MCC Disclosures and Public Notices

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act was signed into law in 1990. The law requires educational institutions participating in student financial aid programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act to disclose information about campus safety policies and procedures and to provide statistics concerning certain crimes that occurred on or near campus. The report includes crime statistics for the previous three years. Statistics include reported crimes to MCC Public Safety, local police, persons referred for campus disciplinary action for categories required under the Clery Act, and Campus Security Authorities. The statistics are also published by the Office of Postsecondary Education on the Campus Safety and Security Statistics website located at http://ope.ed.gov/security.

Annual Safety and Security Report Availability

The information contained within this report is provided to Middlesex Community College community members, prospective students, their families, prospective employees and the general public as a part of MCC’s commitment to safety and security on campus. By providing this information, Middlesex Community College, in accordance with the mandates of the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 (Clery Act), demonstrates a commitment to our philosophy of establishing and maintaining a safe academic environment and a supportive climate in which to conduct the business and mission of the College. Community members and prospective community members are encouraged to read this report for awareness of policies, procedures, crime information and resources.

Each year, an e-mail notification is sent to all enrolled students, staff and faculty members that provides the website to access this report. Prospective students and employees are provided with information to access the report. In addition, e-mail or print copies of this report may be obtained by emailing the Director of Public Safety. In addition, print copies will be available at the Public Safety Office in Lowell and Bedford. PDF copies of the reports are lsited below.

• Annual Safety & Security Report - 2024
• Annual Safety & Security Report - 2023
• Annual Safety & Security Report - 2022
• Annual Safety & Security Report -2020
• Annual Safety & Security Report- 2019
• Annual Safety & Security Report- 2018
• Annual Safety & Security Report- 2017
• Annual Safety & Security Report- 2016
• Annual Safety & Security Report- 2015
• Annual Safety & Security Report- 2014
• Annual Safety & Security Report- 2013
• Annual Safety & Security Report- 2012

If you have questions or comments about this report may be addressed to the Director of Public Safety, Daniel Martin, at 781-280-3751, martind@middlesex.mass.edu or Clery Administrator at officeofcompliance@middlesex.mass.edu.

In accordance with state and federal law, the College is required to advise the campus community where information concerning registered sex offenders may be obtained. Information concerning Level 2 and Level 3 offenders is available to the general public by contacting your local Police Department or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Sex Offender Registry Board, located at P.O. Box 4547 Salem, MA 01970-4547, (978) 740-6400. Level 3 & Level 3/Sexual Predator offender information is also online at (www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/sorb/) or any Police Department including the following where the college campuses are located:

• Bedford Police Department – 2 Mudge Way, Bedford MA 01730
  (https://www.bedfordma.gov/police)
• Lowell Police Department – 50 Arcand Dr, Lowell, MA 01852
  (https://www.lowellma.gov/221/Police-Department)

If you have any questions regarding access to sex offender information, please feel free to contact the College’s Director of Public Safety:

Daniel Martin, Director of Public Safety, 781-280-3751

As provided by law, the Police Department shall notify organizations in the community that are likely to encounter an offender classified as a Level 3 offender or a sexually violent predator, and notify individual members of the public who are likely to encounter such an offender. Organizations in the community that are likely to encounter the sex offender include, but are not limited to, public and private organizations, areas and establishments which provide services of any type to children, the elderly, or other vulnerable members of the population.

Community notification shall require notification by the Police Department to all schools in the community. The Chief of the Police Department, in their discretion, may notify other organizations, such as day care centers, youth/recreational programs, and organizations providing elder services, as deemed necessary to protect the public safety.

Any such Level 2 & 3 sex offender information communicated to the college as provided above shall be maintained in a binder located in the College’s Public Safety Office on each campus. Upon appropriate written request, the binder shall be available for public inspection and copies of Level 2 and 3 notices may be provided.

Individuals who complete a written request form for sex offender information will receive the same information that was provided to the college that may include the name of the offender, the home address, the work address, the offense(s) and date(s) for which the offender was convicted/adjudicated, and the offender's vital statistics, including age, sex, race, height, and weight and a photograph, if available.

Level 3 offender notices shall be posted by the Director of Public Safety or his/her designee within 2 days of receiving the information from the Board, regardless of when a meeting to inform the offender occurs. The notice locations include, but are not limited to, a bulletin board on Main Street of the Campus Center on the Bedford campus, a bulletin board in the Lobby of the Cowan Center on the Lowell Campus, the Libraries on both campuses, the Fitness Center, and a centrally located bulletin board in each building on both campuses, both administrative and academic.

The information the College has in its possession on sex offenders is provided to it by either local law enforcement in the town/city in which the college is located or the Sex Offender Registry Board. The College does not have access to or maintain a complete list of all registered sex offenders who may be attending or working at the College.

As provide by law, use of sex offender information to engage in illegal discrimination or harassment of an offender shall be punishable by not more than two and one-half years in the house of correction or by a fine of not more than $1,000 or by both such fine and imprisonment.

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MCC’s Receipt of Sex Offender’s Final Classification
The Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board classifies sex offenders according to levels low risk (1) to high risk (3). The Board is required to transmit a Level 3 sex offender’s registration data and final classification to an institution of higher education where the offender works, intends to work, is enrolled as a student or intends to enroll as a student. Police Departments may also transmit Level 2 and Level 3 sex offender information to the college regarding such sex offenders who may live or work in the vicinity of the College.

The Director of Public Safety will act as the primary public safety officer at the College. The Director of Public Safety, the Vice President of Adminstration, and the Director of Compliance will act as the liaisons to the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board and local Police Departments in receiving sex offender registry information. The Directors and Executive Director will receive all Level 3 notifications directly from the Board and/or local Police Departments. They will coordinate the posting of Level 3 notifications on campus and disseminate Level 3 information to the President, Vice Presidents, Dean of Students, Human Resources Director, Public Safety and managers in areas where vulnerable populations are served including the Library, LMACS, Community Programs and the Fitness Center. In addition, the College reserves the right to directly notify instructors, faculty members and/or supervisors. Managers in areas of responsibility who service vulnerable populations shall be made aware of the following:

• The College Policy on Access to Sex Offender Information.
• Where Sex Offender Registry Information is Available.
• The Procedures MCC Follows upon Receipt of Sex Offender Registry Information.

Community Notification of Level 3 Sex Offender Information

Level 3 offender notices shall be posted by the Director of Public Safety or his/her designee within 2 days of receiving the information from the Board, regardless of when a meeting to inform the offender occurs. The notice locations include, but are not limited to, a bulletin board on Main Street of the Campus Center on the Bedford campus, a bulletin board in the Lobby of the Cowan Center on the Lowell Campus, the Libraries on both campuses, the Fitness Center, and a centrally located bulletin board in each building on both campuses, both administrative and academic.

Finally Classified Offender’s Obligation to Notify the College

Current Students who are enrolled and receive their final classification or a change in classification as a Level 2 or Level 3 sex offender during their period of enrollment must immediately notify the Director of Public Safety, Daniel Martin, at 781-280-3751 to arrange a meeting with the Dean of Students, Director of Human Resources and the Director of Public Safety or their designees.

Potential Students must notify the Director of Public Safety, Daniel Martin, at 781-280-3751 to arrange a meeting when they intend to enroll at the College or enroll in classes; however this meeting must take place prior to the start of classes. The meeting is with the Dean of Students, Director of Human Resources and the Director of Public Safety or their designees.

Current Employees who receive their final classification or a change in classification as a Level 2 or Level 3 sex offender during their period of employment must immediately notify the Director of Public Safety, Daniel Martin, at 781-280-3751 to arrange a meeting with the Dean of Students, Director of Human Resources and the Director of Public Safety or their designees.

Potential Employees must notify the Director of Public Safety, Daniel Martin, at 781-280-3751 to arrange a meeting when they are offered employment at the College; however, this meeting must take place prior to the start of employment. The meeting is with the Dean of Students, Director of Human Resources and the Director of Public Safety or their designees.

College Officials’ Meeting with Level 2 or Level 3 Sex Offender

The sex offender will be advised of the following:

• Inform the offender of the College’s knowledge of his/her final classification.
• Outline the College’s obligation to provide public access to Level 2 & 3 sex offender information through its Department of Public Safety.
• Any restrictions that will be imposed on the sex offender.
• If the offender is classified at Level 3, he/she is further informed of the College’s policy of posting notice at each campus.
• If the offender is classified at Level 3, provide the offender with a copy of the community notification the College intends to post.
• If the offender is classified at Level 3, the functional areas of the College which will be provided with the public notification that will be posted.
• If the offender is classified at Level 3, that the community notification will take place within two days of receipt regardless of when the meeting occurs.

Failure to follow the College SORI policy, specifically the “Finally Classified Offender’s Obligation to Notify the College” may result in withdrawal from classes, restriction from College facilities, revocation of employment and/or notification to the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board and/or local police.

Public Access to Level 2 & 3 Sex Offender Information

The College will advise students and employees how to access sex offender information through appropriate College publications that include, but are not limited to the Student Handbook, Academic Catalog, Faculty Handbook and the College Portal.

The Department of Public Safety will be responsible for maintaining a Level 2 and Level 3 Sex Offender Binder on each campus. The sex offender information binders at the Public Safety offices shall be available for public inspection and copies of Level 2 and 3 notices may be provided upon appropriate written request.

The Director of Public Safety or his/her designee will not respond to a request for Level 2 or 3 sex offender information unless the request is presented in writing utilizing the College’s “Sex Offender Information Request Form”. The form is available online at the College Portal and also in hard copy at the Public Safety offices. The Director of Public Safety or his/her designee will maintain a log and record of all inquiries including copies of all the written requests for sex offender information.

Upon receiving a written request for information, the Director of Public Safety or his/her designee will inform individuals seeking public information on sex offenders to contact their local police department or the Board to obtain a more in-depth listing of sex offender information.

Upon receiving a written request for information, the Director of Public Safety or his/her designee will also inform individuals seeking public information on sex offenders that use of sex offender information to engage in illegal discrimination or harassment of an offender shall be punishable by not more than two and one-half years in the house of correction or by a fine of not more than $1,000 or by both such fine and imprisonment.

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Sex Offender Information Request Form

Please print, complete, and submit this form to the Public Safety Office:

Middlesex Community College Request for Sex Offender Information

The Public Safety Office, at both the Bedford and Lowell Campuses may have available information on certain individuals classified as Level 2 (moderate risk) or Level 3 (high risk) sex offenders in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The College shall release sex offender information to members of the College community who request it.

In response to your request for sex offender information, you will receive a report which indicates the name of the offender, the home address, the work address, the offense(s) and date(s) for which the offender was convicted/adjudicated, and the offender's vital statistics, including age, sex, race, height, and weight. A photograph will be provided if available.

