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ROCKFORD CAREER COLLEGE TITLE IX POLICY
I. Introduction
A. Stautzenberger College and Rockford Career College., (the “College”) is committed to providing a working and educational environment for all faculty, staff, and students that is free of unlawful harassment, sexual violence, discrimination, and retaliation. College policy prohibits harassment or discrimination based on race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, sex, military and veteran status, physical and mental disability, medical condition, age, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, volunteer or internship status, or any other classification protected by the federal, state or local law. In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”), the College prohibits discrimination based on sex, which includes Sexual Harassment (as defined below), and adopts the policy and procedures set forth herein to ensure a prompt, fair, and impartial process for those involved in an allegation of discrimination or harassment or on the basis of a protected class or status, and for allegations of retaliation (the “Policy”).   Â
B. This Policy applies to all persons involved in the operation of the College and prohibits sexual or other unlawful harassment or discrimination by any employee of the College, as well as students, customers, vendors or anyone who does business with the College. It further extends to prohibit sexual or other unlawful harassment or discrimination by or against students of the College. Any employee, student or contract worker who violates this Policy will be subject to disciplinary action. To the extent a customer, vendor or other person with whom the College does business engages in sexual or other unlawful harassment or discrimination, the College will take appropriate corrective action.
C. As part of the College’s commitment to providing a harassment-free working and learning environment, this Policy shall be widely disseminated to the College community through publications, the College website, to all employees and students, to all applicants for employment and admission, at new employee orientations, student orientations, [to all unions and professional organizations holding collective bargaining or professional agreements with the College], and other appropriate channels of communication. The College provides training to key staff members to enable the College to handle any allegations of Sexual Harassment promptly and equitably. The College will quickly respond to all reports of Sexual Harassment and will take appropriate action to prevent, to correct, and if necessary, to discipline behavior that violates this Policy.
D. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and this Policy may be directed to the Title IX Coordinator or the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights of the Department of Education (contact information below).
II. DEFINITIONS
A. Advisor means a person chosen by a party or appointed by the institution to accompany the party to meetings related to the resolution process, to advise the party on that process, and to conduct cross-examination for the party at the hearing, if any.
B. Complainant means an individual who is alleged to be the victim of conduct that could constitute Sexual Harassment, discrimination, or retaliation.
C. Consent is informed, voluntary and revocable. Consent is an affirmative, unambiguous, and conscious decision by each participant to engage in mutually agreed-upon sexual activity. It must be given without coercion, force, threats or intimidation. Consent must be ongoing throughout a sexual encounter and can be revoked at any time. Once consent is withdrawn, the sexual activity must stop immediately.
D. Covered Program means an education program or activity over which the College exercised substantial control over both the Respondent and the context in which the sexual harassment occurred.Â
E. Dating Violence is defined as violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim. The existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on the reporting party’s statement and with consideration of the length of the relationship, the type of relationship, and the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship. For the purposes of this definition, dating violence includes, but is not limited to, sexual or physical abuse or the threat of such abuse.
F. Final Determination means a decision by [the preponderance of the evidence] that the alleged conduct did or did not occur and whether it did or did not violate this Policy.
G. Formal Complaint means a document signed by the Complainant or signed by the Title IX Coordinator alleging Sexual Harassment, discrimination, or retaliation in violation of Title IX.
H. Investigator is the person(s) charged by the College with gathering evidence and preparing an investigative report.
I. Parties means the Complainant and Respondent.
J. Respondent means the individual who has been reported to be the perpetrator of conduct that could constitute Sexual Harassment, discrimination, or retaliation.
K. Retaliation means taking a materially adverse action by intimidating, threatening, coercing, harassing, or discriminating against any person because that person made a complaint, participated, or refused to participate in any part of the process associated with this Policy.
L. Sexual Assault occurs when a physical sexual activity is engaged in without the consent of the other person or when the other person is unable to consent to the activity. The activity or conduct may include physical force, violence, threat, or intimidation, ignoring the objections of the other person, causing the other person’s intoxication or incapacitation through the use of drugs or alcohol, and taking advantage of the other person’s incapacitation (including voluntary intoxication).
M. Sexual Harassment is broadly defined to include any of three types of misconduct on the basis of sex, all of which jeopardize the equal access to education that Title IX is designed to protect: (1) Any instance of quid pro quo harassment by a College employee; (2) any unwelcome conduct that a reasonable person would find so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it denies a person equal educational access; and (3) any instance of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking.
N. Supportive Measures means non-disciplinary, non-punitive individualized services offered as appropriate, as reasonably available, and without fee or charge to the Complainant or the Respondent before or after filing of a formal complaint or where no formal complaint has been filed.
O. Stalking is defined as engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for the person’s safety or the safety of others; or suffer substantial emotional distress.
III. Title IX Coordinator
The following individuals serve as the Title IX Coordinator at their respective College campuses and have the primary responsibility for coordinating the College’s efforts related to the intake, investigation, resolution, and implementation of supportive measures to stop, remediate, and prevent Sexual Harassment, discrimination, and Retaliation. Questions about this Policy, Complaints, or notice of alleged violations can be made by contacting the appropriate Title IX Coordinator.
Rockford Career College
Danielle Harriott
815-967-7317
dharriott@rockfordcareercollege.edu
1130 S. Alpine Rd. #100
Rockford, IL 61108
In addition, the College has designated the Campus President of each campus as a person with authority to address and correct Sexual Harassment, discrimination, and Retaliation.
Rockford Career College
Mike O’Herron
815-967-7317
moherron@rockfordcareercollege.edu
1130 S. Alpine Rd. #100
Rockford, IL 61108
In addition to the foregoing individuals, the College has directed all of its [full-time] employees to report any knowledge they have of Sexual Harassment, discrimination, and Retaliation to their Title IX Coordinator.
IV. Office of Civil Rights
You may also contact the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, the federal agency responsible for overseeing Title IX.
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202-1100
Phone: (800) 421-3481
TDD: (877) 521-2172
Email:Â OCR@ed.gov
www.ed.gov/ocr
Rockford Career College
Office for Civil Rights,
U.S. Department of Education
John C. Kluczynski Federal Building
230 S. Dearborn Street, 37th Floor
Chicago, IL 60604
Telephone: (312) 730-1560
Facsimile: (312) 730-1576
Email:Â OCR.Chicago@ed.gov
