Federal regulations require that institutions provide specific consumer information to current students, prospective students and employees about the school and financial aid. All of the required disclosure information can be found through the links provided below. This information may also be obtained by contacting tthe Vice President of Enrollment Management and Pathway Success at (303) 361-7376 or Dean of Students at (303) 360-4721.
Copyright infringement – Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S. Code) to the authors of original works of authorship, including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works, including material published in electronic format. Copyright protection covers any work, published or unpublished.
Freedom of Information Act – The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a law that gives you the right to access information from the federal government.
A quality general education experience that develops competencies in reading, writing, mathematics, technology and critical thinking through an integrated arts and science experience.
Students should be able to complete their Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree programs in no more than sixty credit hours or their baccalaureate programs in no more than one hundred twenty credit hours, unless there are additional degree requirements recognized by the commission.
A student can sign a two-year or four-year graduation agreement that formalizes a plan for that student to obtain a degree in two or four years, unless there are additional degree requirements recognized by the commission.
Students have a right to clear and concise information concerning which courses must be completed successfully to complete their degrees.
Students have a right to know which courses are transferable among the state public two- and four-year institutions of higher education.
Students, upon successful completion of core general education courses, should have those courses satisfy the core course requirements of all Colorado public institutions of higher education.
Students have a right to know if courses from one or more public higher education institutions satisfy the student’s graduation requirements.
Other Student Policies
TITLE IX: SEXUAL MISCONDUCT, DISCRIMINATION & HARASSMENT
As a CCA student, you have the right to be free from sexual violence. All members of the CCA community are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that does not infringe upon the rights of others. CCA is committed to a zerotolerance policy for sex/gender-based misconduct.
If you have experienced Harassment/Sexual Harassment/Sexual Misconduct, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Stalking, Discrimination, Civil Rights or Retaliation, you should:
Review the Colorado Community College System Procedure, SP19-60 Civil Rights & Sexual Misconduct Resolution Process.
Discuss your options with a Confidential Resource.
Call the CCA Confidential Reporting and Support line at 303-360-4790
Submit a Mental Health / Counseling Referral.
File a Harassment/Sexual Harassment Misconduct, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Stalking, Discrimination, Civil Rights or Retaliation Report here.
Your report will be submitted to CCA’s Title IX Coordinator.
Cindy Hesse Vice President of Human Resources & Personnel Success [email protected] 303-360-4752
Return of Title IV Funds
Federal regulations require CCA to have a fair and equitable refund policy for students receiving federal financial aid, who officially or unofficially withdraw from all of the courses in which they are enrolled. See the CCA Financial Aid Handbook for this policy.
Federal law requires that, when you withdraw during a semester, the amount of federal financial aid that you have earned up to that point is determined by a specific formula. You earn financial aid over the course of a semester by attending and participating in the courses in which you are enrolled. You cannot earn all of your financial aid unless you maintain attendance and class participation for more than 60 percent of the term.
If you received (or the College received on your behalf) less aid than the amount that you earned, you will be able to receive those additional funds. If you received more aid than you earned, the excess funds must be returned to the U.S. Department of Education or the student loan lender.
This procedure, called the Return of Title IV Funds, only applies if you withdraw before completing 60% of the semester for which you received federal funds or have been awarded funds. Federal funds that may have be returned are Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG, Federal Stafford and/or PLUS Loans.
Official Withdrawals
An official withdrawal is an instance in which you notify the CCA Admissions Office either in person and complete an add/drop form, by phone, through an academic advisor, or on-line and withdraw from a course or courses.
When a student officially withdraws from all courses for the semester, the CCA Financial Aid Office will perform the Return of Title IV Funds calculation. This calculation will determine the portion of financial aid grants and loans funded, excluding Federal work study, which must be returned to the U.S. Department of Education or a student loan lender. This calculation involves the following steps:
Determine how much aid the student is entitled to use or has earned by attending classes. The date that the student notified the CCA Admissions Office either in person and completed an add/drop form, by phone, through an academic advisor, or on-line and withdrew from all of their courses, is the official withdrawal date. This is the date that will be used to calculate the percentage of the enrollment period earned. This is done by dividing the number of days attended by the number of days in the term (including weekends and holidays). The amount of aid the student is entitled to receive or earned includes funds actually disbursed plus those funds authorized but not disbursed at the time the student withdrew.
Determine how much of the federal aid must be returned. The earned percentage is subtracted from 100% and determines the unearned amount of federal aid.
Determine who must return the unearned aid. This could be the College, the student, or, in some cases, both the College and the student. The unearned percentage is also used to determine, if necessary, how much the College must return of the federal funds it received as payment for tuition, institutional fees, and any bookstore charges.
