Section Eight: Student Rights and Responsibilities

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Equal Access and Opportunity: Your Rights/Responsibility

Students at Carroll, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or sexual orientation have equal access to all services, programs, activities and facilities of the College. Specifically, all students have equal access to the following:

1. Student Activities: Students are allowed equal access to or membership in any student activity.
   1. Membership requirements for student groups must be the same for all students, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or sexual orientation.
   2. All members of the organization must be allowed to participate equally and may not be assigned or denied office or benefits on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or sexual orientation.
       
2. Financial Aid: Students should have equal opportunity to receive financial aid-scholarships, grants, work-study opportunity and other student employment.
   1. The College may not give an undue proportion of scholarships to one race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or sexual orientation.
   2. Students are to be allowed equal access to all student employment and subsequent raises and promotions.
   3. Benefits for student employees must be provided equally, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or sexual orientation.
       
3. Career Development: Students should receive non-discriminatory treatment in personal or academic counseling and in placement services regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or sexual orientation.
   1. The College is to make all services available to all students regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or sexual orientation.
   2. Comparable services must be made available to all students on a non-discriminating basis.
       
4. Classroom Equality: The College endorses the AAUP’s Joint Statement on Rights and Freedoms of Students. (Copies are available in the Office of the Integrity and Judicial Affairs Advocate and in the Library.) The College endorses and encourages free discussion, inquiry and expression in the classroom. Evaluation is to be based solely on academic performance.
    
5. Violations: Students who have experienced violations of any of the rights described above should follow the guidelines described in the section titled Formal Complaint Process for Students.
    
6. The Law: Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 are federal laws designed to eliminate race, color, national origin, or age discrimination. Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 is a federal law designed to eliminate sex discrimination from all educational programs and activities. The College is in compliance with these federal statutes, as well as the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Titles VII and VIII of the Public Service Act and Executive Orders 11246/11375 of the Civil Rights Statutes.

Community colleges receiving federal funds are required to comply with the law in the admission, treatment, and employment of their students. The enforcement responsibility of this law rests with the Department of Education and with the Department of Labor, which have the power to withhold federal funds from any educational institution which practices discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, or disability. Specifically, these equal opportunity laws prohibit race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or sexual orientation discrimination in:

• Academic advisement
• Admission to Carroll Community College
• Admission to any career or transfer program
• Access to course offerings
• Access to and participation in student activities programs
• Access to and participation in athletics
• Career development services
• Financial aid and student employment
• Health services
• Personal and educational counseling
• Treatment in the classroom

For additional information, copies of the federal statutes can be acquired by contacting the U. S. Department of Education, Information Office, Office of Civil Rights, 330 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 21001. Students who have experienced Equal Access and Opportunity violations or ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act violations should follow the guidelines described in the section titled Formal Complaint Process for Students.