The information the College has in its possession was provided to it by either local law enforcement in the town/city in which the college is located or the Sex Offender Registry Board. The College does not have access to or maintain a complete list of all registered sex offenders who may be attending or working at the College. For a complete list of all registered Level 2 or Level 3 sex offenders who may attend or work at the College, you are advised to contact your local police department or the Sex Offender Registry Board, P.O. Box 4547, Salem, MA 01970-4547, (978) 740-6400, https://www.mass.gov/orgs/sex-offender-registry-board.

To be completed by party requesting information.

NAME OF REQUESTER:

ADDRESS:

CITY/TOWN, STATE & ZIP:

TELEPHONE:

DATE OF BIRTH:

DATE/TIME OF REQUEST:

I request from the College’s Police/Security Department information pertaining to sex offenders attending or employed at the College or living in the vicinity of the College’s campus locations. I acknowledge that I am 18 years of age or older and am seeking this information for my own protection or for the protection of a child under the age of 18 or another person for whom I have responsibility, care or custody.” M.G.L. c. 6, § 178J(a)(4).

SIGNATURE OF REQUESTER: ___________________________________________

WARNING
SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY INFORMATION SHALL NOT BE USED TO COMMIT A CRIME OR TO ENGAGE IN ILLEGAL DISCRIMINATION OR HARASSMENT OF AN OFFENDER. ANY PERSON WHO USES INFORMATION DISCLOSED PURSUANT TO M.G.L. C. 6, §§ 178C – 178P FOR SUCH PURPOSES SHALL BE PUNISHED BY NOT MORE THAN TWO AND ONE HALF (2 ½) YEARS IN A HOUSE OF CORRECTION OR BY A FINE OF NOT MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($1000.00) OR BOTH (M.G.L. C. 6, § 178N). IN ADDITION, ANY PERSON WHO USES REGISTRY INFORMATION TO THREATEN TO COMMIT A CRIME MAY BE PUNISHED BY A FINE OF NOT MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100.00) OR BY IMPRISONMENT FOR NOT MORE THAN SIX (6) MONTHS (M.G.L. C. 275, § 4).

On November 8, 1990, Congress enacted the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 under Public Law 101-542, Title II. This act requires that institutions of higher education receiving federal funding collect information with respect to crime statistics and campus security policies and, beginning September 1992, prepare, publish, and distribute an annual security report.

Middlesex Community College, in accordance with legal mandates and its philosophy of establishing and maintaining an environment of learning and a supportive climate in which to conduct the business and mission of the college, provides the following information regarding campus security policies and procedures:

Students, faculty, staff and visitors at Middlesex Community College are encouraged to immediately report to Campus Security any incidents of criminal activity, sexual harassment, racist behavior, or other emergencies.

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Reporting Procedures
Both the Lowell and Bedford campus maintain 24 hour coverage and are continually patrolled. Security can be approached at any time and can be contacted in the following manner:

Bedford Campus

1. For emergencies, dial ext. 4200 (8am - 10pm)
2. Non-emergencies, dial ext. 3757 (8am - 10pm)
3. For Pager, dial 781-319-1766

Lowell Campus

1. For emergencies, dial ext. 6200
2. Non-emergencies,City Campus, dial ext. 6200
   Middle Street Talbot Building, dial ext. 3070
   Middle Street Derby Building, dial ext. 3030

Reporting of Medical Emergencies
For medical emergencies, follow the same procedure as for any campus emergency.

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College-Wide Response to Reported Incidents

A. Incident Reports

Upon receiving a report of any criminal activity, injury, or accident, a security officer will respond by interviewing the reporting individual for details of the incident. The security officer on duty will complete an incident report which is reviewed by the Campus Manager and, when appropriate, the Dean of Student Development. Copies of incident reports are maintained in the Campus Manager’s office.

B. Actions

1. The security officer on duty can often respond to an incident by taking such actions as: asking a person to leave the campus, issuing a parking ticket, or intervening to disperse offenders.
2. Complaints of sexual assault should be reported immediately
3. Sexual assault, as defined in the Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reporting System includes forcible and non-forcible offenses, and is a criminal offense. Sexual assault in any form, including acquaintance rape, will not be tolerated. When an allegation of sexual assault is made, the College will inform the alleged victim as to their rights to pursue criminal prosecution under the Massachusetts criminal statutes. In addition, appropriate campus disciplinary action may be pursued.
4. All allegations of sexual assault will be handled confidentially and will be investigated. Both the accuser and the accused will have equal opportunity to appeal under due process.
5. Sexual misconduct of any kind to include harassment will not be tolerated. Aggressive and continuous attention is given to any reportable incidents. Statistical data regarding the frequency and type of these offenses is maintained in accordance with federal law and available to students, parents or legal guardians upon request. Counseling is also offered to ameliorate the situation experienced by the victim to insure a safe academic environment.
6. In the event of medical emergencies, the security officer on duty, the Director of Health Services or other designee can contact an ambulance to transport a victim to a hospital.
7. Complaints of racial harassment are referred to Pamela Flaherty, Dean of Students and McDonald Furlonge, Dean of Academic Programs and Multicultural Affairs, for disposition to include state/local police as indicated.
8. Security officers work with the state and local police as appropriate in reporting criminal incidents. The police then conduct their own investigation keeping college officials apprised of the status and dispensation of each case.
9. In the case of incidents or complaints regarding maintenance of facilities and grounds, the College facilities and maintenance staff address the concern in response to a Maintenance Work Order completed by the responding officer.

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Security of and Access to Campus Facilities

Access
Campus grounds are open to the public for non-organized activities, i.e., walking, bicycling, etc. Visitors are expected to use facilities safely and properly. Those found violating normal safety practices or acting discourteously will be asked to leave.

Organized uses, i.e., community events are scheduled through the Campus Manager. Campus security are provided with a schedule of organized events and will investigate unscheduled activity taking place.

Campus buildings are open Monday-Thursday, 7am - 10pm, Friday, 7am - 5pm, and Saturday from 8am - 1pm when classes are in session. Buildings remain secured on holidays, Sundays, and during non-scheduled class periods unless special arrangements are made to the contrary by contacting the Campus Manager.

Authorized Access
No unauthorized persons are allowed into campus buildings off-hours without prior permission or unless accompanied by an authorized person. College staff or students needing access to buildings during off-hours are required to make arrangements with the appropriate Campus Manager’s office. The Campus Manager will provide security with an authorized Access List.

As a commuter campus, Middlesex Community College has no policy on the security of residence halls.

Security and Maintenance
Middlesex Community College employees provide for janitorial services. The supervisor of the janitorial crew has keys to campus buildings in order to provide access for employees during their work shift, 10pm - 7am. During this time period, other employees or students are generally not on campus.

Mechanical contractors and mechanical trades workers are accompanied by a college employee when it is necessary for them to be on campus during other than normal working hours.

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Campus Law Enforcement
Campus security officers are authorized to enforce the rules and regulations of Middlesex Community College in the following ways:

1. Dispersing activities not permitted under campus guidelines, i.e., improper use of facilities, harassment, trespass.
2. Issuance of parking tickets.
3. Verbal warnings to cease unauthorized activity.
4. Escorting violators from the campus facilities.

Security officers do not operate with police powers and do not carry weapons.

Relationships with State and Local Police
Since MCC is a state-owned property, enforcement authority rests with the state police. MCC campus security officers routinely work with state police in investigation of criminal activity occurring on the campus property. The state police are called in by campus security in cases of criminal activity such as assault, automobile accidents, theft, violation of restraining orders, etc.

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Restraining orders are delivered to:

• On the Bedford Campus - Campus Manager’s office - Building 10.
• On the Lowell Campus - Campus Manager’s office.

Local police, while not empowered with enforcement authority on state property, are cooperative in providing emergency assistance when requested.

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Encouragement of Reporting
The College community is reminded periodically through memos, staff orientations and electronic mail to report any and all incidents immediately to the campus security.

Students are informed of the procedures and encouraged to report all incidents promptly to campus security.

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Programming
Periodic forum programs and advertising campaigns consisting of distribution of fliers or brochures, posting of messages, and electronic mail will inform students and employees about crime prevention.

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Firearms, Drugs and Alcohol Policy
Firearms, alcohol, drugs and other illegal substances are prohibited on the campus of Middlesex Community College or as a part of any off campus college-related activity. Students or employees who violate these restrictions shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action up to and including suspension, expulsion, or discharge and shall also be subject to referral for criminal prosecution. Where students or employees are convicted of violating a firearms, criminal drug or alcohol statute related to a college activity, the college shall ordinarily expel or discharge the offender absent mitigating circumstances. Mitigating circumstances shall include, but shall not be limited to, consideration of handicap under federal and state law.

The college policies and procedures in regard to firearms, drugs and alcohol are clearly defined in the Student Handbook as required by the Higher Education Act and Drug-Free School and Campuses regulations of 1990. Specific sanctions, health risks, treatment, and educational initiatives are outlined in the handbook which is available in the Enrollment Centers, Student Life offices, Health Services offices, Human Resource offices, Libraries, and the Office of the Dean of Student Development.

Since Middlesex Community College does not have off-campus student organizations, no policies are necessary to establish coordination with local law enforcement authorities for their monitoring.

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Community Notification of Where to Access Sex Offender Information
In accordance with federal law, the College is required to advise the campus community where information concerning registered sex offenders may be obtained. Information concerning Level 2 and Level 3 offenders is available to the general public by contacting the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Sex Offender Registry Board, located at P.O. Box 4547, Salem, MA 01970-4547, (978) 740-6400, or the Bedford, Billerica and Lowell Police Departments. Level 3 offender information is also available on-line at https://www.mass.gov/orgs/sex-offender-registry-board.

If you have any questions regarding access to sex offender information, please feel free to contact the College’s Security, located at Bldg. 5, in Bedford and Cowan Center. in Lowell.

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Smoking
In light of heightened public concern and the Surgeon General’s warnings regarding the health hazards associated with tobacco projects, Middlesex Community College has instituted a SMOKE FREE environment to provide a healthy atmosphere for the benefit of students, faculty and staff.

There is NO SMOKING permitted in classrooms, offices, conference rooms, common areas or restrooms.

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Annual Security Report
An annual security report will be published and made available each September detailing campus crime statistics for the previous year. These statistics are available upon request from the, Dean of Facilities and Bedford Campus Manager, and can be viewed on the college website, or at https://ope.ed.gov/campussafety/

The Jeanne Cleary Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crimes Statistics Act (formerly the Campus Security Act)*

Note: The Campus Security Act was amended in 1998. Statistics for years prior to 1998 have been restated in accordance with the amendments to the extent possible. Any marked increase across years or in the revised statistics from previous years can be accounted for by the fact that the geographic boundaries for reporting were greatly expanded in 1998, and reporting of drug, alcohol, and weapons violations has also been broadened to include not only arrests but also disciplinary referrals

Timely Warnings
The Middlesex Community College Emergency Alert system is intended to give students, faculty and staff timely notifications of incidents that may present an immediate threat to the campus community and to heighten safety awareness. The alerts can also be used to assist law enforcement agencies with widespread communications to our campus community with valuable and timely information to assist them with the management of an operation.

