Diversity Resources and Educational Services has a new weapon in its

continuing battle against discrimination. The DRES Associates program puts

discrimination experts where they are needed most — in the workplace.

A DRES associate is a University employee who goes through sexual

harassment training then returns to his or her department to serve as an

in-house consultant.

“They become contacts and referral sources for us. They’re our eyes and

ears on campus,” said Marva Rudolph, acting director of DRES.

But sexual harassment is only a small portion of the work DRES does. The

office has two general functions.

First, the office ensures UT meets all federal diversity standards. Second,

DRES is responsible for educating the campus and encouraging it in a strong

commitment to the enhancement of diversity.

When Bill Snyder became chancellor in 1992, these functions were conducted

by two separate affirmative action offices: the Programming Office and the

Compliance Office. However in 1994, the two offices merged to create

DRES.

Snyder said, “DRES helps not only students but the entire campus in its

commitment to enhance diversity. This is important in my opinion because we

should have a campus that is inclusive of people with differences in

background.”

According to Rudolph, the office has four major functions. One, it teaches

training classes on issues of discrimination. Two, it conducts searches for

vacancies in staff and management positions. Three, it conducts an annual

survey of the employee make-up of the University. Four, it handles all

discrimination complaints.

“If a student believes he or she has been discriminated against on campus

due to race, sex, religion, disability or age in either an educational or

employment situation, he or she would file a complaint here,” she

said.

Rudolph said she feels that people too often look at affirmative action as

a negative when DRES does many positive things, including offering many

training classes on discrimination issues to groups across campus.

“I urge people to come to our office, to read the pamphlets in our office,

and to talk to our trained staff. Until they do, they often don’t know what

we are really about,” she said.

Snyder said that students who learn to appreciate a diverse environment

while on campus will have an advantage when they enter the workplace.

“The world of work after leaving the University is increasingly a working

environment with a diverse working force.

“Thus gaining an enhanced understanding and appreciation of differences

among people and genuinely striving to know and understand persons who are

different from ourselves is of very practical value to our students when

they go into the world of work beyond the walls of UTK,” Snyder said.