Student Handbook - Chipola College

Disciplinary Action – Any employee or student of this institution who is found
to have harassed another employee or student will be subject to disciplinary action
up to and including termination, suspension, and/or expulsion; within the provisions
of applicable current Board rules.
Steps to Prevent – Intolerance of race and national origin harassment on the
part of students or college employees is not acceptable. It is the responsibility of
students and employees to report incidents of harassment. Liability for harassment
can be avoided when harassing situations are corrected as soon as the college becomes
aware of them. Only by reporting incidents is the college alerted to possible
harassment. Therefore, it is necessary for anyone with knowledge of harassment to
report such activity.
Failure to report harassment may affect the mental or physical well being of
the victim. It can prevent the individual from being a fully productive member of
the college community.
Steps to prevent disability, race, and national origin harassment include:
1. Learn to recognize actions that constitute harassment.
2. Do not accept harassment as “the way things are” or as a joking matter.
Correct the problem.
3. Encourage individuals who have knowledge of harassment, or may or may
not be victims, to report such action.
4. Be supportive of individuals who are victims of harassment.
If You Are a Victim
1. Tell the individual, firmly but politely, that you think what he or she is
doing is harassment which is against college policy.
2. If the problem continues, report the problem to an advisor, a faculty
member, or a college administrator.
3. The advisor, faculty member, or administrator will confer with the claimant
and refer the person to the College’s Equal Access/Equal Opportunity Officer.
If efforts to resolve a complaint informally do not succeed, the aggrieved individual
should file a written, formal complaint with the EA/EO officer. The college will not
take formal action on an allegation unless the complaint is filed in writing. In the
interest of a timely resolution of complaints, a formal complaint must be filed within
sixty (60) days of the alleged incident of harassment.
4. The EA/EO officer shall conduct a prompt, thorough and confidential (to
the extent feasible) formal investigation of any allegations of harassment.
5. All documents, communications, and records dealing with the investigation
shall be kept confidential to the greatest extent possible and shall be filed separately
from the personnel files and other college records of all participants. All such files
shall be maintained in the office of the EA/EO officer.
6. The EA/EO officer, with advice of counsel, shall file with the president
a written report within thirty (30) days after a formal harassment complaint is filed
indicating conclusions as to whether or not there is reasonable cause to believe
harassment has occurred based on the evidence obtained. The EA/EO officer shall
provide a copy of this report and discuss its findings in confidential meetings with
the complainant and the accused party.
52 Student Handbook