The safety of our students, staff and faculty is paramount to Middlesex Community College. The college has created a three-tier, Emergency Management Team consisting of more than 100 administrators to oversee all operations on campus, both during a crisis as well as in the planning and preparedness stages.

The Emergency Management Team shall be responsible for the activation of a Middlesex Community College Emergency Alert when an incident is reported to the team and rises to the level of a required widespread communication. The Emergency Management Team shall determine if there is a significant emergency or dangerous situation, determine the appropriate community members that should receive the notification, determine the content of the notification and initiate the notification system.

Every effort will be made to distribute the alert in a timely manner; however each release is subject to the availability of accurate information concerning the incident and if releasing information will compromise efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to or otherwise mitigate the emergency. Alerts are distributed to faculty, students and staff through a variety of sources, including text messaging, phone calls, social media, or email.

Participation in the Emergency Alert system, however, is voluntary on behalf of the individuals, who are provided with constant opportunities to opt into the information system. If the individual, however, elects not to share his/her cell phone information through the system, that individual will not receive electronic communications that are distributed through the automated Emergency Alert system. Other manners of communication, such as oral communications from security and Emergency Management Team personnel and audible instructions on the intercom system will also be used when necessary.

Middlesex Community College tests the Emergency Alert System annually, which may be announced or unannounced and may be limited to a small portion of the staff. Community members are encouraged to read these procedures in advance so they are prepared.

For questions related to emergency responses, evacuation procedures and timely warnings, please contact the Director of Public Safety, Daniel Martin at martind@middlesex.mass.edu, 781-280-3751, or Cataldo Building, room 211.

 

The Emergency Management Team consists of personnel from different areas of the College, including but not limited to, the President’s Office, Public Affairs, Academic and Student Affairs, Administration and Finance, Enrollment, Research and Planning, Facilities, and Information Technology. Each division is responsible for assigned personnel within the that area. A second tier of personnel from each of those divisions is also included in the comprehensive emergency plan in order to carry out the orders and actions of the Emergency Management Team. 

The current Emergency Management Team consists of the following:

Patrick Cook, Vice President of Administration — Chair
Phil Sisson, President
Arlene Rodriguez, Provost
Allison Chambers, Chief Financial Officer
Mary Emerick, Vice President of Human Resources
Pramod Bhardwaj, Chief Information Officer
Shannon Carroll, MCCC Union Rep
Judy Burke, Vice President, Institutional Advancement and Workforce Development
Marie Tupaj, Dean STEM
Kayla Caron, Registrar
Audrey Nahabedian, Dean of Workforce Development
Kristen McBride-Silva, AFSCME Unit I Rep
Daniel Martin, Director of Safety and Campus Operations
Frank Morande, Assistant Director of Facilities - Bedford
Daniel Graham, Director of Facilities - Lowell
Beth Jendro Noël, Director of Marketing
Sheldon Maloney, Bedford Camous Resource Officer
Angela Richardson, Executive Assistant, President's Office
Abby Vergados, Administrative Assistant, Administration
Caitlin Buckley, Senior Manager of Marketing & Media Relations
Susan Lavallee, Director of Nurse Education
Chris Fiori, Director of Institutional Research
Karen Townsend, Dean of Health
Leonard Russ, Dean of Students
Scott O'Neil, Dean of Enrollment Services 

General Information In order to comply with OSHA 1910.1200, Hazard Communication Standard, the following written Hazard Communication Program has been established for Middlesex Community College.

This plan will also be available at the Public Safety Office and in the Facilities Department on both the Lowell and Bedford campuses.

Container Labeling
Receiver/Storekeeper 3 shall verify that all in-coming containers received for use are clearly labeled with:

• Product identifier
• Signal word
• Hazard statement(s)
• Pictogram(s)
• Precautionary statement(s) and:
• Name, address and telephone number of the chemical manufacturer, importer or other responsible party

Solid Material Labeling
Receiver/Storekeeper 3 will verify that all solid materials not exempted due to their downstream use; were delivered with a label or received the label prior to the initial shipment, and need not be included in subsequent shipments unless information on the label changes.

The Art Department Chair at each work site will ensure that all secondary containers are labeled with either an extra copy of the original manufacturer’s label or with our company’s own labels which have: Product identifier, words, pictures, symbols or combination thereof, which provide at least general information regarding the hazards of the chemicals. For help with labeling contact the safety/health officer who is:

• Frank Morande, Bedford Campus
• Daniel Graham, Lowell Campus

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Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
The Director of Safety and Campus Operations and/or Bedford/Lowell Facilities Director will be responsible for obtaining and maintaining safety data sheets for Middlesex Community College.

It is the policy for Middlesex Community College that when toxic or hazardous substances are received without an SDS or the appropriate SDS is not on file at Middlesex Community College that the chemical will not be accepted until such information is available.

The Director of Safety and Campus Operations and/or Bedford/Lowell Facilities Director will review incoming safety data sheets for new and significant health/safety information. They will see that any new information is passed on to the affected employees. If a SDS is incomplete, a new SDS will be requested from the manufacturer/supplier by Director of Safety and Campus Operations and/or Bedford/Lowell Facilities Director. Safety data sheets are available to each employee during his/her work shift.

To obtain a copy of the SDS, please contact:

• Frank Morande, Bedford Campus
• Daniel Graham, Lowell Campus

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Employee Training and Information
The Director of Safety and Campus Operations and/or Bedford/Lowell Facilities Director and/or the Director of Professional Development and/or the Talent Acquisition Manager is responsible for the employee training program. The Director of Professional Development (HR) and the Direct Department Supervisor will ensure that all elements specified below are carried out.

Prior to starting work each new employee of Middlesex Community College will attend a health and safety orientation and will receive information and training on the following:

• an overview of the requirements contained in the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard
• any operations in their work area where hazardous chemicals are present
• location and availability of our written hazard program
• physical and health hazards of the chemicals in their work area
• methods and observation techniques used to determine the presence or release of toxic and hazardous substances in the work area
• measures employees can take to protect themselves from hazards in their workplace, including specific procedures, the employer has implemented to prevent exposure to hazardous chemicals such as appropriate work practices, emergency procedures, and personal protective equipment
• explanation of the labeling system and what the label information means; and
• explanation of Safety Data Sheets and how employees can use this information to protect themselves.

After attending the training class, each employee will be given a quiz to verify that they attended and understand the training, received our written materials, and understand Middlesex Community College's policies on Hazard Communication.

Prior to a new chemical hazard being introduced into any section of Middlesex Community College, each employee of that section will be given information as outlined above.

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List of Hazardous Chemicals
The following is a list of all known toxic and hazardous substances used at Middlesex Community College. Further information on each noted substance can be obtained by reviewing the appropriate Safety Data Sheets.

Identity of Chemical (matching the identity on the SDS)

• Chemical – Scotch Spray Mount 
  Work area – Lowell,Federal Building, 211 and 215
• Chemical – Utrecht Cadmium Yellow Acrylic Paint
  Work area – Lowell,Federal Building, 211 and 215
• Chemical – Gorilla Glue Epoxy
  Work area – Lowell,Federal Building, 211 and 215

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Hazardous Non-Routine Tasks
Periodically, employees are required to perform hazardous non-routine tasks. Prior to starting work on such projects, each affected employee will be given information by their supervisor about hazardous chemicals to which they may be exposed during such activity.

This information will include:

• • specific hazards
  • protective/safety measures the employee can take; and
  • measures the company has taken to lessen the hazards including ventilation, respirators, presence of another employee, and emergency procedures.

Non-routine tasks performed by the employees of Middlesex Community College are:

• Task – Disposal of outdated products
•  Toxic and Hazardous Substances – Scotch Spray Mount, Utrecht Cadmium Yellow Acrylic Paint, Gorilla Glue Epoxy

If employees do not understand any aspect of the above information, they should not perform the task. The supervisor should be contacted for additional training.

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Hazardous Substances in Unlabeled Pipes (N/A in Art Department)
To ensure that our employees who work on unlabeled pipes have been informed as to the hazardous substances contained within, the following policy has been established. Prior to starting work on unlabeled pipes our employees are to contact their supervisor for the following information: 

• The hazardous substance in the pipe
• Potential hazards
• Safety precautions which shall be taken

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Informing Contractors
It is the responsibility of Director of Safety and Campus Operations and/or Bedford/Lowell Facilities Director to provide contractors the following information:

• Notify contractors of the toxic and hazardous substances to which they may be exposed while on the job site and how the appropriate MSDS can be obtained
• Precautionary measures that need to be taken to protect contracted employees during the workplace's normal operating conditions and in foreseeable emergencies
• Explanation of labeling systems used by Middlesex Community College

The Director of Safety and Campus Operations and/or Bedford/Lowell Facilities Director and will be responsible for contacting each contractor before work is started in the company to gather and disseminate any information concerning chemical hazards that the contractor is bringing to our workplace.

If anyone has questions or does not understand this plan, contact Director of Safety and Campus Operations and/or Bedford/Lowell Facilities Director. Middlesex Community College hazard communication program will be monitored by Director of Safety and Campus Operations and/or Bedford/Lowell Facilities Director to ensure that the policies are carried out and the plan is effective.

Daniel J. Martin, Director of Safety and Campus Operations
Frank Morande, Director of Facilities, Bedford
Daniel J. Graham, Director of Facilities, Lowe

On June 3, 2016, Governor Baker signed "An Act to Improve Public Records" into law. The provisions in the new law took effect on January 1, 2017.

The complete text of the new law can be found at: https://malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2016/Chapter121

The Massachusetts Public Records Law (M.G.L Chapter 66 & Chapter 4, Section 7 (26)) provides that every person has the right to access public information.

The Records Access Officer's responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• The officer shall coordinate an agency’s response to requests for public records.
• The records access officer shall, to the extent feasible, provide the public record in the requestor’s preferred format or, in the absence of a preferred format, in a searchable, machine readable format.
• The records access officer shall provide the public records to a requestor by electronic means unless the record is not available in electronic form or the requestor does not have the ability to receive or access the records in a usable electronic form.
• The officer shall not be required to create a new public record in order to comply with a request, provided that furnishing a segregable portion of a public record shall not be deemed to be creation of a new record.

If the public record requested is available on a public website the officer may furnish the public record by providing reasonable assistance in locating the requested record on the public website.

MCC's Records Access Officer is:

Patrick Cook
Vice President 
978-656-3134

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Frequently Requested Public Records
The following documents and links are provided to the public in order to provide access to the most frequently requested public records without having to submit a public records request. These documents will be updated frequently to ensure that current reports, statements, minutes and links are available. If the document you are requesting does not appear on the list or when you use the "Search" feature on the upper right side of the MCC webpage, please fill out the Public Records Request Form.

Employee Salary and Benefit information:
Employee Salary information can be located by accessing the following site: https://massopenbooks.org/payrolls/

"MassOpenBooks puts the tools in your hands to find out what state employees’ make, who is getting what kind of pension and payments made by government agencies to businesses and people. With this site, you can obtain data about specific people or departments, make comparisons between departments and access a range of analytical tools."

