Mar 29, 2024  
Policies and Procedures Manual 
    
Policies and Procedures Manual

06:16:00 Employment/Affirmative Action


Revision Responsibility: Executive Director of Human Resources
Responsible Executive Officer: Vice President for Business & Finance

Purpose

To establish the parameters for the college’s employment/affirmative action program to ensure equal treatment for all.


Policy

Walters State Community College undertakes a vigorous program of affirmative action recruitment for minority group members and women in all job categories in which they are found to have been underutilized. In all positions, regardless of whether or not such underutilization currently exists, Walters State Community College pursues a program of open recruitment to avoid the possible discriminatory effects of informal job networks and similar systems.

The President shall appoint an EEO/AA Officer and a Title IX Coordinator for the institution. If the EEO/AA Officer and Title IX Coordinator are different people, then the President shall be responsible for ensuring that the Title IX Coordinator and EEO/AA Officer work together to comply with statutes, regulations, policies, and guidelines, including, but not limited to, the duties assigned to the EEO/AA Officer in this policy.

The EEO/AA Officer/Title IX Coordinator will investigate and resolve all complaints of unlawful harassment as required by applicable policy and/or TBR Guideline P-080 and will consult the TBR Office of General Counsel for legal advice.

The EEO/AA Officer will be responsible for promoting and assuring compliance with this policy and with all applicable EEO laws, regulations, policies, and guidelines, reviewing the effectiveness of the program and recommending improvements to the President. The institution’s EEO/AA Officer will receive, review and investigate equal employment opportunity complaints and appeals and make recommendations to the President regarding their disposition, unless policy or guideline requires otherwise.

Walters State Community College has developed an Affirmative Action Manual to guide actions to ensure equal treatment to all. All decisions regarding recruitment, employment, educational programs, and other related services are made without discrimination on grounds of race, color, sexual orientation or gender identity, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical disability, veteran status, political affiliation, or any other factor which cannot be lawfully justified. (Also see current edition of WSCC Affirmative Action Manual.) In addition, all clients and beneficiaries of services are addressed by courtesy title (Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms.) without regard to race, color or national origin in all communications.

Walters State has taken an in-depth look into the employment procedure to assure that the recruitment, hiring, training, and promotion of persons in all job classifications is performed without discrimination. Walters State encourages employees to participate in institutional sponsored training, further educational training, tuition assistance programs, and other related programs. Benefits such as retirement, life insurance, and health insurance are made available to all regular employees without discrimination.

The Executive Director of Human Resources reports directly to the President and is responsible for implementation of the affirmative action plan. All records are reviewed at least annually to assure compliance with all aspects of this plan and periodic reports are prepared for the President regarding compliance with the plan and progress toward its objectives. The periodic reports as may be deemed appropriate include recommendations for any changes the Executive Director of Human Resources believes are necessary for the program to better achieve its purposes. (Also see current edition of WSCC Affirmative Action Manual.)

Through the policies and programs set forth in this plan, Walters State Community College undertakes to comply fully with all federal, state, and local laws relating to equal opportunity, affirmative action, and equal educational opportunity.

This plan specifically addresses the obligations of Walters State Community College under the following laws and regulations:
 

  • Titles VI and VII, Civil rights Act of 1964, as amended;
  • Executive Order 11246, as amended;
  • Revised Order No. 4;
  • The Equal Pay Act of 1963, as amended;
  • The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 and 1975;
  • The Rehabilitation Act of 1973;
  • Civil Rights Act of 1991;
  • The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended
  • The Vietnam Era Veterans Rehabilitation Act of 1974;
  • Titles VII and VIII of the Public Health Service Act;
  • Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972;
  • Pregnancy Discrimination Act;
  • TBR Policy No. 5:01:02:00 Subject: Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action
  • TBR Guideline No. P-010;
  • The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.
     

Employment of staff and faculty at Walters State Community College is administered through the Executive Director of Human Resources in accordance with the college’s affirmative action plan. The following procedures are followed by the Human Resources Department staff in carrying out the college’s employment services.
 

  1. Upon the resignation of a staff member or the creation of a new position, the appropriate administrator completes a Personnel Action Form and a job description, and routes the documents for appropriate approvals from the divisional vice president and the vice president for business and finance, with the documents being returned to the Human Resources Department.
     
