- Sexual Harrassment
- General Harrassment
- Students with Disabilities
- Tobacco-free Campus
It is against college policy to sexually harass or to discriminate against any member of the College community on the basis of sex. Such actions are prohibited not only by the College, but also by Section 703, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1963 and Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. Violation of these Acts may subject the College and/or individuals to disciplinary action and may have legal consequences.
Sexual harassment shall be defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature where:
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Submission to such conduct is made, explicitly or implicitly, a term or condition of an individual’s employment or classroom evaluation; or
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Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment or academic decisions affecting the status of the individual; or
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Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or classroom performance, or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or academic environment.
The College seeks to encourage the prompt reporting of such harassment and its resolution through either informal or formal procedures. In addition, the College will take steps towards and will encourage the development of employee/student rights to be free from sexual harassment and the procedures available for reporting. Programs will also be developed and aimed at preventing sexual harassment.
Any individual who wants to report an incident of sexual or other unlawful harassment should promptly report the matter to his or her supervisor, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and/or the Director of Human Resources.
It is against Arkansas Baptist College’s policy to harass any person because of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, unfavorable discharge from the military, or status as a disabled veteran or a veteran of the Vietnam Era. The College complies with all federal and state nondiscrimination, equal opportunity and affirmative action laws, orders, and regulations.
The College intends to provide an environment that is pleasant, healthful, comfortable, and free from intimidation, hostility, or other offenses. Harassment of any sort, whether verbal, physical, visual, or sexual, will not be tolerated. Harassment is a very serious offense that can result in the imposition of severe disciplinary measures, including suspension, expulsion, and termination.
Harassment is a form of persecution that can cause anguish and humiliation and is incompatible with the College’s Christian heritage. It is unacceptable under any circumstances and will not be tolerated. Harassment can take many forms. It may include, but is not limited to, the use of words, signs, jokes, pranks, intimidation, physical contact, or violence. Harassment is not necessarily sexual in nature. Speech or other expression constitutes harassment if it:
· is intended to insult or stigmatize an individual, or an identifiable group of college-related individuals on the basis of age, ancestry, disability, national or ethnic origin, race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.
· is addressed directly to (although not necessarily in the presence of) the individual(s) whom it insults or stigmatizes, and
· makes use of words or nonverbal symbols that convey hatred or contempt for human beings on the basis of age, ancestry, national or ethnic origin, race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.
Harassment may also include nonverbal acts such as vandalism, physical assault, or destruction of property which also would be punishable by law. Other examples of harassment include insults or “jokes” referring to an individual’s group-based attributes; placement of offensive written or visual materials in another person’s work or living area; offensive messages sent through voice or e-mail; and undesired physical contact, physical violence, or threat of physical violence. Such actions are prohibited not only by the College, but also by Section 703, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1963 and Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, and so may have legal consequences. Cases of harassment involving students will be handled by the Judicial Committee.
It is the policy and practice of Arkansas Baptist College to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and state and local requirements regarding students with disabilities. Under these laws, no qualified individual with a disability shall be denied access to or participation in services, programs, and activities of Arkansas Baptist College. Academic accommodations are provided to students with documented learning disabilities so that optimum performance is achieved within the College’s academically competitive environment.
A learning disability is generally defined as a significant discrepancy between achievement and ability or an intracognitive discrepancy attributable to other handicapping conditions, or to environmental deprivation. The term disability is divided into three parts. An individual must satisfy at least one of these parts to be considered disabled under the law: (1) have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of that person’s major life activities, (2) have a record of such impairment, or (3) be regarded by the covered entity as having such impairment. The college does not provide testing for disabilities. Students are responsible for their own testing and for providing the documentation to the college. The college highly recommends that students present their documentation prior to the first day of classes to the Office of Disability Services to ensure timely implementation of accommodation if it is deemed necessary.
Since assessment constitutes the basis for determining reasonable accommodations, it is in the student’s best interest to provide recent and appropriate documentation. This will serve as the basis for decision-making about the students’ need for accommodation in the college environment.
Documentation verifying a learning disability should:
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Be prepared by a professional qualified to diagnose a learning disability (i.e., a licensed psychologist, learning disabilities specialist, and neurophysiologist). Experience working with an adult population is essential. Collaboration with speech and language clinicians, reading specialists and other educational professionals may be appropriate and necessary for a comprehensive assessment of a student’s needs. However, these professionals are not generally considered qualified to diagnose a learning disability.
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Include background information about the individual and descriptions of the testing procedures followed, instruments used, test results, interpretation, and recommendations.
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Include test results in the following areas: IQ, reading, mathematics, spelling, written language, and language and cognitive processing skills. D. Include a clear diagnostic statement based on the test results and personal history.
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Be dated no more than three years prior to admission or the request for services by undergraduates, five years for adult returning students.
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Include test scores/data. This is important since certain college policies and procedures (i.e., petitioning for permission to substitute courses) require actual data to substantiate eligibility.
The following instruments are generally accepted as appropriate for the diagnosis of a learning disability in adults: WAIS-R, Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery, Parts 1 and 2, Halsted-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery for Adults, Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test, Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude, Nelson-Denny Reading Test, Test of Written Language (TOWL), Wide Range Achievement Test, and Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test. There must be clear and specific evidence of a learning disability. Individual “learning styles” and “learning differences” alone do not constitute a learning disability. Once a disability has been verified, accommodations will be provided on an individual basis pending availability.
In compliance with the Arkansas Clean Indoor Air Act of 2006, The Clean Air on Campus Act of 2009 and college policy, ABC is a tobacco-free campus. The use of tobacco products is prohibited in all on-campus and off-campus buildings owned, leased, or controlled by ABC; on all grounds owned, leased, or controlled by ABC; and all vehicles owned, leased, or controlled by ABC. Act 734 of 2009, The Arkansas Clean Air Act of 2009, mandates that all state supported colleges and universities along with all properties controlled by those institutions must be smoke free. Any person found guilty of violating the provisions of Act 734 shall be punished by a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $500.
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