (included in CU’s current prohibitions on discrimination or harassment, which may be based on the protected classes of race, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry).
• Provide guidance and resources for reporting options and confidential resources.
• Describe the role and jurisdiction of campus Equity Offices.

These revisions are effective Aug. 1, 2024.

For more detailed information, go to: https://www.cu.edu/ope/aps/latest-changes.

For additional information on systemwide APSs, go to: http://www.cu.edu/ope.