  2. The Executive Director of Human Resources verifies and documents budget information and position availability.
     
  3. The Executive Director of Human Resources notifies the dean or department head that approvals have been obtained and that he/she may enter the posting in the People Admin system and send it to Campus AA/HR for Initial Review. Once HR checks the online posting it is routed for approvals to the division’s Vice President/Dean, and then to the President. Once the President gives his/her approval, he/she returns the posting to the Human Resources department for posting.
     
  4. Following approval by the President, the Human Resources Department shall advertise or announce the position in a manner consistent with the college’s affirmative action plan. The Position Announcement is advertised on the college’s website, newspapers and on internet sites selected by the applicable department. Minority contacts are notified of faculty and administrative/professional staff positions that are being advertised.
     
  5. Once the position closes, the dean/department head/search committee ranks the applicants and completes reference checks on the top-ranked candidates. The ranking, ranking criteria, and reference checks are returned to Human Resources for the affirmative action review.
     
  6. The Executive Director of Human Resources conducts a complete affirmative action review noting findings and recommendations and forwards a report to the President.
     
  7. Following the affirmative action review, the appropriate administrator or staff assistant will contact selected candidates for the purpose of scheduling personal interviews. The Human Resources Department staff will assist in scheduling candidates for interview upon request.
     
  8. Selected candidates for professional, administrative and faculty positions are interviewed by the appropriate search committee. The candidates recommend for consideration from those preliminary interviews are interviewed by administrator(s), including the vice president of the respective area, and the president. Candidates for support staff positions are interviewed by the immediate supervisor and one or more administrators. Following these interviews, the appropriate administrator fills out the Documentation of Interview form.
     
  9. After all interviews, the decision is made as to which candidate should be offered the position. Approval by the President is required prior to offering a position and a President’s Interview form is completed. The selected applicant is given an authorization form that allows the college us to conduct a background check on him/her.
     
  10. Candidates for all police officer positions are required to execute a “Request Pertaining to Military Records” (SF 180) form, provide fingerprints and execute an application for background investigation.
     
  11. All candidates for appointment as faculty members require the validation of official transcripts by the vice president for Academic Affairs, a determination that the appointee meets the current SACSCOC professional and scholarly preparation criteria, and a certification that the appointee can communicate effectively with students in the English language. This certification is obtained during the interview process.
     
  12. The appropriate administrator then informs the Executive Director of Human Resources of the choice and the necessary paperwork is completed. This includes the “Employment Contract” and “Personnel Employment Record.” At this point all documentation of interview forms and President’s Interview forms should be submitted to Human Resource Department for file.
     
  13. The Executive Director of Human Resources is responsible for ensuring the accomplishment of the eligibility/identification certification, prior to completion of the hiring process, as required by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.
     
  14. The Personnel Employment Record is signed by the appropriate administrator, Executive Director of Human Resources and the President. The contract is signed by the President and then the new employee.
  15. All paperwork is forwarded to the Human Resources Department to be kept in the employee’s personnel file. Copies will be distributed to payroll and the affirmative action’s files as needed. Upon hiring, all personnel information, including the application is kept in the Human Resources Department.
     
  16. The dean/department head will be responsible for seeing that all interviewed unsuccessful candidates are notified. In addition, when the position is marked as filled in the electronic applicant tracking system, the applicants will receive a system-generated email that informs them that the position has been filled.
     
  17. All new faculty and staff employees shall report to the Human Resources Department on their first day of employment. At this time, the necessary employment documents are completed and signed. An orientation briefing is also conducted which includes information on employee benefits and policies and procedures of the college. Employment processing for full-time employees includes:
     
    1. Completion and signing of Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9) as required by the Immigration Control and Reform Act of 1986. Also see WSCC Policy No. 06:18:00.
       
    2. Signing of employment contract.
       
    3. Completion and signing of Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate (Form W-4).
       
    4. Completion and signing of enrollment form for membership in the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS) or the Optional Retirement Program.
       
    5. Completion and signing of insurance forms selecting or refusing group health/life insurance coverage.
       
    6. Completion of other employment documents as required, i.e., Transcript Request Form, Certification of Faculty Proficiency in Oral English, optional insurance enrollment forms, etc.

      10/97; 08/04; 03/06; 12/12; 08/13; 10/13; 05/16; 08/20; 08/22