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Compliance Matters

Updates from the Office of Compliance, Risk, and Ethics
February 2023
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Title IX: Pregnant and Parenting Students

Title IX requires that students be allowed to take time off of school for pregnancy, childbirth, miscarriage, termination, or recovery from any of these events. Absences must be permitted, without penalty, for as long as the student’s doctor deems it is medically necessary. When the student returns to school, she must be given the opportunity to make up any work missed. Some students may need a few absences for medical appointments, while others may need a longer leave of absence for a high-risk pregnancy or childbirth. Regardless of department policy, students cannot be penalized for taking this leave. The rule may also apply to a student whose partner is pregnant, at the discretion of the Title IX Coordinator, Kristen Roe.
More information can be found on the College’s Title IX webpage, The Pregnant Scholar, or in College Policy 41002—Equal Education Opportunity and Non-Discrimination. Thank you for supporting the academic success of our students experiencing pregnancy and related conditions.
MC raptor with a thinking bubble that reads: Your Voice, Your MC.

Your Voice Matters

The 2023 Your Voice, Your MC survey is open now! The College wants to hear your feedback on important topics such as communication, manager effectiveness, job satisfaction, equity and inclusion, and ethics.

Full- and part-time faculty, staff, chairs, and administrators are invited to participate in this employee experience and climate survey. Check your inbox for an email from independent research  firm ModernThink (surveys@modernthink.net) containing a web link to the survey, as well as your unique username and password to access the survey. The survey is available in English and Spanish.

Responses to the survey are confidential. ModernThink receives the responses directly, and does not provide any information to the College in a way that would enable answers to be traced back to a specific person or demographic group with fewer than five respondents.

Time is limited: the survey is expected to close on Monday, February 20, 2023. After completing the survey, you can opt in to enter a drawing for one of five $50 gift cards from MC Campus Stores.

Please set aside approximately 20 minutes to complete the survey. This is a chance to share your candid thoughts, perspectives, and feedback about the College as a workplace. Your response can help to inform the future direction of the College. Share Your Voice, to shape Your MC!
Gavel and a sign that reads accommodation agreements.

ADA Compliance: What Does This Look Like in the Class Setting?

Acommodating students with disabilities is providing them equal access to educational opportunities. The College recognizes that individuals with disabilities may need reasonable accommodations to have equally effective opportunities to participate in, or benefit from, College educational programs, services, and activities.
What is a reasonable accommodation?
A reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment to a course, program, service, job, activity, or facility that enables a qualified individual with a disability to have an equal opportunity to attain the same level of performance, or to enjoy equal benefits and privileges, as are available to an individual without a disability. Some common academic accommodations include extended time on tests, use of peer note takers, use of computer with spellcheck, and provision of sign language interpreters.
What should faculty do when a student discloses a disability?
Ask for the accommodation letter from our Office of Disability Support Services (DSS). This letter describes the accommodations that faculty are legally mandated to provide. During an office hour or at another convenient time, discuss the letter and the accommodation with the student. If the student does not have an accommodation letter, the student should be referred to the DSS office to request services. The DSS counselors will determine the appropriate accommodation after reviewing documentation of the disability provided by the student.
Is it up to the discretion of faculty whether to provide accommodations?
No, faculty must provide the accommodations determined by DSS. If there are questions or concerns regarding the accommodations, faculty must consult with DSS. Faculty cannot dismiss the accommodation letter or negotiate accommodations directly with the student.
Who is a qualified student with a disability and who determines the disability and accommodations?
A qualified student with a disability is a student who meets the academic and technical standards required for admission or participation in the College’s education program. DSS counselors determine the disability and reasonable accommodations.
For more information contact the DSS office on your campus at 240-567-5058 or the ADA Coordinator Kristen Roe.
Accountability breeds response-ability. Quote by Stephen R. Covey
MC safe zone logo.

Safe Zone Training

Safe Zone is an experiential training that allows participants to explore their knowledge and assumptions about LGBTQ+ people, to learn about the needs of LGBTQ+ students, and to understand core concepts and vocabulary, homophobia and heterosexism, and the coming out process. The training empowers participants to better support LGBTQ+ staff and students and to respond to situations of discrimination or harassment. The training is 6.5 hours total. Register on Workday for the following sessions to be held in the Rockville Campus.

Half-Day Sessions – From 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Tuesdays February 14 and 28
Thursdays April 6 and 20

Full-Day Sessions – From 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Friday March 3
Tuesday April 18
Friday April 28

For more information, check the MC Pride and Allies website.
Report a concern via EthicsPoint
MC ethical standards wheel, with accountability highlighted in green.

What Does Accountability Look Like in the Workplace?

Here are a few ideas for how you might embody this value in your everyday interactions:
  • Take responsibility for outcomes.
  • Fully complete assigned tasks by deadline.
  • Acknowledge responsibility to others.
  • Understand that decisions and results are connected.
  • Act with integrity.
Interested in learning more? Check out the College's Ethical Expectations Guide. Developed by a workgroup of twelve employees from across the College, this resource offers practical guidance for living out the Code of Ethics while on the job. We invite you to delve into this booklet and make it your own: identify at least one concrete action you can take to help create a thriving ethical culture at MC.
MC raptors logo.

Athletic Concerns?

Have you experienced or been made aware of concerns related to Montgomery College athletic programs and activities? Do you have questions about the types of athletic concerns you may report or how to report? The College has four options for reporting athletic concerns. All reports are confidential to the extent permitted by law.
  1. Contact a coach or member of the athletic department with your concern about violations of policies, procedures, programs, and activities.
  2. If you are not comfortable contacting a coach or any member of the athletic department, contact Kristen Roe in the Office of Compliance, Risk, and Ethics at 240-567-4279 or AthleticConcerns@montgomerycollege.edu.
  3. Call EthicsPoint at 844-572-2198 or visit montgomerycollege.ethicspoint.com to complete an online reporting form. You also have the option of reporting anonymously through this method.
  4. Contact Public Safety and Emergency Management on campus: 240-567-3333. 
For questions or further assistance, please visit the Student Complaint Resolution webpage or read our College Policy and Procedure 45005—Student Concerns About Athletic Programs and Activities.
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