Once it is determined how much must be returned, the federal funds must be returned in an order specified by law. This order is:
Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
Federal Subsidized Stafford Loan
Federal PLUS Loan
Federal Pell Grant
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
Other
Federal work study earnings are not affected. If the student must repay a grant program under these provisions, the Financial Aid will reduce the grant repayment by half in accordance with the federal requirements. After all funds have been returned, the student may owe the college for charges no longer paid by financial aid.
Students are notified in writing showing the portion of unearned aid the school will refund from institutional costs and the portion the student will be responsible to repay.
Students have 45 days from the date of this bill to pay in full the amount shown, or make arrangements with the CCA Business Office for a payment plan. If you fail to pay the amount shown, or if you make arrangements for a payment plan but do not make your payments as scheduled, the balance will be turned over to collections.
Unofficial Withdrawals
An unofficial withdrawal is when you stop attending your courses and drop out of school without notifying the institution. A student who receives all F grades or a combination of F and W grades is considered to have unofficially withdrawn from their courses.
A student receiving federal financial aid funds who drops out without notifying the institution is considered to have withdrawn at the midpoint of the payment period, unless the institution can document a later date. The Return of Title IV Funds calculation will use 50% as the unearned percentage to determine the amount of federal funds that must be returned by the institution and the student.
Financial Aid Overpayments
A financial aid overpayment may occur as a result of additional resources, such as scholarships, tuition waivers, agency benefits, or third party payments. In addition, a financial aid overpayment may occur due to dropped courses that result in a reduction of tuition charges or for students who received funds from more than one institution. In these cases your financial aid may be reduced.
Policy Contact: Director of Library Services
Community College of Aurora expects all students and employees to comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws governing copyrighted materials which grant authors, publishers, and creators control over the copying, distribution, transmission and performance of their original works. Community College of Aurora recognizes the importance of the Fair Use doctrine (section 107 of the U.S. Code Title 17 on Copyright) and its responsibility to provide information and guidance in support of teaching and learning.
Inform its employees about the application of the four factors governing fair use
Provide notice to students that materials used in connection with courses (i.e. reserve textbooks) may be subject to copyright protection
Assist employees in obtaining permission to use copyrighted materials
Four factors of Fair Use:
The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
The nature of the copyrighted work
The amount and sustainability of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work
TEACH Act
The Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization (TEACH) Act was signed into law in October, 2002.
The TEACH Act amends Sections 110(2) and 112 of the Copyright Act of 1976 to give instructors at accredited nonprofit educational institutions greater flexibility to use third party copyrighted works in online course delivery.
The bill permits the display and performance of virtually all types of works during online instruction without the consent of the copyright owner, provided that:
The online instruction at an eligible institution is mediated by an instructor
The transmission of material is intended only for receipt by the students enrolled in the course, regardless of where the students are physically located
The institution employs measures to prevent “retention of the work in accessible form by recipients of the transmission for longer than the class session”
The institution employs measures that limit the transmission of the material to students enrolled in the particular course and precludes unauthorized student retention and/or downstream redistribution “to the extent technologically feasible”
Use of the material is clearly for educational, not entertainment purposes
PROCEDURES
Copying of materials or other uses not specifically allowed by the law, fair use, license agreement, or the permission of the copyright holder is strictly prohibited.
Students or employees of the Community College of Aurora who willfully disregard the copyright policy are in violation and do so at their own risk and assume all liability.
Every attempt will be made to assist students and employees who need information so that they can remain in good standing with copyright law.
GUIDELINES
Community College of Aurora students or employees using copy machines or other devices for reproduction of any material are responsible for familiarizing themselves with provisions of the copyright law and fair-use guidelines before copying or reproducing any material. To this end, copies of the law and guidelines will be prominently displayed near copying or other reproduction devices wherever they are permanently installed.
If after a study of the law and/or guidelines there is uncertainty as to whether reproduction or use of materials meets the requirements of the fair-use guidelines, the Director of Library Services should be consulted.
If the reproduction of the copyrighted material does not meet the fair-use guidelines, written authorization must by obtained.
Please contact the Library at [email protected] or 303.360.4736 with any questions.
EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Equal Opportunity
CCA does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, nationality, sex, age, or handicap, in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its programs and activities. Inquiries concerning Title VI, Title IX, and Section 504 and the Americans With Disabilities Act may be referred to Cindy Hesse, Vice President of Human Resources and Personnel Success. She serves as the Affirmative Action (AA) Officer, Equal Opportunity (EO), and Title IX Coordinator with the responsibility to coordinate its civil rights compliance activities and grievance procedures and she serves as the college’s Compliance Coordinator. Please contact her by e-mail at [email protected], by phone at 303-360-4752 or by US mail at 16000 East CentreTech Parkway, Administration Building, Office # A207E, Aurora, Colorado 80011.
