Welcome to the Student Life section of our webpage. 

This front page will reflect our most current information on student life compliance issues affecting educational institutions

 

National Campus Voter Registration Project:
This website has been endorsed by the Washington Higher Education Secretariat. This site has state by state details on voter registration, legal requirements for IHEs and tips on how to start voter registration activities on campus.

 

Code of Ethics for Education Abroad (March 2008)
This document is released by the Forum on Education Abroad to aid colleges in managing study abroad issues. While the Code addresses both health and safety and conflict of interest, the main focus is on ethics.

 

Burt et al. v Gates, (no. 05-1732-cv), Sept. 17, 2007 (2nd Cir)
Decision by 2nd Circuit, where court held that the decision in the Supreme Court case in Rumsfeld controls and rejecting Plaintiff's argument that the Supreme Court did not consider whether the Solomon Amendment violates the First Amendment right to Academic Freedom. See the Inside Higher Ed article titled: Appeals Court Upholds Military Ruling, dated Sept. 19th, 2007.

 

Emergency Coalition to Defend Educational Travel et al. v. U.S. Department of Treasury et al.
This is the July 30, 2007 decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denying plaintiff's challenge to the 2004 regulation promulgated by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Dept. of the Treasury. The regulation in question tightened restrictions on educational programs offered in Cuba by U.S. institutions. The challenge claimed violation of First Amendment academic freedom rights, and a violation of Fifth Amendment liberty interest in organizing and participating in educational programs abroad. In addition, plaintiffs challenged the 2004 amendments to the Administrative Procedure Act (515.565). The court rejected the challenge, finding the regulations to be content neutral and not placing any restrictions on what can be taught in Cuba, and further, that the regulations further an important and substantial government interest.

 

 

OCR Dear Colleague Letter dated June 25, 2007 re Pregnant Athletes: This letter reminds schools that terminating or reducing financial assistance on the basis of pregnancy or a related condition is prohibited under Title IX and also reiterates this language from 34 C.F.R.§ 106.40(b)(l).

[a] recipient shall not discriminate against any student, or exclude any student from its education program or activity, including any class or extracurricular activity, on the basis of such student’s pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy or recovery therefrom, unless the student requests voluntarily to participate in a separate portion of the program or activity of the recipient.

Institutions may require pregnant student athletes to obtain a physician's certification of fitness to continue in an educational program or activity, but only if such certification is required of all students for other physical or emotional conditions requiring physician treatment.

 

Memorandum to the Faculty: Teaching Troubled Students After the Virginia Tech Shooting
This memorandum is a question and answer guidance directed to faculty, and authored by Gary Pavela. Pavela is an expert on how colleges can assist troubled students, and a teacher in the honors program at University of Maryland. Mr. Pavela publishes a weekly newsletter on campus law and policy, titled the Synfax Weekly Report.  He is also the author of Questions and Answers on College Student Suicide: A Law and Policy Perspective (College Administration Publications, 2006).