Personal Demographic Survey FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions for Collection of Personal Demographic Information

Why does WSU ask me to identify personal demographic information such as my gender, race/ethnicity, veteran status and disability status?

·         WSU is a federal and state contractor, which means that WSU receives funds from the federal government and the State of Washington in the form of financial aid and research funds.   All federal and state contractors are required to collect and report summary data about employees to the state and federal governments, and complete an annual plan that documents WSU’s efforts to ensure equal employment opportunity.

Which laws require WSU to collect personal demographic information?

·         As a federal contractor, WSU is subject to Presidential Executive Order 11246 and the regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the U.S. Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).   WSU also is required to file annual reports with the DOL, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) containing summary data about its employees (e.g.: type of job held, gender and race/ethnicity).  

Could WSU choose not to collect personal demographic information and decline to report it to the federal or state government?

·         WSU’s failure to collect and report personal demographic information from employees would result in the loss of eligibility for government funding, including financial aid and research funds, which would be very costly to the institution.

Does collecting personal demographic information violate Washington’s Initiative-200 (I-200) or Washington State’s non-discrimination law?

·          I-200 was a citizen initiative approved by Washington voters in 1998, which directed the Legislature to revise the state’s non-discrimination law to prohibit the giving of hiring preferences on the basis of “race, color, national origin and sex”.   WSU does not use hiring preferences and does not violate the state’s non-discrimination statute.   State law still requires state agencies to collect and report employee and job candidate demographic data, as does federal law.  

Why are current employees being asked to provide personal demographic survey, as well as new employees?

·         The DOE, in conjunction with the EEOC, developed updated race/ethnicity codes that all higher education institutions must begin using in 2009.   These codes are consistent with the categories used in the 2000 Census. WSU must request this information from all existing employees to be in compliance.

May I choose not to disclose my personal demographic information?

·          Submission of this information is voluntary and refusal to provide it will not subject you to any adverse treatment.  

Who has access to employee personal demographic information?

·          WSU treats all individual demographic information as strictly confidential.  The institution maintains the data separately from all personnel files; the data is available only to a few WSU employees with a business need-to-know. The information is used by WSU’s Office of Institutional Research and CHR to provide summary reports to the federal and state governments for compliance purposes.   WSU does not use this information for any hiring or employment purpose.  

What are the updated categories for race and ethnicity**?

·          Ethnicity

o     Hispanic/ Latino: A person with origins of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.

·          Race

o     American Indian or Alaska Native: A person with origins in any of the original peoples of North America and South America (including Central America) and who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or has community attachment.