Office of Communications

Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action and Mandatory Disclosure Statements

Use of the equal opportunity/affirmative action statement is required on all publications. Its use is not optional. The following wording is the approved version and may not be altered in any way:

The University of Texas at Dallas is an equal opportunity/affirmative action university.

It is the policy of The University of Texas at Dallas that, to the extent provided by applicable law, no person, including students, faculty, staff and temporary workers, shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity sponsored or conducted by the university on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sex, veteran status, sexual orientation or disability.

A complete policy statement regarding the UTD Equal Employment Opportunity/ Affirmative Action Program may be found in the Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual.

Forms - Mandatory Disclosure Statements

Federal law requests that a state agency give notice to an individual whenever the agency requests the individual’s social security account number. The notice must advise the individual:

1. Whether the disclosure is mandatory or voluntary
2. By what statutory or other authority the social security number is solicited
3. What uses will be made of the social security number

Please note that this federally mandated notice is in addition to the notice about information laws that was mandated by HB1922. Following is an all-inclusive statement that includes the appropriate required disclosure for both a privacy statement and forms that require a social security number. It is mandatory that this language be included on all printed and Web forms. Forms that do NOT require a social security number may use only the first paragraph.

“With few exceptions you are entitled, on your request, to be informed about the information U. T. Dallas collects about you. Under Sections 552.021 and 552.023 of the Texas Government Code, you are entitled to receive and review the information. Under Section 559.004 of the Texas Government Code, you are entitled to have U. T. Dallas correct information about you that is held by us and that is incorrect. Your UTD records are protected from unauthorized disclosure by federal law.

Your social security number (SSN) or UTD Identification number is being requested because it is a unique identification number which is maintained to assure that the correct student record is being updated, for tracking purposes and for state and federal reporting requirements. The disclosure of such information is voluntary. Disclosure of your social security number or UTD identification number will be governed by the Public Information Act (Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code).

Disclosure statements should be included within the form itself, on the front side, and placed above any signature line. Inclusion is not optional. You must also include the specific federal statute which applies to the form that requires the disclosure of the social security account number.

Section 7 of the Federal Privacy Act of 1974

Historical Note, 5 U.S.C. § 552a

Section 7 (a)(1):

• (a)(1) It shall be unlawful for any federal, state or local government agency to deny to any individual any right, benefit, or privilege provided by law because of such individual's refusal to disclose his social security account number.

Section 7 (a)(2)

• (2) The provisions of paragraph (1) of this subsection shall not apply with respect to --
• (A) Any disclosure which is required by federal statute, or
• (B) The disclosure of a social security number to any federal, state, or local agency maintaining a system of records in existence and operating before January 1, 1975, if such disclosure was required under statute or regulation adopted prior to such date to verify the identity of an individual.

Section 7 (b):

• (b) Any federal, state, or local government agency which requests an individual to disclose his social security account number shall inform that individual whether that disclosure is mandatory or voluntary, by what statutory or other authority such number is solicited, and what uses will be made of it.

The Federal Privacy Act was amended in 1976 to require that social security numbers be kept confidential by the local, state and federal government agencies that collect them and that the SSN not be disclosed, and it provides the same penalties for unlawful disclosure as for disclosure of a federal tax return.

Forms – Ethnic and Racial Categories

Reporting of race/ethnicity data is mandatory for all institutions receiving federal financial assistance. For specific categories to be used on reports, application forms or other official documentation, refer to Writers’ Guide/Diversity and Sensitivities.