Mission, Vision, and Values

Mission

The Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination (OPHD) is committed to fostering a campus climate in which members of our community are protected from all forms of discrimination and harassment. We bring a lens of equity and intersectionality to our work of monitoring compliance with nondiscrimination policies, resolving concerns fairly, and helping campus communities create inclusive environments.

OPHD can provide assistance with: 

• Resolving complaints of sexual harassment and sexual violence (SVSH) and other protected category discrimination. Resolution options include: 

• Alternative Resolutions

• Investigations

• Other Inquiry

• Targeted Educational Conversations

• Safety and supportive measures, such as academic or workplace adjustments, no-contact directives, and finding emergency housing)

• Training
• Consultation: For consultations, please email ask_ophd@berkeley.edu

Vision

We envision a campus community free of discrimination and harassment, in which no person is denied access to any educational program or activity. 

We foster equity and access. We support our community. We act with integrity.

Values

• Responsiveness: We strive to communicate and respond to the needs of our community in a consistent, timely, compassionate, and fair manner.

• Collaboration: We believe preventing and responding to discrimination and harassment is a community responsibility and collaboration is an essential part of our work. We are deeply committed to our partnerships on campus, systemwide, and locally. We work as a team. 

• Equity, Support, and Access: We believe everyone deserves equal access to participate in University programs and activities. We strive to ensure our services are accessible to everyone. We commit to resolving complaints through the lens of equal access.

• Integrity: We hold ourselves to high ethical and professional standards. We uphold campus policy and procedures to provide a high level of service. We are committed to recognizing and addressing bias. We strive to be accountable to the UC Berkeley community and provide transparency in our work.

• Impartiality and fairness: We are an impartial and neutral office. We work toward fair and equitable outcomes for our campus community based on the evidence. We extend respect and empathy to everyone. 

• Intersectionality: We recognize the ways systemic inequalities and interpersonal harm impact our communities. We honor that each person in our community holds multiple identities. We strive for equitable outcomes from an intersectional perspective.

• Prevention and Education: We aim to prevent discrimination and harassment from recurring and from occurring in the first place through education, training, and the promotion of positive social norms.

• Respect and Empathy: We place the highest value on respect and empathy in all our interactions. We strive to be a model in our communities. We work to connect community members with support and resources. We bring a trauma-informed lens to all of our work.