Employee benefit information can be accessed on the Human Resources webpage or by clicking on the following link: https://www.middlesex.edu/humanresources/

Audits and Financial Statements:

Middlesex Community College Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis- June 30, 2016

Middlesex Community College Independent Auditor's Reports as Required by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-133 and Government Auditing Standards and Related Information- June 30, 2015

Minutes from Open Meetings of the Board of Trustees

Winning Bids for Public Contracts

Awards of Federal, State and Municipal Government Grants:
AAC&U MCC/Pride; STIRS 3-3-15
Community Adult Learning Center, FY17
American Science & Engineering, General Program Application, Nov. 2014
Bridges to College FY16, MCC
City of Lowell FY17 CDBG & ESG Grant Application
CircleHealth LMACS 1-8-16
Complete Fulbright Submission, Cambodia 2015
AANAPISI
Talent Search 2016
Cummings Proposal 2016
Commonwealth Dual Enrollment Partnership Grant
Entegris General Program Application April 2013
Enterprise Bank WFTP Application
LCAF Face-to-Face Mediation Program FY17
Fulbright SIR Final Narrative
Greater Lowell Workforce Development Board, Out of School Youth FY17
LCAF Local Consumer Program FY17
MACultural Facilities Fund, 12-3-15
Adult Basic Education Transition to Community College (State)
MCC BILEZIKIAN FAMILY FOUNDATION GRANT APPLICATION 9-20-16
Perkins Postsecondary Allocation Grant 2016-2017
Partners of the Americas, USA Study Abroad
2016-2017 MACC AmeriCorps* VISTA Program
MCCSTEM Starter Academy FY16
Middlesex Community College Contracts for Signature
Cyber Savvy: Increasing Access to Careers in IT Cybersecurity
MLSC Application
MOPC Budget Summary FY17
MSA CCHost 16-17
Out of School Youth Development Center
SSS TRIO Application, 2015
SSS-D Application, 2015
UpwardBound, 2011

Frequently Requested Documents and/or Policies:
Annual Safety & Security Report

Student Handbook

Academic Catalog

Academic Year Calendar

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Exemptions to Public Records Law
Below is the list of records that exempt from the PUblic Records Law. They are also available here: M.G.L. Chapter 4, Section 7 (26)- https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleI/Chapter4/Section7

''Public records'' shall mean all books, papers, maps, photographs, recorded tapes, financial statements, statistical tabulations, or other documentary materials or data, regardless of physical form or characteristics, made or received by any officer or employee of any agency, executive office, department, board, commission, bureau, division or authority of the commonwealth, or of any political subdivision thereof, or of any authority established by the general court to serve a public purpose, or any person, corporation, association, partnership or other legal entity which receives or expends public funds for the payment or administration of pensions for any current or former employees of the commonwealth or any political subdivision as defined in section 1 of chapter 32, unless such materials or data fall within the following exemptions in that they are:

(a) specifically or by necessary implication exempted from disclosure by statute;

(b) related solely to internal personnel rules and practices of the government unit, provided however, that such records shall be withheld only to the extent that proper performance of necessary governmental functions requires such withholding;

(c) personnel and medical files or information; also any other materials or data relating to a specifically named individual, the disclosure of which may constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;

(d) inter-agency or intra-agency memoranda or letters relating to policy positions being developed by the agency; but this subclause shall not apply to reasonably completed factual studies or reports on which the development of such policy positions has been or may be based;

(e) notebooks and other materials prepared by an employee of the commonwealth which are personal to him and not maintained as part of the files of the governmental unit;

(f) investigatory materials necessarily compiled out of the public view by law enforcement or other investigatory officials the disclosure of which materials would probably so prejudice the possibility of effective law enforcement that such disclosure would not be in the public interest;

(g) trade secrets or commercial or financial information voluntarily provided to an agency for use in developing governmental policy and upon a promise of confidentiality; but this subclause shall not apply to information submitted as required by law or as a condition of receiving a governmental contract or other benefit;

(h) proposals and bids to enter into any contract or agreement until the time for the opening of bids in the case of proposals or bids to be opened publicly, and until the time for the receipt of bids or proposals has expired in all other cases; and inter-agency or intra-agency communications made in connection with an evaluation process for reviewing bids or proposals, prior to a decision to enter into negotiations with or to award a contract to, a particular person;

(i) appraisals of real property acquired or to be acquired until (1) a final agreement is entered into; or (2) any litigation relative to such appraisal has been terminated; or (3) the time within which to commence such litigation has expired;

(j) the names and addresses of any persons contained in, or referred to in, any applications for any licenses to carry or possess firearms issued pursuant to chapter one hundred and forty or any firearms identification cards issued pursuant to said chapter one hundred and forty and the names and addresses on sales or transfers of any firearms, rifles, shotguns, or machine guns or ammunition therefor, as defined in said chapter one hundred and forty and the names and addresses on said licenses or cards;

[There is no subclause (k).]

(l) questions and answers, scoring keys and sheets and other materials used to develop, administer or score a test, examination or assessment instrument; provided, however, that such materials are intended to be used for another test, examination or assessment instrument;

(m) contracts for hospital or related health care services between (i) any hospital, clinic or other health care facility operated by a unit of state, county or municipal government and (ii) a health maintenance organization arrangement approved under chapter one hundred and seventy-six I, a nonprofit hospital service corporation or medical service corporation organized pursuant to chapter one hundred and seventy-six A and chapter one hundred and seventy-six B, respectively, a health insurance corporation licensed under chapter one hundred and seventy-five or any legal entity that is self-insured and provides health care benefits to its employees.

(n) records, including, but not limited to, blueprints, plans, policies, procedures and schematic drawings, which relate to internal layout and structural elements, security measures, emergency preparedness, threat or vulnerability assessments, or any other records relating to the security or safety of persons or buildings, structures, facilities, utilities, transportation, cyber security or other infrastructure located within the commonwealth, the disclosure of which, in the reasonable judgment of the record custodian, subject to review by the supervisor of public records under subsection (b) subsection (c) of section 10 of chapter 66, is likely to jeopardize public safety or cyber security.

(o) the home address, personal email address and home telephone number of an employee of the judicial branch, an unelected employee of the general court, an agency, executive office, department, board, commission, bureau, division or authority of the commonwealth, or of a political subdivision thereof or of an authority established by the general court to serve a public purpose, in the custody of a government agency which maintains records identifying persons as falling within those categories; provided that the information may be disclosed to an employee organization under chapter 150E, a nonprofit organization for retired public employees under chapter 180, or a criminal justice agency as defined in section 167 of chapter 6.

(p) the name, home address, personal email address and home telephone number of a family member of a commonwealth employee, contained in a record in the custody of a government agency which maintains records identifying persons as falling within the categories listed in subclause (o).

(q) Adoption contact information and indices therefore of the adoption contact registry established by section 31 of chapter 46.

(r) Information and records acquired under chapter 18C by the office of the child advocate.

(s) trade secrets or confidential, competitively-sensitive or other proprietary information provided in the course of activities conducted by a governmental body as an energy supplier under a license granted by the department of public utilities pursuant to section 1F of chapter 164, in the course of activities conducted as a municipal aggregator under section 134 of said chapter 164 or in the course of activities conducted by a cooperative consisting of governmental entities organized pursuant to section 136 of said chapter 164, when such governmental body, municipal aggregator or cooperative determines that such disclosure will adversely affect its ability to conduct business in relation to other entities making, selling or distributing electric power and energy; provided, however, that this subclause shall not exempt a public entity from disclosure required of a private entity so licensed.

(t) statements filed under section 20C of chapter 32.

(u) trade secrets or other proprietary information of the University of Massachusetts, including trade secrets or proprietary information provided to the University by research sponsors or private concerns.

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Response to Public Records Requests:
The officer shall permit inspection or furnish a copy of any public record or any segregable portion thereof, not later than 10 business days following the receipt of the request, provided that:

1. the request reasonably describes the public record sought;
2. the record is within the possession, custody or control of the agency; and
3. the officer receives payment of a reasonable fee as set forth in subsection (d) if requested.

If the agency does not intend to permit inspection or furnish a copy of a requested record, or the magnitude or difficulty of the request, or of multiple requests from the same requestor, unduly burdens the other responsibilities of the agency such that the agency is unable to do so within the time frame established, the agency shall inform the  in writing not later than 10 business days after the initial receipt of the request. The written response shall:

1. confirm receipt of the request;
2. identify any public records or categories of public records sought that are not within the possession, custody, or control of the agency that the records access officer serves;
3. identify the agency that may be in possession, custody or control of the record sought, if known;
4. identify any records or portions thereof that the agency intends to withhold and provide the specific reasons for such withholding, including the specific exemption(s) upon which the withholding is based;
5. identify any public records or portions of records that the agency intends to produce, and provide a detailed statement describing why the magnitude or difficulty of the request unduly burdens the other responsibilities of the agency and therefore requires additional time to produce the public records sought;
6. identify a reasonable timeframe in which the agency shall produce the public records sought; provided, that for an agency, the timeframe shall not exceed 15 business days following the initial receipt of the request for public records and provided further, that the requestor may voluntarily agree to a response date beyond the timeframes set forth herein;
7. suggest a reasonable modification of the scope of the request or offer to assist the requestor to modify the scope of the request if doing so would enable the agency to produce records sought more efficiently and affordably;
8. include an itemized, good faith estimate of any fees that may be charged to produce the records; and
9. include a statement informing the requestor of the right of appeal to the supervisor of records under subsection (a) of section 10A and the right to seek judicial review of an unfavorable decision by commencing a civil action in the superior court under subsection (c) of section 10A.

If the magnitude or difficulty of a request, or the receipt of multiple requests from the same requestor, unduly burdens the other responsibilities of the agency such that it is unable to complete the request within the time provided the officer may, as soon as practical and within 20 business days after initial receipt of the request, seek from the supervisor of records an extension of the time for the agency to furnish the requested record.

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Charging a Reasonable Fee & Waiving or Reducing the Fee
A reasonable fee for the production of a public record may be assessed.

Standard black and white paper copies or printouts of records shall not exceed five cents per page for both single and double-sided black and white copies and printouts.

If more than 4 hours of employee time to search for, compile, segregate, redact or reproduce the records requested is required, the officer may also include as part of the fee an hourly rate equal to or less than the hourly rate attributed to the lowest paid employee who has the necessary skill required to perform such tasks.

The hourly rate shall not be more than $25 per hour and shall not be assessed for the first 4 hours of work performed.

The hourly rate shall not be assessed for time spent segregating or redacting records unless such segregation or redaction is required by law or approved by the supervisor of records.

The actual cost of any storage device or material provided to a person in response to a request for public records may be included as part of the fee.

The officer may deny public records to a requester who has failed to pay an assessed fee to the agency for previously produced public records.