Non-Discrimination & Affirmative Action
The Community College of Aurora prohibits all forms of discrimination and harassment including those that violate federal and state law, or the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education Board Policies 3-120 and 4-120. The College does not discriminate on the basis of sex/gender, race, color, age, creed, national or ethnic origin, physical or mental disability, veteran status, pregnancy status, religion, genetic information, gender identity, or sexual orientation in its employment practices or educational programs and activities. The Community College of Aurora will take appropriate steps to ensure that the lack of English language skills will not be a barrier to admission and participation in vocational education programs.
The College has designated Cindy Hesse, Vice President of Human Resources and Personnel Success, as its Affirmative Action (AA) Officer, Equal Opportunity (EO), and Title IX Coordinator with the responsibility to coordinate its civil rights compliance activities and grievance procedures and she serves as the college’s Compliance Coordinator. If you have any questions, please contact her by e-mail at [email protected], by phone at 303-360-4752 or by US mail at 16000 East CentreTech Parkway, Administration Building, Office # A207E, Aurora, Colorado 80011. You may also contact the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Region VIII, Federal Office Building, 1244 North Speer Boulevard, Suite 310, Denver, CO 80204, telephone (303) 844-3417.
Reasonable accommodations will be provided upon request for persons with disabilities. If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation to participate in college programs, services, or activities please notify the Office of Disability and Equity by phone at (303) 361-7395 or by e-mail at [email protected] For information regarding civil rights or grievance procedures contact:
Human Resources Community College of Aurora 16000 E. CentreTech Parkway Aurora, CO 80011 303-360-4752
or
Office of Civil Rights U.S. Department of Education Region VII Federal Office Building 1244 North Speer Blvd., Suite 310 Denver, CO 80204 (303) 844-2991
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs. The Community College of Aurora, by virtue of its commitment to the ideals of dignity, equality, and mutual respect for all people, deplores and condemns any form of sexual harassment. It is the intent of the Community College of Aurora to comply with both the letter and the spirit of Title IX to make certain discrimination does not occur or adversely affect the educational environment. The Community College of Aurora has a legitimate and compelling interest in prohibiting sexual harassment. Further, the Community College of Aurora has an obligation to discipline those who do engage in sexually harassing behavior.
Purpose
CCA will comply with discrimination laws and to ensure discrimination does not occur or adversely affect the educational environment of students and employees. Sexual harassment in the educational environment may occur between students, administrators, faculty, staff, visitors, or other persons on campus or at college-related activities. The range of behaviors may include but is not limited to:
sexual flirtation or prolonged staring
sexually suggestive looks, gestures or sounds
sexually explicit statements, jokes or anecdotes
pressure for dates
sexually demeaning comments that infer that one sex is inferior to another
offensive physical contact such a patting, pinching, cornering, or standing close
subtle pressure for sexual activity
requests for sex in exchange for grades or favors, or to avoid poor grades or discipline
Sexual Harassment
Sexual Harassment is a violation of federal law, a violation of professional ethics, and a form of discrimination. It is the policy of the Community College of Aurora (CCA policy/procedure No. 515) that unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when:
submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term of condition of an individual’s employment or educational opportunity;
submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is the basis for employment or educational decisions affecting such individuals; or
such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or educational performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or learning environment and such conduct will not be tolerated at the College. Substantiated charges will result in disciplinary action which may include expulsion.
Questions or complaints should be directed to Human Resources, A201E, (303) 360-4762. Care will be taken to keep the accusations as confidential as possible.
Student-to-Student Procedure
Sexual harassment will not be tolerated at the Community College of Aurora since it creates an unacceptable educational environment (CCA Policy/Procedure 515). Some situations may be resolved informally by informing the offenders that the behavior is offensive and should be stopped immediately. Students who feel that they have been subjected to sexual harassment by other students are encouraged to contact the Dean of Students at (303) 360-4721.
Student to Community College of Aurora Employees
Students with complaints against the Community College of Aurora employees should follow the Community College of Aurora Student Grievance procedure.
For further information regarding CCA guidelines on handling of Title IX, alcohol and substance use, and bullying, please go to CCA’s Policies and Procedures on MyCCA.
CORA – Colorado Open Records Act
Third Party Request of Records
The Community College of Aurora is required to have a Custodian of Records so that the public knows who to contact to obtain student, employee or institutional records through such mechanisms as the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA), or a subpoena.
Requests for student, employee or institutional records that belong to someone other than the requestor, must be submitted in writing via email or by mail to:
Cindy Hesss – Vice President of Human Resources & Personnel Success
[email protected] 16000 E. CentreTech Parkway, Suite 207H Aurora, CO 80011
The link to the Colorado Community College System President’s Procedure related to the Colorado Open Records Act, SP 10-20a – Open Records Requests, is provided here in compliance with state law.
To obtain either academic transcripts or other academic records information, please contact our Registrar’s office at [email protected] or at 303-360-4700.
