Note: This site is for reviewing legacy plan of work data from 2007-2011. If you are looking for the current plan of work interface, visit pow.nmsu.edu.

Civil Rights (Hidalgo County)

Plan Goal

Civil Rights compliance by New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service is mandated by federal laws and is directly tied to Extension's receipt of federal funding.

Situation Statement

Hidalgo County Extension Service, within New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service (CES),as the New Mexicos land-grant university, recognizes the importance of diversity and inclusion in the development and implementation of Extension programs. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that no person on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex or national origin will be excluded from participation in or benefits of any program receiving federal funding. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that no person on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex or national origin will be excluded from selection, trainings, advancement, and other benefits of employment. Hidalgo County Cooperative Extension Service has the responsibility to provide programming to all residents of Hidalgo County. Hidalgo County Extension programs must be handled in a manner that treats every customer and employee with fairness, equality, and respect. This applies to all aspects of Extension programs including identifying needs, setting priorities, allocating resources, selecting and assigning staff, conducting programs, and receiving feedback.

Target Audience and Actions

The target audiences will include staff within the Hidalgo CES and all residents of Hidalgo County with specific attention paid to under-served and under-represented audiences. Civil rights compliance work is ongoing. Compliance includes plans of work and program participation data that continues throughout the year to ensure nondiscrimination in program delivery, staff development and the corrective actions taken when discrimination occurs or noncompliance is documented. The county staff will use civil rights artifacts collected, such as county demographic data, the public notification steps of programs, and data of who attends the programming, to determine gaps in outreach efforts and potential needs of underserved audiences.

Short-Term Objectives

-All hired faculty and staff will be trained in documentation and filing of civil rights data
1. The nondiscrimination statement will be used on Extension printed publications, including bulletins, leaflets, circulars, fact sheets, program announcements, and miscellaneous publications.
2. A public notification policy informing the public of the availability of reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities will be established on all printed matter

Medium-Term Objectives

1. The USDA “…And Justice for All” poster showing the nondiscrimination policy statement and how to file a civil rights complaint will be prominently displayed in office
2. Providing information to clients will be such that discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability does not occur
3. All reasonable efforts will be made to ensure equal access and integration of clubs and all extension programming

Long-Term Objectives

1. The Hidalgo County Director will receive administrative support and direction from NMSU/CES Civil Rights Specialist so that to maintain a high level of visibility for compliance with civil rights laws, rules, and regulations;
2. Established procedures are in place to guide staff in ensuring that education assistance is not provided to any organization or group that excludes individuals because of their race, ethnicity or gender;
3. Equality, fairness, and respect in the use of Extension work facilities, including support for educators, paraprofessionals, secretarial and support staff will be established
4. Offices and related facilities, supplies, educational materials, electronic technology (computers, telephone, etc.) are assigned and available to all staff on a nondiscriminatory basis;

Evaluation Plan

Every five years all Countie are required to conduct a civil rights review. Civil rights program efforts will be reviewed by a team of trained reviewers representing different program areas and areas of expertise. The evaluation will consist of an examination of the completeness of office civil rights compliance files, discussions on successes and problems in carrying out civil rights compliance and reviewing the importance of the task. Counties, as a team, will establish five-year goals for outreach to underserved audiences within their communities. If compliance is not complete, recommendations will be made that will outline corrective actions needed. A timeline for completion of those corrective actions will be established and a follow-up examination of those corrective steps will take place with the civil rights specialist.