Title IX and Non-Discrimination

Noorda-COM is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment and student application decisions on the basis of merit. The College shall not discriminate against faculty, staff, volunteers, students, or applicants on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law for any reason including recruitment, selection, and promotion.

Protected class refers to groups of people who are legally protected from being harmed or harassed by laws, practices, and policies that discriminate against them due to a shared characteristic such as race, religious belief, national origin, age (40 years and up), sex (incl. sexual orientation and gender identity), pregnancy, citizenship, familial status, disability status, veteran status, genetic characteristics, or any other protected category under applicable local, state, or federal law.

Harassment includes any action, language, or visual representation that is sufficiently severe, pervasive, persistent, or patently offensive that it has the effect of unreasonably interfering with that person’s work or academic performance, or that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working, educational, or living environment. Noorda-COM encourages reporting of all perceived incidents of harassment or discrimination.

The following prohibited forms of discrimination are civil rights offenses when the act is based upon the reporting party’s actual or perceived membership in a protected class.

• Threatening or causing physical harm, extreme verbal abuse, or other conduct which threatens or endangers the health or safety of any person.
• Discrimination, defined as actions that deprive, limit, or deny other members of the community of educational or employment access, benefits, or opportunities.
• Intimidation, defined as implied threats or acts that cause an unreasonable fear of harm in another.
• Hazing, defined as acts likely to cause physical or psychological harm or social ostracism to and person within the Noorda-COM community, when related to the admission, initiation, pledging, joining, or any other group affiliation activity.
• Bullying, defined as repeated and/or severe; aggressive behavior; likely to intimidate or intentionally hurt, control, or diminish another person, physically or mentally; that is not speech or conduct otherwise protected by the First Amendment.
• Intimate partner violence (commonly referred to as dating, domestic, or relationship violence) is defined as verbal, physical, or emotional violence or abuse between those who are involved in, or have been involved in, an intimate interaction or relationship.
• Stalking, defined as repetitive and menacing pursuit, following, harassing, and/or interfering with the peace and/or safety of another.

This policy was reviewed and revised in March 2024. For assistance with policies and procedures, please contact Alexa Levine (adlevine@noordacom.org). For more educational resources surrounding Title IX and non-discrimination, please see this presentation, provided by NASPA.