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

 

2010 Census: Counting Dorms and Residence Halls: What you need to Know: College dormitories and residence halls are considered Group Quarters, and will be enumerated during Group Quarters Enumeration between April 1- May 15, 2010. Dormitories will be counted through the use of Individual Census Reports provided to students to fill out and return. Census takers coordinate with the Residential Assistants and Housing Staff to distribute and collect the Individual Census Reports.

 

Center for Disease Control Interim Guidance on Case Definitions to be Used for Investigations of Swine Influenza A (H1N1) cases: April 29, 2009 This document provides interim guidance for state and local health departments conducting investigations of human cases of swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus (S-OIV). The following case definitions are for the purpose of investigations of suspected, probable, and confirmed cases of S-OIV infection. This guidance will assist institutions in meeting their reporting obligations. See Interim Guidance for Clinicians and Public Health Professionals.

 

AGB Statement on Board Responsibilities for Intercollegiate Athletics
Adopted by the AGB on Nov. 16, 2007: Sample Policy on Intercollegiate Athletics for Boards and Presidents added April 3, 2009.

 

Dear Colleague Letter on Activities Counted for Title IX Compliance, Sept. 17, 2008
If schools are members of an intercollegiate athletic org, such as NCAA or NAIA, or state high school associations with organizational requirements, they will often satisfy Title IX  if the required factors have been built in to the organizational requirements. If not, then there is a case by case analysis that involves looking at items like program structure and administration and team preparation and competition. This letter expounds on those factors.

 

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).




links updated 8/11/08 rab