Office of Compliance, Ethics, and Equal Opportunity combines services

Two existing groups at The University of New Mexico are combining under one banner. The newly unveiled Office of Compliance, Ethics, and Equal Opportunity (OCEEO) merges the already existing offices of Equal Opportunity and Compliance.

Historically there have been shared compliance requirements between the two departments, including Title IX, ADA, the Clery Act, and the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Additionally, the Compliance Office’s safety work touched directly upon OEO’s prevention and education efforts. Because of the consistent overlap of duties, it made sense to merge the two into one.

“In terms of reporting for students, staff and faculty – all our existing functions and systems will remain the same,” said Francie Cordova, UNM Chief Compliance Officer. “It’s primarily just an internal departmental change that will help us reduce duplicated efforts while increasing efficiency and streamlining costs.”

Reporting for the UNM community will not change. The EthicsPoint online reporting page will be at the same location, and OEO’s reporting functions will remain consistent through Spring 2021. Future plans include working toward more clear and seamless reporting processes and training efforts within the OCEEO.

The office will also continue working toward building a compliance culture that is based on University values and ethics and shared by the entire UNM community.

The merger has been in the works for several years and will also result in a cost savings due to utilization of shared services. The offices combined at the end of November 2020. More public-facing changes, like updating websites, will take place over the course of Spring 2021.

Questions can be directed to OCEEO leadership:
Francie Cordova, Chief Compliance Officer
Heather Jaramillo, Interim Director of Equal Opportunity
Angela Catena, Title IX Coordinator