Waiving or Reducing the Fee

The officer may waive or reduce the amount of any fee charged upon a showing that disclosure of a requested record is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government and is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requestor, or upon a showing that the requestor lacks the financial ability to pay the full amount of the reasonable fee.

Student Completion Rate

Students enter community colleges with a variety of academic, career and personal goals. Many enroll at the college planning to complete a degree or certificate program. Others are more directly interested in improving their basic academic skills, mastering specific job skills, preparing to transfer to a bachelor's degree-granting institution or learning about topics of personal interest. In addition, community college students often must balance a variety of competing responsibilities, such as family, work and school, which make it difficult for many of them to enroll full time every semester.

Graduation and Transfer Rates: Of the 775 first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students in Fall 2018,

• 21% graduated within three years or less (IPEDS 150% of time) and
• 20% transferred to another institution within the same timeframe.

Retention Rates: Of the 1,001 first-time, degree-seeking students in Fall 2020, 53% returned in Fall 2021.

• 60% of Full-time students retained to the next fall and
• 44% of Part-time students retained to the next fall.

Although the authors of this website have made every reasonable effort to be factually accurate, no responsibility is assumed for editorial or clerical errors or error occasioned by honest mistake. All information contained on this website is subject to change by the appropriate officials of Middlesex Community College without prior notice. Material on this website does not serve as a contract between Middlesex Community College and any other party.

 

Any person with a disability needing accommodations, assistance, or auxiliary communication aids or services to participate in programs or activities of Middlesex Community College can email the ADA Coordinator, Pamela Medina, or call 781-280-3536 to make their needs and preferences known.

MCC’S Website Accessibility Statement
Middlesex Community College is committed to providing accessibility to our students, faculty, staff and community in all areas from the classroom to the web. We strive to utilize the latest technology and best practices to ensure an accessible user experience on our website.

It is not always possible to fully adhere to all accessibility guidelines, though Middlesex Community College always strives to do so to the best of our ability.

As technology and trends change, we are always looking for ways to align with best practices to ensure an accessible website. If you are experiencing any accessibility or functionality issues related to website, please use this online form to contact the ADA Coordinator who will typically reply to you within two (2) business days. The form asks you to provide your contact information, the link/URL with which you are experiencing an issue, a description of the issue you are experiencing, and your role at Middlesex (student, faculty/staff, or prospective student). Also, please include information such as the browser type and version, operating systems and assistive technology that you are using when you encounter this issue.

If your issue is not related to a disability, please contact Middlesex Information Technology at 978-656-3301 for phone support 24/7 or by email to servicedesk@middlesex.edu.

Drug and Alcohol Policies

In 1989, Congress amended Title XII of the Higher Education Act of 1965. This amendment, the “Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989,” requires that every educational institution, as a condition of receiving funds or any other form of financial assistance under any federal program, certify its adoption and implement programs designed to prevent the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by students and employees. MCC, in accordance with legal mandates and its commitment to establishing and maintaining a supportive learning and working environment, has established the following policies for students and employees.

As required by the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act and the Clery Act, this information is provided to all enrolled students and current employees of Middlesex Community College.

AOD Biennial Review 2022  

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In 1989, Congress amended Title XII of the Higher Education Act of 1965. This amendment, the “Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989,” requires that every educational institution, as a condition of receiving funds or any other form of financial assistance under any federal program, certify its adoption and implement programs designed to prevent the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by students and employees. MCC, in accordance with legal mandates and its commitment to establishing and maintaining a supportive learning and working environment, has established the following policies for employees.

The presence, possession and/or consumption of any alcoholic beverages on campus is prohibited anywhere on Middlesex Community College property, including the parking lots. Alcoholic beverage containers are not allowed on College property (whether empty or full) and will be confiscated. Violations of this policy will result in disciplinary action up to and including discharge and may include notifying the local police.

Any employee found possessing, using, selling or involved in any way with narcotics, psychedelic drugs or chemicals, or dangerous drugs on this campus, unless prescribed by a physician, will be subject to disciplinary action. In addition, the College remains cognizant of its responsibilities to the civil authorities. Operating within this framework:

• Employees who seek information, advice or counseling regarding drugs are urged to contact MCC Human Resources or the Mass4You Employee Assistance Program
• An employee who ignores opportunities for help and assistance, and who willfully violates College regulations and the law, faces disciplinary action.

In addition, employees can access community and State resources.

On-line:

Alcoholics Anonymous – Daily listing of AA meetings by town
Narcotics Anonymous – Daily listing of NA meetings by town

Massachusetts Hotlines:

Massachusetts Substance Abuse Information and Education Helpline
800-327-5050 TTY: 888-448-9321 – Information, referrals, language interpreters always available

Massachusetts Addiction Support Lines:
Boston: 617-307-4464
Lynn: 781-780-5658
Woburn: 781-780-5671

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HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED with USE of DRUGS and ALCOHOL

It is a known fact that a person’s physical and emotional health can be affected by the abuse of drugs. Stimulants (such as cocaine/crack or amphetamines) and depressants (such as alcohol and tranquilizers) are the most commonly abused drugs.

Alcohol, even in small amounts, can slow reflexes, reduce coordination, impair judgment and cause mood changes. Research statistics have shown that the majority of violent behaviors exhibited by people, including vandalism, acquaintance rape, fights, driving accidents, has involved alcohol. Prolonged alcohol consumption can result in brain damage, heart problems and liver damage. Alcohol use during pregnancy may cause birth defects in the child.

Marijuana may affect short-term memory, coordination, depth perception, male sperm production, and the immune system. THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, is stored in the body’s fat cells and testing will still show residue evidence even after a month. THC can also be recovered in hair when tested as long as six months after use, Tranquilizers, such as barbiturates and benzodiazepines, are prescribed to relieve anxiety, tension and sleep problems; however, when taken in excessive amounts, can cause impaired judgment, slurred speech and loss of motor control. Tranquilizers are highly addictive, even at lower doses, and in combination with alcohol or other drugs, may cause coma or death.

Cocaine/crack, though effects are unpredictable, may cause confusion, hallucinations, destruction of nasal membranes, and when smoked, lesions in the lungs. Addiction to cocaine occurs rapidly. Cocaine withdrawal results in severe depression and fatigue. Convulsions, coma and death are possible with even small amounts.

Hallucinogens (PCP, LSD, Mescaline/Peyote) cause illusions and hallucinations, poor perception of time and distance, paranoia, anxiety and loss of control. Since the drugs block pain receptors in the brain, violent episodes of self-inflicted injury may result. “Flashbacks” may occur even after use of the drugs has stopped.

DRUG and ALCOHOL ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAMS

Middlesex Community College provides programs and services that stress prevention of drug and alcohol abuse through education and outreach activities. Workshops, guest speakers, informational materials dealing with health related issues and behavioral risks associated with drugs and alcohol are presented throughout the year at both campuses.

Appropriate referrals to community service agencies and treatment programs area available through your health insurance provider and Mass4You, the Employee Assistance Program for employees who have alcohol and/or drug related problems, and who need help, confidential support services, and counseling. You may also contact Human Resources for assistance.

In acknowledgement of its role in the larger community, Middlesex Community College hosts weekly meetings of Narcotics Anonymous, ALANON and Alcoholics Anonymous on campus.

SUMMARY of LEGAL SANCTIONS for ALCOHOL and DRUG ABUSE

The illegal use of drugs and alcohol is a serious crime under local, state and federal laws. Courts do not lift a prison sentence so that a convicted person may attend college or continue a job. A felony conviction for a drug or alcohol offense can also prevent a person from entering many professions or other areas of employment.

State and local ordinances in Massachusetts prohibit public consumption of alcohol and impose fines for violation. Massachusetts laws prohibit the sale or delivery of alcoholic beverages to a person under age 21. A fine and/or imprisonment may be imposed. Misrepresenting one’s age or falsifying an identification to obtain alcoholic beverages is also punishable by a fine. Fines, revocation of driver’s license, possible prison sentence, and mandatory alcohol rehabilitation may be imposed for a conviction of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Penalties in Massachusetts for illegal use of controlled substances or drugs vary with the type of drug. In general, narcotic, addictive, and drugs with a high potential for abuse have heavier penalties.

Possession of drugs is illegal without valid authorization. Even though penalties for possession are generally not as severe as those for the manufacture and distribution of drugs, possession of a relatively large quantity may be considered distribution. Under both state and federal laws, penalties for possession, manufacture, and distribution area much greater for second and subsequent convictions. Many laws dictate mandatory prison terms and the full minimum term must be served.

It is illegal in Massachusetts to be in a place where heroin is kept and to be “in company” of a person known to possess heroin. The sale and/or possession of “drug paraphernalia” are illegal under Massachusetts law.

A person convicted of drug possession under state of federal law is ineligible for federal student grants and loans up to one year after the first conviction and five years after a second conviction, and permanent loss after a third conviction.

Under federal law, distribution of drugs to a person under the ages of 21, in or within 1000 feet of a college or school, is punishable by twice the normal penalty with a mandatory sentence of one year in prison. A third conviction is punishable by mandatory life imprisonment.

Severe prison sentences are set under federal law for the manufacture and distribution of drugs if death or serious injury results from the use of the substance.

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Cannabis Policy

Although Massachusetts law permits the use of medical marijuana and the possession, use, distribution and cultivation of marijuana in limited amounts, federal law, including the Federal Controlled Substances Act of 1970, the Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988 and the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989, prohibits the possession, use, distribution and/or cultivation of marijuana at educational institutions. Further, as marijuana remains classified as an illegal narcotic under federal law, institutions of higher education that receive federal funding are required to maintain policies prohibiting the possession and use of marijuana on their campuses. Accordingly, the possession, use, distribution or cultivation of marijuana, even for medical purposes, is prohibited on all Community College property or at College sponsored events and activities. Also prohibited is the operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of marijuana on Community College property or at College sponsored events or activities. Further, this policy prohibits the possession, use, or distribution of all marijuana accessories and marijuana products. Marijuana accessories shall include, but are not limited to, any devise or equipment used for ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing marijuana into the human body. Marijuana products shall include, but are not limited to, products that are comprised of marijuana and other ingredients and are intended for use or consumption, such as, but not limited to, edible products.

Violations of this policy by any student or employee shall result in disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion or termination in accordance with applicable College policies or collective bargaining agreements.

As required by the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act and the Clery Act, this information is provided to all enrolled students and current employees of Middlesex Community College.

