Equity and Compliance

Approved by the Board of Trustees of Rockland Community College on October 29, 2002. Adopted from Equity and Compliance Manual on August 19, 2004.

Contents
  1. Statement of Policy
  2. Policy Objectives
    1. Recruitment
    2. Selection, Appointment, Assignment
    3. Skill Enhancement and Upward Mobility
    4. Termination, Resignation and Retirement
    5. Other Personnel and Managerial Actions

Note: The Statement of the Equity and Compliance Policy and the Policy Objectives are cited below. The Equity & Compliance Policy Manual also provides detailed information on the following areas covered by the Policy:

  • Responsible Personnel
  • Prohibition Against Discrimination and Harassment
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Disabilities
  • Anti Retaliation
  • Complaint and Investigation Process
  • Reasonable Accommodation for Religious Observance
  • Reasonable Accommodation for Disability
  • The Reasonable Accommodation Process Step-By-Step
  • Implementation Policy
  • Equity and Compliance Forms

Statement of Policy

It is the Policy of Rockland Community College to provide equal opportunity to all individuals through human resources, employment, and educational practices that adhere to federal, state, and local human rights laws. These laws prohibit discrimination in hiring, firing, promotion, compensation, and other employment practices, conditions, and privileges of employment, because of age, alienage, color, creed disability, gender/sex, marital status, national origin, prior non-job related record of conviction, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. They further require that reasonable accommodation be made for individuals with disabilities. Contractors engaging in business with Rockland Community College are obligated to meet the same equal employment opportunity standards.

Further, Rockland Community College is committed to developing and maintaining avenues of entry and advancement for qualified individuals regardless of their age, alienage, color, creed, disability, gender/sex, marital status, national origin, prior non-job related record of conviction, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. To that end, the College will, in accordance with law, actively recruit and promote individuals in an effort to reflect the basic composition of Rockland County’s general labor force. Rockland Community College continually examines its job qualifications to eliminate any barriers to employment, advancement, or merit, and seeks to maximize the development of all members of the work force through training and development.

The President of Rockland Community College is responsible for an effective Equity and Compliance Program.

Responsibility for coordination, implementation, and administration of the College’s Equity and Compliance Policy is vested in the Director of Equity and Compliance. The Director of Equity and Compliance shall ensure compliance with all federal and state human rights laws, as well as Rockland County laws and policies pertaining to affirmative action and equal employment opportunity, whether expressed by Legislative act or Executive Order. The Director of Equity and Compliance shall also be responsible for the education and training of all College employees with respect to this policy and related subjects including, but not limited to, prejudice reduction/diversity and sexual harassment prevention.

Policy Objectives

This policy has as its primary objective the development of programmatic approaches to the elimination of discriminatory employment practices and policies and their consequences as they affect protected classes in all phases of employment.

In order to attain this objective, the Director of Equity and Compliance shall monitor and evaluate the following activities on an ongoing basis:

Recruitment

A pro-active recruiting program shall include, but is not limited to:

  1. Expanding recruitment contacts and sources to protected class members;
  2. Analyzing any under-utilization of persons of protected classes in relation to the presence in the labor market for a given job category;
  3. Preparing projections of anticipated vacancies combined with a program designed to recruit under-utilized groups;
  4. Maintaining active contacts with community, civic, professional, and multi-lingual organizations and institutions of higher learning;
  5. Ensuring job openings and promotional opportunities are posted in a conspicuous and timely fashion;
  6. Establishing ongoing contact with guidance and vocational personnel within the school districts to provide career opportunities, counseling, and information relative to employment preparation and training;
  7. Composing and designing recruitment literature to reflect the diversity of the College/County population;
  8. Arranging for local media to broadcast public service announcements and preparing interviews or materials regarding career opportunities at the College for dissemination;
  9. Reviewing methods and techniques used in interviewing job applicants; and
  10. Participating in the formulation of screening, search, and interview committees.

Selection, Appointment, Assignment

A proactive selection, appointment, and assignment process shall include, but is not limited to:

  1. Increasing employment opportunities for persons with disabilities by adopting specific, non-competitive positions in accordance with provisions of Section 55a of the Civil Service law when applicable;
  2. Expanding avenues of entry to afford non-professional staff the opportunity for promotions into technical and professional positions;
  3. Analyzing reasons for non-selection of qualified job applicants within the protected classes;
  4. Reviewing job criteria and physical requirements to ensure that they are not culturally, racially, or sexually biased and that job qualifications are relevant to job performance and duties; and
  5. Reviewing and certifying all pertinent search documentation relating to new appointments to ensure compliance with this policy.

Skill Enhancement and Upward Mobility

A proactive skill enhancement and upward mobility program shall include, but is not limited to:

  1. Assisting in the development of training programs within each department, division, or office to increase skills, proficiency, and knowledge of College employees;
  2. Assisting in the development of a long-range program of career counseling, guidance, position redesign, and establishment of “career ladders”;
  3. Reviewing positions for possible classification or reclassification in order to ensure that promotional lines are adequate, that the number of “dead-end” jobs are significantly reduced, if not entirely eliminated, and that positions, particularly at the entry level, are filled by trainees in order to provide a less restrictive recruitment base; and
  4. Continuing to utilize, wherever feasible, promotional examinations to facilitate the upgrading of the present workforce and to facilitate and implement specific career opportunities for lower level employees who are in positions or occupational series which do not enable them to realize their full work potential.

Termination, Resignation and Retirement

The development of a program to monitor terminations, resignations, and retirements which shall include, but not be limited to, conducting exit interviews to determine any patterns of discrimination.

Other Personnel and Managerial Actions

Including, but not limited to:

  1. Evaluating policies relating to the granting of leaves, the transfer of employees to other work sites, and the standards of job performance and conduct;
  2. Reassessing the role of the supervisor and the quality and sensitivity of supervision; and
  3. Assisting in the development of a fair and equitable evaluation system.