Notice of College Regulations
The regulations and policies listed throughout this catalog and in other official statements of the College are binding on all students. The College reserves the right to withdraw, modify, or add to the courses offered or to change the order or content of courses in any curriculum. Any changes made shall be applicable to all students in the College, including former students who reenroll. Proper notification will be made of any changes through official channels and/or notices posted on the bulletin boards.
Criminal Offender Record Information and Sex Offender Registry Information Checks
Students interested in participating in an academic program that involves working with children, the disabled, or the elderly, or includes a clinical affiliation with a private or public health care provider, may be required to undergo a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check and/or a Sex Offender Registry Information (SORI) check. Depending on the contents of a student’s CORI or SORI reports, participation in an academic program, or clinical affiliation related thereto, may be denied. CORI checks may be performed pursuant to Mass. General Laws, Chapter 6, Sections 167-178B, and consistent with guidelines promulgated by the Executive Office for Health and Human Services, and/or the Commonwealth’s Department of Public Health. SORI checks may be performed pursuant to Mass. General Laws, Chapter 6, Section 178C. For more information, please contact the Executive Director of Human Resources.
Equal Opportunity/Non-Discrimination Notice
Bristol Community College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, color, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, religion, age, veteran status or disability under state or federal law in any aspect of employment, admissions, access or treatment of its programs and activities. Applicants for admission and employment, students, employees, and referrals of applicants for admission, and employment with questions or complaints about compliance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, Title I and Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Executive Order 11246 (1965), and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, should contact Emmanuel Echevarria, Interim Title IX Coordinator, Hudnall Administration Building, D209H at 774.357.2682, Emmanuel.Echevarria@Bristolcc.edu. Those with questions or complaints regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act or Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 should contact Emmanuel Echevarria, Interim Title IX Coordinator, Hudnall Administration Building, D209H, at 774.357.2682, Emmanuel.Echevarria@Bristolcc.edu.
Inquiries regarding federal laws may be directed to:
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Dept. of Education
33 Arch Street, Suite 900
Boston, MA 02110-1491
Telephone: 617.289.0111
TTY: 877.521.2172
U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
John F. Kennedy Federal Building
475 Government Center
Boston, MA 02203
Telephone: 617.565.3200 or 1.800.669.4000
TTY: 617.565.3204 or 1.800.669.6820
Inquiries regarding state laws may be directed to:
Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination
800 Purchase Street, Room 501,
New Bedford, MA 02740.
Telephone: 508.990.2390
Fax: 508.990.4260
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
FERPA is a federal law which regulates the disclosure of student information. For more information, visit Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
Release of Student Information
Under FERPA, Bristol Community College designates the following categories of student information as public or “Directory Information.” Such information may be disclosed by the institution for any purpose, at its discretion.
Category I
Name, address, telephone number, dates of attendance, class
Category II
Previous institutions attended, major field of study, awards, honors, degree(s) conferred (including dates).
Category III
Past and present participation in officially recognized sports and activities, physical factors (height, weight of athletes), date and place of birth.
Currently, enrolled students may withhold disclosure of any category of information under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. To withhold disclosure, students must submit written notification to the Registrar’s Office prior to the tenth day in a given semester. Forms requesting the withholding of “Directory Information” are available in the Enrollment Center and online.
Bristol Community College assumes that failure on the part of any student to specifically request the withholding of categories on “Directory Information” indicates individual approval for disclosure.
The Department of Defense identifies the following information as student recruiting information: student names, addresses, and telephone listings; and if known, students’ ages, levels of education, and majors. If a student chooses not to exercise his/her right to refuse to permit the College to disclose the student’s record information, the College will release upon request to the Department of Defense, or an agency thereof, that student information which the Department of Defense has designated as student recruiting information. When student information is released pursuant to a Department of Defense request, notice of the request and the release of student information will be posted in a conspicuous location in the Registrar’s office for the period of one academic year.
Student Record Disclosure
Students may consent to full disclosure of academic and financial information to another person or agency. In doing so the student authorizes the institution to release information to an individual identified by the student in writing. Students must submit a Student Record Disclosure Form to the office of the Registrar. Forms are available in the Enrollment Center located in the Commonwealth College Center, or the Attleboro and New Bedford campuses.
Complaints
Students have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the college to comply with the requirements of FERPA. Such complaints may be filed with the Family Policy Compliance Office at the U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20202-8520
Governance
The college is governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts. One alumni trustee is elected by the Alumni Association for recommendation to the Governor; a student trustee is elected by the student body.
Student Right-to-Know and Campus Security Act
Information and statistics regarding incidence of crime on campus are updated regularly in accordance with the law. Information is available upon request in the Campus Security office and published each year in the Safety, Security, and Crime Prevention Handbook.
Student Rights
Refer to the Student Rights, Responsibilities, Conduct, Disciplinary Due Process, and Related Policies and Procedures section of the Student Handbook.