Alcohol & Drug Policy for Students

In 1989, Congress amended Title XII of the Higher Education Act of 1965. This amendment, the “Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989,” requires that every educational institution, as a condition of receiving funds or any other form of financial assistance under any federal program, certify its adoption and implement programs designed to prevent the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by students and employees. MCC, in accordance with legal mandates and its commitment to establishing and maintaining a supportive learning and working environment, has established the following policies for students.

a. Standards of Conduct
As stated in the Student Handbook: "In enrolling at Middlesex Community College, a student agrees to abide by College regulations which are described below. Violations of these regulations or the aiding, abetting, inciting, encouraging or supporting such violations constitute an offense for which students may be subject to disciplinary action."

b. Drugs on Campus
"Any student found possessing, using, selling, or involved in any way with narcotics, psychedelic drugs or chemicals, or dangerous drugs on this campus, unless prescribed by a physician, will be subject to disciplinary action. In addition, the College remains cognizant of its responsibilities to the civil authorities. Operating within this framework, students who seek information, advice or counseling regarding drugs are urged to contact members of the Student Services staff. Complete confidentiality will be maintained. Also, the Student Services staff is prepared to refer students to appropriate professionals (medical, legal, psychiatric, etc.) according to the needs of the individual student. Contact will be held in complete confidence.

c. Alcoholic Beverages
"Consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited anywhere on Middlesex Community College property including the parking lots. If any student under age 21 is found in violation of this policy, parents/legal guardians may be notified."

d. Sanctions for Violation of College Policies
Also, as stated in the Student Handbook:

"A student who ignores opportunities for help and assistance and who willfully violates College regulations and the law faces disciplinary action."

The College will impose disciplinary sanctions on students (consistent with local, state, and federal law) which may include discipline up to and including expulsion and referral to appropriate authorities for prosecution. The disciplinary procedure for due process is outlined in the Student Handbook.

e. Health Risks Associated with Use of Drugs and Alcohol
It is a known fact that a person's physical and emotional Health can be affected by the abuse of drugs. Stimulants (such as cocaine/crack or amphetamines) and depressants (such as alcohol and tranquilizers) are the most commonly abused drugs.

Alcohol, even in small amounts, can slow reflexes, reduce coordination, impair judgment and cause mood changes. CORE Survey statistics have shown that the majority of violent behaviors exhibited by college students including vandalism, acquaintance rape, fights, driving accidents has involved alcohol. Prolonged alcohol consumption can result in brain damage, heart problems, and liver damage. Alcohol use during pregnancy may cause birth defects in the child.

Marijuana may affect short-term memory, coordination, depth perception, male sperm production, and the immune system. THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, is stored in the body's fat cells and testing will still show residue evidence even after a month. (THC can also be recovered in hair when tested as long as six months after use.)

Tranquilizers (such as barbiturates, benzodiazepines) are prescribed to relieve anxiety, tension, and sleep problems; however, when taken in excessive amounts, can cause impaired judgment, slurred speech, and loss of motor control. Tranquilizers are highly addictive, even at lower doses, and in combination with alcohol or other drugs may cause coma or death.

Cocaine/Crack, though effects are unpredictable, may cause confusion, hallucinations, destruction of nasal membranes, and when smoked, lesions in the lungs. Addiction to cocaine occurs rapidly. Cocaine withdrawal results in severe depression and fatigue. Convulsions, coma and death are possible with even small amounts.

Hallucinogens (PCP, LSD, and Mescaline/Peyote) cause illusions and hallucinations, poor perception of time and distance, paranoia, anxiety and loss of control. Since the drugs block pain receptors in the brain, violent episodes of self-inflicted injury may result. "Flashbacks" may also occur even after use of the drugs has stopped.

f. Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Program
Middlesex Community College provides programs and services that stress prevention of drug and alcohol abuse through education and outreach activities. Workshops, guest speakers, informational materials dealing with health related issues and behavioral risks associated with drugs and alcohol are presented throughout the school year at both campuses.

Appropriate referrals to community service agencies and treatment programs are available through the Counseling Department and Health Services for students and employees who have alcohol and/or drug related problems and who need help, confidential support services, and counseling.

g. Summary of Legal Sanctions for Alcohol and Drug Abuse
The illegal use of drugs and alcohol is a serious crime under local, state, and federal laws. Courts do not lift a prison sentence so that a convicted person may attend college or continue a job. A felony conviction for a drug or alcohol offense can also prevent a person from entering many professions or other areas of employment.

State and Local ordinances in Massachusetts prohibit public consumption of alcohol and impose fines for violation. Massachusetts laws prohibit the sale or delivery of alcoholic beverages to a person under age 21. A fine and/or imprisonment may be imposed. Misrepresenting one's age or falsifying an identification to obtain alcoholic beverages is also punishable by a fine. Fines, revocation of driver's license, possible prison sentence, and mandatory alcohol rehabilitation may be imposed for a conviction of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Penalties in Massachusetts for the illegal use of controlled substances or drugs vary with the type of drug. In general, narcotic, addictive, and drugs with a high potential for abuse have heavier penalties.

Possession of drugs is illegal without valid authorization. Even though penalties for possession are generally not as severe as those for the manufacture and distribution of drugs, possession of a relatively large quantity may be considered distribution. Under both state and federal laws, penalties for possession, manufacture, and distribution are much greater for second and subsequent convictions. Many laws dictate mandatory prison terms and the full minimum term must be served.

It is illegal in Massachusetts to be in a place where heroin is kept and to be "in company" of a person known to possess heroin. Anyone in the presence of heroin at a party or dormitory suite risks a serious drug conviction. The sale and/or possession of "drug paraphernalia" are illegal under Massachusetts law.

A person convicted of drug possession under state or federal law is ineligible for federal student grants and loans up to one year after the first conviction and five years after a second conviction, and permanent loss after a third conviction.

In or within 1000 feet of a college or school, under federal law, distribution of drugs to a person under age 21 is punishable by twice the normal penalty with a mandatory sentence of one year in prison. A third conviction is punishable by mandatory life imprisonment.

Severe prison sentences are set under federal law for the manufacture and distribution of drugs if death or serious injury results for the use of the substance.

h. Resources for Substance Abuse Issues
On-campus: Wellness Resource Center
Attending to your personal wellness (including mental/physical wellness) and basic needs (including food/housing) is vital for achieving academic and personal success. The Wellness Resource Center is here to provide a variety of services, supports, and resources for mental health, food, housing, and financial needs - all available to help you meet these goals.

For questions or concerns about mental health or essential needs,email Lynn Gregory, Wellness Counselor, at mahoneya@middlesex.mass.edu for mental health questions, or Jonathan Crockett crockettj@middlesex.mass.edu for food, housing, or financial questions.

On-line:
Alcoholics Anonymous – Daily listing of AA meetings by town
Narcotics Anonymous – Daily listing of NA meetings by town

Massachusetts Hotlines:
Massachusetts Substance Abuse Information and Education Helpline
800-327-5050 TTY: 888-448-9321 – Information, referrals, language interpreters always available

Massachusetts Addiction Support Lines:
Boston: 617-307-4464
Lynn: 781-780-5658
Woburn: 781-780-5671

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Cannabis Policy

Although Massachusetts law permits the use of medical marijuana and the possession, use, distribution and cultivation of marijuana in limited amounts, federal law, including the Federal Controlled Substances Act of 1970, the Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988 and the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989, prohibits the possession, use, distribution and/or cultivation of marijuana at educational institutions. Further, as marijuana remains classified as an illegal narcotic under federal law, institutions of higher education that receive federal funding are required to maintain policies prohibiting the possession and use of marijuana on their campuses. Accordingly, the possession, use, distribution or cultivation of marijuana, even for medical purposes, is prohibited on all Community College property or at College sponsored events and activities. Also prohibited is the operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of marijuana on Community College property or at College sponsored events or activities. Further, this policy prohibits the possession, use, or distribution of all marijuana accessories and marijuana products. Marijuana accessories shall include, but are not limited to, any devise or equipment used for ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing marijuana into the human body. Marijuana products shall include, but are not limited to, products that are comprised of marijuana and other ingredients and are intended for use or consumption, such as, but not limited to, edible products.

Violations of this policy by any student or employee shall result in disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion or termination in accordance with applicable College policies or collective bargaining agreements.

As required by the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act and the Clery Act, this information is provided to all enrolled students and current employees of Middlesex Community College.

The Community Colleges have carefully developed and outlined the major elements of an effective Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity & Diversity Policy with the understanding that a successful policy requires more than the knowledge of laws, regulations and current government requirements. It demands leadership, vision, and commitment to fully comprehend what challenges Community Colleges face in preparing students for the twenty-first century. The Colleges, both collectively and individually, commit themselves to not only the valuing of human dignity, but to the appreciation of the necessity of providing all members of the College Community an experience that equips them to relate to all persons and groups in the increasingly global and diverse world in which we all live and work.

View the Affirmative Action policy in its entirety.

More information is available on the MCC Affirmative Action Office website. 

The Middlesex Community College Affirmative Action Officer is Pamela Medina and she can be reached by calling, 781-280-3536.

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Important Policy Update

Please note the following changes to the College’s Policy on Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity & Diversity:

• Revised Policy (For complaints on August 1, 2024 or after)
  Effective August 1, 2024, the revised Policy on Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity & Diversity will take effect. Please find this policy here: Affirmative Action Equal Opportunity and Diversity Policy (2024)
  
  
• Old Policy (For complaints prior to August 1, 2024)
  For incidents occurring before August 1, 2024, our previous policy will apply. Please find the policy here: Affirmative Action Equal Opportunity and Diversity Policy (2021)

The above‑stated policies are intended to be applied broadly with the goal of promoting equal opportunity and diversity in Community Colleges. The Community Colleges pledge to apply all policies consistently, fairly, and vigorously. Attempts to subvert or abuse these policies will not be tolerated.  Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken in the case of an infraction.  Such disciplinary action shall be consistent with the appropriate collective bargaining agreement, if applicable.

All policies are made in compliance with laws and regulations and executive orders promulgated by the federal and state governments and other appropriate agencies and authorities, where applicable.

At Middlesex Community College, we believe technology is crucial to modern teaching and learning, and therefore an expected component of college education. For this reason, MCC has adopted a college-wide policy in order to utilize technology for in-person as well as online classes.

BYOD (or, Bring Your Own Device) refers to a policy where students bring their own portable computers (laptops, tablets) to their in-person classes for the purpose of learning. Similarly, online students would have their own computer at home to use for their studies. All students taking classes that meet partly or completely on campus would need a mobile (portable) device versus a desktop computer.

Each student’s device will need to access the College network and Internet. Therefore, just as at every college, MCC students are not only expected to use the network responsibly but also to abide by the MCC user agreement policy for Computers and Electronic Devices. Student use of the College network is monitored and logged to ensure compliance with the responsible use policy.

Students may wish to consult their individual departmental major for specific recommendations, but in general, suitable BYOD Devices include desktop computers (if your courses are 100% online) or mobile technology such as laptops of any type or tablets of at least 8” screen size. Phones of any kind are not acceptable as an in-class or online technology device.

Minimum Technical Specifications
Windows 7 or higher, web camera and microphone.

Connecting your Device
Help guides are available for connecting to the network. Step-by-step screenshots within these guides make the process quite simple to work through but any questions can be directed to our Technology Center service desk.

Device Security
It is the responsibility of device owners to ensure that devices are secure by installing anti-malware software and maintaining regular system updates. Unsecured devices may not be able to connect to MCC network. Assistance with this can be provided at the help desks on campus or online.

