Green Mountain College
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Student Handbook http://www.greenmtn.edu/student-life/residence-life/student-handbook/ Green Mountain College supports and adheres to applicable provisions of state and federal law which prohibit discrimination in admissions or access to its educational or extracurricular programs, activities, or facilities, on the basis of, for example, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, place of birth, or against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability. As members of a diverse community, we recognize that by celebrating our diversity we are a stronger community. Actions by any member of the Green Mountain College community that violate this non­discrimination policy are unacceptable and will be referred to the College's disciplinary process for action as appropriate. Staff Handbook http://www.greenmtn.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/GMC-Staff-Handbook-Other-Human-Resources-Policies.pdf GMC is firmly committed to prohibiting discrimination throughout the employment process against individuals because of race, color, sex (including gender identity), sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, place of birth, HIV-positive status, veteran or military service status, or against qualified individuals with disabilities, or because of any other legally protected status. The College will not rely inappropriately on such characteristics, or upon related stereotypes or biases, in making employment-related decisions. Also, in accordance with applicable law, the College will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities, unless doing so would result in an undue hardship or otherwise would not be required by applicable law. While the College complies with provisions of applicable law, no portion of this handbook should be interpreted or relied upon as creating any rights broader than those recognized by applicable law. The College’s nondiscrimination policy applies to all of its employment practices, including hiring, job assignment, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training. However, with respect to benefits, the terms and coverages provided in the various benefits agreements in effect at a particular time define the available coverages exclusively, and this policy should be read as consistent with such terms  and coverages, and consistent with the provisions of applicable law. Employees should feel free to raise concerns or complaints relating to discrimination or perceived discrimination without fear of reprisal or retaliation from the College, supervisors or co-workers. Violations of the College’s nondiscrimination policy will likely result in disciplinary action or termination. Retaliation against an employee for reporting or making a good faith charge of discrimination, or for cooperating in an investigation of a charge of discrimination, is also prohibited. The Complaint Process outlined below should be followed if you believe that you have been subjected to discrimination or retaliation. Questions should be directed to Human Resources. If you are not comfortable contacting Human Resources under the applicable circumstances, you should contact the Vice President of Finance and Administration.

Students can report discrimination via the anonymous reporting system. Then the anonymous reporting system threat assessment team responds to incidents and issues that show up in the system. When appropriate, the team reaches out to the Wellness Center and reaches out to the student(s) involved to offer services. Students may also report incidents to their RAs, CDs, the Director of Resident Life, or the Vice President of Student Life. Incidents are dealt with on a case-by-case basis by the Threat Assessment Team. Incidents are kept in a database and can be searched by key word to track frequency by type of event. Staff can also report incidents involving students to the Threat Assessment Team or through the retention module under the category of wellness/general concern. If reported through the retention module, other staff/faculty playing a mentoring role in the student's life will be notified and asked to provide support. As outlined in the staff handbook, staff who want to report an incident involving themselves or other staff members are encouraged to do so through Human Resources. If they are not comfortable reporting to Human Resources, they are asked to report directly to the Vice President of Finance and Administration. GMC is committed, and required by law, to take all appropriate steps to ensure that the matter is promptly investigated and addressed. The investigation will be conducted in such a way as to maintain confidentiality to the extent practical under the circumstances, with disclosure only on a need-to-know basis and/or as reasonably necessary to carry out the investigation and any remedial action. The investigation may include an interview with the person filing the complaint and the person alleged to have committed sexual harassment. Possible witnesses may be contacted, and other materials related to the complaint may be gathered. GMC reserves the right to take whatever steps it, in its sole discretion, it deems necessary to properly investigate a complaint. All employees must cooperate with any investigation. If it is determined that discrimination or harassment has occurred, GMC will act promptly to address the offending conduct and, when appropriate, impose disciplinary action. Any employee who has been found to have discriminated against or harassed another employee will be subject to disciplinary action, ranging from a verbal warning to immediate termination of employment. Individuals who engage in acts of discrimination or harassment may also be subject to civil and criminal penalties. All employees who hold supervisory positions are responsible for taking appropriate action to help prevent and report any such harassment of a GMC employee, even if the employee has not filed a formal complaint. Supervisors should contact the Office of Human Resources to discuss suspected or potential harassment situations and required actions.

Green Mountain College participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program which supports veterans attending GMC at a reduced rate. Information about GMC's veteran recruitment can be found here: http://www.greenmtn.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/financial-aid/additional-resources-veterans-benefits/. GMC offers specific scholarships for Native American applicants. This $20,500 scholarship honors the indigenous peoples of the United States and is available to all U.S. citizens who are a registered tribal member with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The Academic Coaching Program supports underrepresented groups. During the 2016- 2017 academic year, this program focused on all first-year students in our Images of Nature class (95 students), with an emphasis on providing additional support for financially disadvantaged or Pell Grant eligible students (30 of the 95 students). Academic coaching is a specialized service that allows individuals to focus on their educational potential. This service assists students in taking charge of their academics by enhancing structure and accountability while providing new strategies and support. An academic coach will work individually with students on time-management, organization, goal setting, motivation, skill development, personal accountability, confidence building, stress management, and self-advocacy. For students with a financial disadvantage, academic coaches worked closely with them to support their transition and financial needs on campus. Academic coaches assisted students in navigating the work study process and financial aid paperwork. In addition to academic coaching, we hosted an Access and Success VISTA Americorp member. This VISTA worked closely with campus partners on financial literacy programming. As part of the program, he provided financial exit counseling to graduating students with financial need. Also, he partnered with our Sustainable Business department and the Wellness Center to provide financial literacy initiatives. The result of this included bringing Met Life to campus to provide a two-part series on financial budgeting, providing a financial literacy program during an end of the year event, GMC Fest, and assessing student learning outcomes in two academic classes, Investing 101 and Smart Money Moves in Your 20s and 30s. Due to these initiatives, we hired two full-time academic coaches to assist students in the 2017-18 academic year. The Wellness Center continues to partner with local agencies including the Bennington Rutland Opportunity Council (BROC) to provide workshops on financial literacy. The Sustainability Office provides administrative support to the Unity Group, a peer-to-peer support group for students who identify as students of color. The Office of Student Involvement provides support to student clubs including PRIDE, the Intercultural Center, and the Marginalized Student Union. Safe(r) Zone training is offered to all students, staff, and faculty at least once per year during the fall orientation and at other select times. Safe(r) Zone is a visible, voluntary support system for LGBT and queer GMC community members. Safe(r) Zone also acts as an educational resource for the GMC community on topics surrounding sex, gender, and sexuality. Participants in the program can become Safe(r) Zone certified upon successful completion of the program.

GMC supports gender-neutral housing. Currently, the College has many co-ed by neighbor floors and a few gender-neutral floors. The difference is that men/women/transgendered people can live in the same room with a signed note from parents/guardians that allow this. Bathrooms on co-ed by neighbor and gender neutral floors are gender nuetral. Most other buildings on campus have one or more gender neutral bathrooms, however. there is currently not an up-to-date publicly accessible inventory of these bathrooms.