Roane State Community College

1. Introduction
   1. It is the intent that Roane State Community College (RSCC) will promote and ensure equal opportunity for all persons without regard to race, color, religion, creed, ethnic or national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, age (as applicable), status as a covered veteran, genetic information, and any other category protected by federal or state civil rights law, and shall fully comply with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974, as amended; the Equal Pay Act of 1963, as amended; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Pregnancy Discrimination Act; applicable state statutes and all regulations promulgated pursuant thereto.
   2. It is the intent that Roane State shall be free of harassment on the basis of sex and race, and shall fully comply with the provisions of Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended; the federal and state constitutions; and all other applicable federal and state statutes.
   3. The full cooperation of all managers, supervisors, and other employees with regard to the Equal Employment Opportunity is expected.
2. Statement of Policy
   1. Roane State will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, creed, ethnic or national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, age (as applicable), status as a covered veteran, genetic information, and any other category protected by federal or state civil rights law.
   2. Similarly, RSCC shall not, on the basis of a protected status, subject any student to discrimination under any educational program. No student shall be discriminatorily excluded from participation in nor denied the benefits of any educational program on the basis of a protected status.
   3. The college will treat all individuals during the employment process without regard to their race, color, religion, creed, ethnic or national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, age (as applicable), status as a covered veteran, genetic information, and any other category protected by federal or state civil rights law. Such action shall include, but not be limited to, actions to:
      1. Recruit, hire, train, and promote persons in all job titles, without regard to any of the foregoing prohibited factors.
      2. Base decisions on employment so as to further the principle of equal employment opportunity.
      3. Ensure that promotion decisions are in accord with principles of equal employment opportunity by imposing only valid requirements for promotional opportunities.
      4. Ensure that all personnel actions such as compensation, benefits, transfers, layoffs, return from layoff, and college sponsored training, education, tuition assistance, and social and recreation programs will be administered without regard to any of the foregoing prohibited factors.
      5. It is the policy of the college to maintain each campus as a place of work and study for faculty, staff, and students, free of sexual and racial harassment. Harassment is a form of discrimination and harassment in the workplace or the educational environment is unacceptable conduct and will not be tolerated.
3. Administrative Responsibility
   1. The president will appoint an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Officer and a Title IX Coordinator for the college. The president shall ensure that the following actions occur:
      1. Equal Employment
         1. Equal employment opportunity plans are prepared by the college EEO/Officer and these plans must be effectively administered by the college EEO Officer within the requirements of this policy and applicable laws and regulations.
         2. The college EEO Officer/Title IX Coordinator will receive, review, and investigate equal employment opportunity complaints and appeals and make recommendations regarding their disposition to the president.
         3. If required by the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, each college and the system office shall create plans to comply with the non-discrimination requirements of those statutes.
      2. Harassment
         The college president is responsible for the final resolution of a harassment complaint. The chancellor and president shall ensure the following actions occur:
         1. Investigation of Harassment Complaints.
         2. The Office of General Counsel shall provide legal advice regarding investigations.
         3. The college EEO Officer/Title IX Coordinator or designee will investigate and resolve all complaints of unlawful harassment as required by applicable policy and/or TBR Guideline P-080 Discrimination & Harassment - Complaint & Investigation Procedure. (Access the TBR guideline at https://policies.tbr.edu/.)
   2. Duties of the President
      The president shall be responsible for complying with EEO laws and policies, including any plans and requirements that may be required by VEVRAA and the Rehabilitation Act, assuring that unlawful harassment is investigated and educational efforts regarding harassment take place. In carrying out this responsibility, the president shall comply with the following:
      1. Appoint an EEO Officer who will be responsible for promoting and ensuring compliance with this policy and with all applicable laws and regulations, policies, and guidelines, reviewing the effectiveness of eEO efforts and recommending improvements to the college president.
      2. Provide positive leadership in the implementation of EEO on the campus and ensure that appropriate attention is devoted to the program in staff and faculty meetings.
      3. Inform all management officials and supervisors that their performance evaluation will be partially determined by the effectiveness of their participation in the equal employment opportunity program.
      4. Assure policies and procedures are instituted to deal with all forms of harassment, including a procedure for the EEO Officer to receive and investigate complaints and recommend necessary action to the president.
      5. Designate the EEO Officer as the staff person responsible for the development and implementation of educational efforts regarding all types of harassment.
   3. Duties of the EEO Officer
      1. Equal Employment Opportunity
         The EEO Officer will develop and maintain an EEO program which shall include but not be limited to the following responsibilities:
         1. The college EEO Officer will receive, review, and investigate equal employment opportunity complaints and appeals and make recommendations to the president regarding their disposition, unless policy or guideline requires otherwise.
         2. Equal employment opportunity or affirmative action complaints made to external agencies; i.e. EEOC or THRC, will be investigated by the college EEO Officer in conjunction with the Office of the General Counsel. All complaints will be forwarded to the Office of the General Counsel and any reports to the external agency will be prepared by the college and submitted to the Office of the General Counsel for approval and forwarding to the agency. The attorney/client relationship will apply to the investigation and preparation of those reports.
         3. The EEO Officer will develop and maintain an EEO program which shall include:
            1. Developing or reaffirming the college's equal employment opportunity policy in all personnel actions
            2. Formal internal and external dissemination of the policy
            3. Establishing responsibilities for implementation of the program
            4. Identifying problem areas by organizational units and job classifications
            5. Establishing goals and objectives by organizational units and job classifications, with timetables for completion
            6. Developing and executing action-oriented programs designed to attain established goals and objectives
            7. Ensuring compliance of personnel policies with prohibitions against sex discrimination
            8. Internal audit and reporting systems designed to ensure compliance and to permit monitoring of the program
            9. Internal complaint procedures designed to expeditiously process and resolve complaints and grievances by employees or applicants for employment
      2. Anti-Harassment Program
         1. The EEO Officer will be responsible for implementing Guideline P-080 Discrimination and Harassment – Complaint and Investigation Procedure.
         2. The EEO Officer will ensure the development of an educational program alerting students and employees to the non-harassment policy and guideline.
         3. The college EEO Officer will receive, review, and investigate all complaints of harassment based on sex, race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, or other protected status and obtain advice from the Office of General Council.

Should there be a conflict between this policy and TBR policy or guideline then the TBR policy or guideline will supersede.