Student Consumer Information

In compliance with federal regulations which require disclosure to current and prospective students, Harford Community College is providing the following notice which lists and describes student consumer information available. You may also request a written copy of this information upon request from the individual offices indicated below.


Annual Security Report

The Annual Security Report includes information regarding issues concerning Public Safety, such as crime prevention; campus emergency response and evacuation procedures; and the reporting of criminal and hate offenses, arrests, and disciplinary actions. Crime statistics for the previous three years are reported as required by the Department of Education. For questions or to access a printed copy of the report contact Public Safety at 443.412.2041. In the event of an emergency, call 911 then contact Public Safety at 443.412.2272.

Copyright Infringement

Information regarding institutional policies and sanctions related to copyright infringement, including peer-to-peer file sharing, is available here, on the Harford Community College Library website.

Drug and Alcohol Policy

This information includes the College's policy on illegal drugs and alcohol on campus, state and federal laws, education and counseling programs, sanctions for violations of the policy, and how to find out more about the policy. Harford Community College's Guide for a Drug-Free Campus and Workplace is available from the Office of Student Life, 443.412.2140.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of student records and affords students certain rights which begin once a student is registered for classes. It provides for the right to inspect and review education records, the right to seek to amend those records, and to limit disclosure of information from the records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. For more information, visit the U.S. Department of Education.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) affords eligible students certain rights with respect to their education records. (An “eligible student” under FERPA is a student who is 18 years of age or older or who attends a postsecondary institution at any age.) These rights include:

  1. The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days after the day Harford Community College receives a request for access. A student should submit to the registrar a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The school official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
  2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA.

A student who wishes to ask Harford Community College to amend a record should write the registrar, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed.

If Harford Community College decides not to amend the record as requested, Harford Community College will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student’s right to a hearing re­garding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.

  1. The right to provide written consent before Harford Community College discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

Harford Community College discloses education records without a student’s prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is typically a person employed by the Harford Community College in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position (including law en­forcement unit personnel and health staff); a person serving on the board of trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance com­mittee. A school official also may include a volunteer or contractor outside of the Harford Community College who performs an institutional service of function for which the school would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the school with respect to the use and maintenance of PII from education records, such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent or a student volunteering to assist another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official typically has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an educa­tion record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for Harford Community College.

  1. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Harford Community College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202

Harford Community College may disclose any directory information without prior written consent, unless notified in writing that any or all such information about student is not to be made public without written permission. Harford Community College designates the following as directory information:

  • Student Name: Photographs
  • Program of Study: Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
  • Dates of enrollment: Academic honors & Awards
  • Full-time/Part-time Status: Degrees/Certificates Awarded

 

You may contact the Registration and Records office with additional questions about this document or your FERPA rights:

 

Harford Community College’s Custodian of Records and FERPA Compliance Officer is the Registrar of the College, Courtney Mitchell.

 

Financial Assistance Information

The information includes eligibility requirements, application forms and procedures, satisfactory progress standards, cost of attendance, types of financial aid programs, disbursement of funds and return of Title IV assistance. More information is available on the Financial Aid website, or call 443.412.2257.

Graduation, Retention, and Transfer Rates

This Graduation, Retention, and Transfer rates information for all students and for students receiving athletic financial aid is a portion of the data that the College reports to the federal government via the Integrated Postsecondary Education Database (IPEDS). For additional information, please contact Institutional Effectiveness at 443.412.2344.

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act Notice

In 1999, Congress enacted the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (Public Law 106-102). This Act requires that lenders provide certain information to their customers regarding the collection and use of non-public personal information. We disclose non-public personal information to third parties only as necessary to process and service your loan as permitted by the Privacy Act of 1974. We do not sell or otherwise make available information about you to any third parties for marketing purposes. We protect the security and confidentiality of nonpublic personal information by implementing the following policies and procedures. All physical access to the sites where nonpublic personal information is maintained is controlled and monitored by security personnel. Our computer systems offer a high degree of resistance to tampering and circumvention. These systems limit data access to our staff and contract staff on a “need-to-know” basis, and control individual users’ ability to access and alter records within the systems. All users of these systems are given a unique user ID with personal identifiers.

Institutional Information

The Harford Community College Academic Catalog contains information on academic programs, faculty, staff, and administration, accreditations, student services including those for students with disabilities, withdrawal and refund policies, tuition and fees and much more. Printed copies are available upon request. Further information about reviewing institutional accreditation documents can be obtained from the President's Office, 443.412.2230.

 

INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD

The Instituational Review Board (IRB) exists to protect human research subjects. Research that is focused on improvement of teaching and learning is generally considered exempt from IRB review but submission to the chair of the IRB is required so that appropriate documentation can be reviewed and maintained. Researchers both internal and external to the campus should use this IRB process to facilitate inclusion of campus employees or students in their research. The IRB process is as follows:

  1. Submission of the Expedited/Full Review Checklist Form and all accompanying documentation to the chair of the IRB. Documentation typically includes a detailed research protocol, informed consent form, proposed survey, etc.
  2. Approval to move the proposal forward to the IRB by the appropriate Vice President as determined by the chair of the IRB.
  3. Submission to the full IRB for approval.
  4. Follow-up as needed with the researcher to determine any questions.
  5. Formal approval letter sent by the chair to the researcher.

For information regarding the IRB or to begin the submission process, contact the IRB chair, IRB@harford.edu

 

Solomon Amendment

The Solomon Amendment is a federal law that mandates that institutions receiving federal funding must give military recruiters access to campus and to lists of students, including personally identifiable student information. The Solomon Amendment supersedes FERPA.

sexual harassment & discrimination (Title IX)

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces, among other statutes, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance. Title IX states that:

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

For information about Title IX and Harford Community College, download the College's Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Policy and Procedures or contact Title IX Coordinator Jacqueline S. Jackson, PhD, Vice President for Student Affairs and Institutional Effectiveness, 443.412.2230.

Student Voting Plan for Harford Community College

The Student Voting Plan includes the voter empowerment activities of Harford Community College in compliance with Maryland State HB156 Student and Military Voter Empowerment Act (Chapter 656/SB 283 (Chapter 657) for public higher education institutions.


 


It has been, and will continue to be, the policy of Harford Community College that all students, employees, applicants, and other persons dealing with the College will do so in an atmosphere that is free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, veteran, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information or any other status protected by law. This policy includes, but is not limited to, decisions about recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, compensation, benefits, transfers, social or recreational programs, academic opportunities and enrollment.