Technical Support for your Device
All maintenance for your device, including software installations and updates and apps purchased will be the students’ responsibility. Staff at the Tech center will be able to offer help connecting to the network and can assist with other general troubleshooting queries, but the College cannot provide support for complex problems with students’ specific devices.

It is the policy of Middlesex Community College to acknowledge and abide by all applicable intellectual property laws, including but not limited to federal copyright law, Title 17 of the U.S. Code as amended. The College expects that all individuals employed at the College, enrolled at the College, and/or using the facilities or resources of the College shall do the same.

This Copyright Policy has been adopted by all Massachusetts community colleges system-wide. It is your responsibility to become familiar with and understand this policy. Excerpts of the contents have been published to this site for convenience of reference.

Penalties for Copyright Infringement

Penalties for copyright infringement include civil and criminal penalties. In general, anyone found liable for civil copyright infringement may be ordered to pay either actual damages or "statutory" damages affixed at not less than $750 and not more than $30,000 per work infringed. For "willful" infringement, a court may award up to $150,000 per work infringed. A court can, in its discretion, also assess costs and attorneys' fees.

Willful copyright infringement can also result in criminal penalties, including imprisonment of up to five years and fines of up to $250,000 per offense.

For more information, please visit the Web site of the U.S. Copyright Office at www.copyright.gov. FAQs are available at www.copyright.gov/help/faq.

Privacy rights regarding access to information are observed in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, commonly known as the Buckley Amendment.

In accordance with the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (Section 438 of the General Education Provisions Act 20 USC 1232), Middlesex Community College has adopted the regulations given below to protect the privacy rights of its students. Revisions and clarifications will be published as experience with the law and the institutions policy warrants.

Students are informed of their rights under this act through the College Catalog and the Student Handbook. In compliance with this federal law, the college has established a policy to protect students from misuse of information in their personal folders and to allow students access to their own folders. The policy is summarized as follows:

Location of Educational Records

Most educational records are kept in the Office of Records and Registration. Other offices may maintain informal or unofficial records. Inquiries concerning those records should be made in writing to the Registrar. [For information on how to request your transcript, see page 164]

Disclosure of Information from Records

Directory Information

The College, unless requested not to do so by the student, will release directory information about individual students to anyone who inquires. Directory Information is limited to name, address, date of enrollment, date of graduation, degree received, curriculum in which the student is enrolled, date of birth, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of athletic team members, and official college honors such as Deans List. Students who do not wish to have directory information released must complete a Request to Prevent Disclosure of Directory Information form in the Student Information Centers. In no case will the College release a list of all students or groups of students to non-college personnel.

Non-Directory Information

No information, other than that contained in the directory (as outlined above), will be released without a students written consent except when prior written consent is not required by the Act. The College must disclose educational records without written consent of students to those federal and state government agencies and officials provided by law. The college must also provide the access of education records to:

1. Personnel within the College determined by the College to have legitimate education interest. "Legitimate Education Interest" is defined as the demonstrated need to know by those College officials who act in the student education, professional employees and other persons who manage student record information.
2. Officials of other institutions in which a student seeks to enroll on condition that the issuing institution attempts to inform students of the disclosure, or makes such a transfer of information a stated institutional policy. (This notification is to be considered as such.)
3. Organizations contributing to a students financial aid, or determining financial aid decisions concerning eligibility, amount, condition and enforcement of terms of said aid.
4. Organizations conducting studies to develop, validate and administer predictive tests, to administer student aid programs or to improve instruction.
5. Accrediting organizations carrying out their functions.
6. Parents of a student who have established that students status as a dependent according to the Internal Revenue Code. (Parent(s) must provide a certified copy of the appropriate federal income tax form.)
7. Persons in compliance with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena, provided the College makes an attempt to notify the student. (The student will be notified in writing by the Registrar that a subpoena has been issued.)
8. Persons in an emergency, if the knowledge of information, in fact, is necessary to protect the health and safety of student(s) or other persons.

NOTE: Information concerning applicants to the College who have not yet enrolled will not be released to anyone.

Inspection and Review of Records

Students may inspect and review their educational records upon request to the Registrar. As of January 1975, students have the right to examine their own files. There are, however, limitations that do exist on students rights to inspect and review these records. The College does reserve the right to deny students access to confidential letters and recommendations placed in their files prior to January 1975, confidential letters and recommendations associated with admission, employment or job placement, or honors to which students have waived rights of inspection and records containing information about more than one student. (In such cases, the College must permit access to that part of the record which pertains only to the inquiring student.)

Challenge of Records

Students have the right to challenge records they believe to be inaccurate, incomplete or incorrectly disseminated. If the outcome of the challenge is unsatisfactory, the student may submit an explanatory statement of inclusion in the education record. Such a statement shall become part of the information contained in the educational record and will be disclosed with it.

Records of Requests and Disclosures

The college will maintain records of requests and disclosures of non-directory information. The records of requests shall include the names and addresses of the person(s) who requested the information and their legitimate interests in the information. Records of requests and disclosures need not be maintained for:

1. Those requests made by students for their own use.
2. Those disclosures made in response to written requests from students.
3. Those made by school officials.
4. Those specified as Directory Information.

The records of disclosures and requests for disclosures are considered a part of the students education records; therefore, they must be retained as long as the education records to which they refer are retained by the College.

Right of Complaint

Students who believe that the College is not complying with the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) or the regulations issued by the Department of Education implementing that Act may file complaints in writing to:

FAMILY POLICY COMPLIANCE OFFICE

U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-5920

Copies of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act as amended are available in the Office of Records and Registration.

Required Student Immunizations
For immunization records questions please email records@middlesex.edu. In order to attend on campus classes at any Massachusetts university or college, state law requires that all full-time students (enrolled in 12 or more credits) less than 30 years of age and all Health Program Division students (full and part-time, regardless of age), must provide a medical record of immunizations.

Non-Discrimination and Accommodation for Persons with Disabilities (Excerpted from the Policy on Affirmative Action, 8/2020)

 

Retrieved from the Policy on Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity & Diversity, August 2021.

Middlesex Community College is a contributing element to the emergence of our nation as one of the most technologically and economically advanced societies of the world. The important role that the College can play is profoundly dependent upon the extent to which it may draw from the collective intellectual resources within its community of scholars, students, and administrators. Any condition or force that impedes the fullest utilization of the human and intellectual resources available represents a force of destructive consequence for the development of our Commonwealth and, ultimately, our nation.

Middlesex Community College students, faculty, staff and visitors must be free from conduct that has the purpose or effect of interfering with an individual’s academic or professional performance and creating an intimidating, hostile or demeaning educational or employment environment. Middlesex Community College has established a policy of unequivocal condemnation of all forms of ethnic, religious, cultural or racial intolerance.

This policy prohibits all conditions and all actions or omissions, including all acts of verbal harassment or abuse, which deny or have the effect of denying to an individual their rights to equality, dignity and security in violation of their rights guaranteed under the law. The policy reaffirms the doctrine of civility, appreciation for pluralism and the pre-eminence of individual human dignity as preconditions to the achievement of an academic community that recognizes and utilizes the resources of all persons while recognizing and reaffirming the tenets of academic freedom as stated in applicable collective bargaining agreements. Middlesex Community College recognizes its obligation to protect the rights of free inquiry and expression, and nothing herein shall be construed or applied so as to abridge the exercise of rights under the Constitution of the United States and other federal and state laws.

Middlesex Community College will vigorously strive to achieve diversity sufficiently reflective of our society. However, diversity alone will not suffice. There must be a unity and cohesion in the diversity which we seek to achieve, thereby creating an environment of pluralism.

Middlesex Community College bears a responsibility by edict and an obligation by social morality to promote understanding and acceptance of ethnic, cultural, religious and racial diversity as we strive to create an atmosphere of dignity for all individuals and groups within our system of public higher education. The President or their designee will take reasonable measures to prevent and discourage harassment and will act positively to investigate alleged harassment and to affect a remedy or resolution when an allegation is determined to be valid.

To bring questions or concerns under the College Policy on Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity & Diversitycontact Pamela Medina, Assistant Director of HR/AAO at (781) 280-3536

Policy on Sexual Harassment Read the full policy and access additional resources.

It is the goal of the Community Colleges to promote an educational environment and workplace that is free of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment of students or employees occurring in the classroom or the workplace is unlawful and will not be tolerated by the Community College. 

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Policy on Sexual Violence Read the full policy and access additional resources.

Sexual violence is prohibited under state law and the College’s Policy on Affirmative Action. Sexual violence is prohibited pursuant to Title IX of the Educational Amendment Act of 1972.

Your privacy is a top priority to Middlesex Community College. Middlesex Community College does not share, sell or trade mailing lists with outside corporations or organizations.

Middlesex takes reasonable precautions to assure overall system security by monitoring security issues and industry trends, to protect the privacy of Middlesex Community College members and secure the personal information available through www.middlesex.edu. All private information for the college is housed on a secure server using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) 128-bit encryption.

MyMCC (the Middlesex Portal which combines a variety of electronic resources) is password-protected and allows access only to registered Middlesex Community College constituents. Although these precautions should help to protect any personal information available through the College from abuse or outside interference, a certain degree of privacy risk is possible any time information is shared over the Internet.

Information Collected Automatically
When visiting www.middlesex.edu, Middlesex automatically collects and stores the following information about your visit:

• The Internet Protocol address of the computer that accessed our website
• The type of browser, its version and the operating system on which that browser is running
• The webpage from which the user accessed the current webpage
• The date and time of the user's request
• The pages that were visited and the amount of time spent at each page

The information that is collected automatically is used to improve www.middlesex.mass.edu's content and to help the college understand how users are interacting with its website. This information is collected for statistical analysis and to determine what information is of most and least interest to our users. The information is not collected for commercial marketing purposes and MCC is not authorized to sell or otherwise disclose the information collected from www.middlesex.edu or commercial marketing purposes.

Educational Records and Transcripts
Privacy rights regarding access to information are observed in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, commonly known as the Buckley Amendment.

In accordance with the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (Section 438 of the General Education Provisions Act 20 USC 1232), Middlesex Community College has adopted the regulations to protect the privacy rights of its students. Revisions and clarifications will be published as experience with the law and the institution's policy warrants.

Students are informed of their rights under this act through the College Catalog and the Student Handbook. In compliance with this federal law, the college has established a policy to protect students from misuse of information in their personal folders and to allow students access to their own folders. 

Social media can be defined as media based on the use of web and mobile technologies that allow for user-generated exchanges of information. Social media is a powerful communication tool, enabling collaboration and communication as an interactive dialogue, and enhancing the value of conversations across a global audience.

Social media includes but is not limited to social networking sites; collaborative projects such as wikis, blogs and microblogs; content communities; virtual game worlds; and virtual communities.

Institutional Social Media
Institutional Social Media includes various sites, projects and virtual communities that are created specifically on behalf of MCC, its locations and agents, and that exist to serve as official MCC communications. Creation and use of social media sites on behalf of MCC and its member institutions is for business use only, such as for educational, research, service, operational, marketing and management purposes. Likewise, data, voice, images, videos and links posted or transmitted via MCC's technology resources are limited to the same purposes.

Authorization to create and administer social media sites on behalf of MCC must be coordinated through and approved by the Office of Communications and Creative Services (CCS). CCS is the official keeper of the MCC brand and must ensure that all MCC social media sites are branded and voiced correctly.

On June 3, 2016, Governor Baker signed "An Act to Improve Public Records" into law. The provisions in the new law took effect on January 1, 2017. The complete text of the new law can be found at: https://malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2016/Chapter121

The Massachusetts Public Records Law (M.G.L Chapter 66 & Chapter 4, Section 7 (26)) provides that every person has the right to access public information. If a public records request is made, MCC has the responsibility to disclose the information, except in a few specific instances. All information stored or transmitted via social media must follow records management, retention and maintenance practices. An MCC college email address ending in ".edu" must be used for communications to and from social media sites.

Official Hashtags
The College uses a variety of hashtags on social media, but the following hashtags are the most frequently used:

• #MCCpath
• #MCCgram (Instagram only)

All hashtags used on approved MCC social media accounts must be first vetted and approved by the Office of Communications and Creative Services.

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Employee Guidance for Participating in Social Networking
Employees should remember that students and the community might judge them and MCC by their posts. Employees should be honest and transparent about their identity and role at MCC. Maintain accuracy by verifying facts before posting information via social media. Exercise restraint and show respect for the opinions of others. Do not use MCC-related social media to promote services, products or organizations that are unrelated to MCC or its business. MCC public officials, employees and Governing Board members should use good judgment in connecting with others via social media sites.

Employees will keep their personal social media sites separate from MCC social media. In personal posts, employees may identify themselves as an MCC faculty or staff member. MCC telephone numbers, email addresses and images are not to be posted by employees on personal social media sites. Employees need to be clear that they are sharing their views as a member of the higher education community, not as a formal representative of MCC or its member institutions.

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Student Guidance for Participating in Social Networking
Middlesex Community College's social media provides a convenient place where current and prospective students, alumni and the community can easily connect and learn about topics related to Middlesex.

We want you to participate in MCC social media while abiding by our MCC Social Media Code of Conduct:

• Be respectful.
• Be honest.
• Respect copyright and fair use.
• Unsolicited or unauthorized advertising (including advertising of non-MCC services or products), promotional materials are not permitted.
• Derogatory comments, including racially or sexually motivated, and sexually explicit materials are not permitted.
• By submitting content to any Middlesex Community College social media sites, users understand and acknowledge that this information is available to the public and that the college may choose to use this information for internal and external promotional purposes.

Please note that other participants may use posted information beyond the control of Middlesex Community College. Users who do not wish to have the information they have made available via these sites used, published, copied and/or reprinted, should not post on the college's social media sites.

Middlesex Community College has the right to remove any content for any reason, including but not limited to, content that it deems threatening; profane; obscene; derogatory; a violation of intellectual property rights or privacy laws; off-topic; promotion of organizations, programs, services or products not related to the college; or otherwise misleading, damaging or illegal. Users are fully responsible for the content they publish on any of Middlesex Community College's social media sites.

If content is deemed threatening; profane; obscene; derogatory; a violation of intellectual property rights or privacy laws; off-topic; promotion of organizations, programs, services or products not related to the college; or otherwise misleading, damaging or illegal – it will be removed from the thread. If an individual violates a policy more than once the college reserves the right to remove the poster from all official MCC Social Media sites.

If the posting is in violation of the Student Code of Conduct the matter will be referred to the Dean of Students office.

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Inappropriate Content
The malicious use of MCC social media, including derogatory language about any member of the MCC community; threats to any third party; incriminating photos or statements depicting hazing, sexual harassment, vandalism, stalking, underage drinking, illegal drug use; or any other inappropriate behavior, will be subject to disciplinary action.

Employees should be advised against perpetuating negative media from official MCC social media sites or damaging the MCC brands in any way. This type of negative social media engagement from official MCC sites can result in loss of privileges to use social media in any official capacity.

The following list includes, but is not limited to, inappropriate content posting to social media sites:

1. Conducting MCC business using social media sites that are not authorized as an official means of communication per marketing standards and processes.
2. Posting confidential or proprietary information about students, alumni and employees that is in violation of MCC policies, HIPAA or FERPA.
3. Violating any provision of the Student Code of Conduct.
4. Posting comments to MCC authorized social media sites that are not directly related to MCC business or accomplishing work-related goals.
5. Violating MCC's Sexual Harassment policy.
6. Violating MCC's Drug and Alcohol policy.
7. SPAM comments. All platforms that enable comments should be reviewed regularly for SPAM, removing SPAM comments as quickly as possible.
8. Violating the terms of use, conditions or community guidelines as defined by each social media platform.

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MCC Identity
Use of any MCC's logos, marks or likenesses on personal social media sites is forbidden. Social media sites established for conducting MCC business must have an official college logo visible and adhere to established graphic standards.

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Account Approval
Anyone who wishes to create a social media account for a college-affiliated group, department, program, club, organization, etc. must first meet with the Director of Communications and Creative Services along with the Senior Manager of Marketing & Media Relations to review administrative requirements and obtain official approval. It is preferred that the Office of Communications and Creative Services set up the initial account to help maintain MCC ownership of the account and provide proper branding. A Communications Request Form must be submitted.

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Approved Administrators
An MCC employee – who is not a student worker – must be the official administrator for any college-affiliated social media account. It is required that the Director of Marketing Communication and Senior Manager of Marketing & Media Relations are both added as full administrators (or given the up-to-date username and password) to all college-affiliated social media accounts before the account is published. However, the day-to-day maintenance responsibilities will belong to the affiliated department, group, etc. This is a precautionary measure to make sure that:

• MCC is never locked out of an account
• Should there be a problem, the Office of Communications and Creative Services can quickly react and assist (such as the termination of a social media administrator)

Social media account administrators must also complete a training course created by the Director of Communications and Creative Services and Senior Manager of Marketing & Media Relations in conjunction with MCC’s Office of Professional Development.

Social media account administrators must keep the Office of Communications and Creative Services department up-to-date with the names and contact information of the administrator of the account at all times and notify them of any personnel changes that might affect this.

All Student Clubs and their credentials must be reported to the Director of Student Engagement. Student Club account owners are expected to follow the Inappropriate Content rules found above.

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Content & Time Commitment
Administering a social media account is time-consuming and the content you post should be of high quality and strategic to your goals. Before embarking on setting up a specific account, the Director of Marketing Communication and Senior Manager of Marketing & Media Relations will brief you on the amount of time required for your desired account and the frequency of which you should be posting content. At the time of this revision, best practices recommend the following:

• Facebook: 5 times/week
• Twitter: 2–3 times/day
• Instagram: 5 times/week (and/or use stories to post multiple things in one day)

A stale or outdated account can be more damaging to the image of an entity than not having an account at all.

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Photography on MCC Social Media Sites
MCC has a blanket photo release policy which states, "Middlesex Community College, a nonprofit Massachusetts Community College, reserves the right to take and use photographs, video and electronic images of students and visitors taken on college property and at college-sponsored events for marketing and promotional purposes."

While this simplifies record keeping and allows for more photographic flexibility, certain instances still require a signed Media Release Form. These situations include, but are not limited to, students under 18 years of age (Media Release Form must be signed by parent/guardian), and subjects used in a high-visibility location of a marketing piece (front covers, brochures, banners, billboards, etc.).

It is strictly prohibited to take any photo, visual or video accessed via an internet search or copied from another source, to avoid copyright infringement. 

Photos taken at college events and public events are acceptable to use on social media. Anything else should be accompanied by a signed Media Release Form.

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Accessibility
Every approved MCC social media site must follow the Office of Civil Rights guidelines for making all content accessible to everyone. This includes appropriately adding alternative text (alt-text) to all photos used in posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. This also includes making every effort to only link to accessible PDFs and websites. Prior to becoming an official administrator of an account, employees must complete a social media ADA Compliance seminar through the Professional Development department.

Due to the Office of Civil Rights guidelines, all videos uploaded to YouTube must have complete subtitles and an audio description. MCC currently has an agreement with an external company to provide subtitles and audio descriptions to videos uploaded to the official Middlesex Community College YouTube account. Because of this, all videos that live on the college's website or are shared on social media must be uploaded to the college's official YouTube account. At this time, no college-affiliated YouTube accounts can be created. Employees interested in publishing directly to the college's YouTube page can work with the Senior Manager of Marketing & Media Relations on gaining credentials.

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Disclaimer
Every MCC approved social media site must display or link to the following disclaimer in a conspicuous manner:

Although the authors of MCC Social Media have made every reasonable effort to be factually accurate, no responsibility is assumed for editorial or clerical errors or error occasioned by honest mistake. All information contained on this website is subject to change by the appropriate officials of Middlesex Community College, without prior notice. Material on MCC Social Media does not serve as a contract between Middlesex Community College and any other party.

Your privacy is a top priority to Middlesex Community College. Middlesex Community College does not share, sell or trade mailing lists with outside corporations or organizations.

Middlesex takes reasonable precautions to assure overall system security by monitoring security issues and industry trends, to protect the privacy of Middlesex Community College members and secure the personal information available through www.middlesex.edu. All private information for the college is housed on a secure server using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) 128-bit encryption.

MyMCC (the Middlesex Portal which combines a variety of electronic resources) is password-protected and allows access only to registered Middlesex Community College constituents. Although these precautions should help to protect any personal information available through the College from abuse or outside interference, a certain degree of privacy risk is possible any time information is shared over the Internet.

Information Collected Automatically

When visiting www.middlesex.edu, Middlesex automatically collects and stores the following information about your visit:

• The Internet Protocol address of the computer that accessed our website
• The type of browser, its version and the operating system on which that browser is running
• The webpage from which the user accessed the current webpage
• The date and time of the user's request
• The pages that were visited and the amount of time spent at each page

The information that is collected automatically is used to improve www.middlesex.mass.edu's content and to help the college understand how users are interacting with its website. This information is collected for statistical analysis and to determine what information is of most and least interest to our users. The information is not collected for commercial marketing purposes and MCC is not authorized to sell or otherwise disclose the information collected from www.middlesex.edu or commercial marketing purposes.

The steps to withdraw and the impact of withdrawing differs between credit and no-credit classes. Choose the policy below that fits your current situation.

• Course Withdrawal Policy 
• Withdrawal for Extenuating Circumstances Policy 
• Corporate and Community Education Course Withdrawal Policy 
• Student Accounts Withdrawal/Refund Policy

Any withdrawal may affect academic progress and may also have financial aid or other monetary implications. Veterans and International students are strongly encouraged to meet with their program certifying official before withdrawing to fully understand the financial implications of this process.

Please contact withdrawal@middlesex.edu if you have any additional questions or concerns.