Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity
True learning requires free and open debate, civil discourse and tolerance of many different individuals and ideas. We are preparing students to live and work in a world that speaks with many voices and from many cultures. Tolerance is not only essential to learning, it is an essential to be learned. The Institute is built upon these values and will act vigorously to defend them. We will maintain an environment conducive to teaching and learning that is free from intimidation for all.
In its resolve to create this positive environment, STMC will ensure compliance with federal and state laws protecting against discrimination. In addition, the institute has adopted policies that both emphasize these existing protections and supplement them with protections against discrimination that are not available under either federal or state law.
Federal and state laws provide separate prohibitions against discrimination that is based on race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin or ancestry, age, or disability. State law additionally prohibits discrimination that is based on sexual orientation, arrest or conviction record, marital status, pregnancy, parental status, military status, or veteran status. The application of specific state prohibitions on discrimination may be influenced by an individual's status as an employee or student.
The Institutes policies create additional protections that prohibit harassment on the basis of cultural background and ethnicity. Inquiries concerning this policy may be directed to HR office at 703-506-1300 or via e-mail:stmc@teachusa.com
Guidelines for Appropriate Use of University Information Technology Resources
Access to electronic mail, the Internet, databases, computers and other information technology (IT) resources is essential to the mission of STMC Training Institute (to create, integrate, transfer and apply knowledge), and the achievement of excellence requires their effective use by all faculty, staff and students.
Use of information technology must be consistent with the Institutes mission and with its role as a public agency. Each member of the institutes' community is expected to protect the integrity of these resources and to know and adhere to institutes rules, regulations and guidelines for their appropriate use. Regulations that govern personal conduct and use of institutes' facilities also apply to the use of IT resources. In addition, the following guidelines apply more specifically to use of IT resources:
1. General Guidelines: Access to Institutes IT resources is a privilege granted to members of the institutes community which carries with it the responsibility to use them for school related activities, exercising common sense and civility.
2. Individual Responsibility: Authorization for use of IT facilities is provided to each individual for his or her own use. No person may use an authorization which belongs to someone else. In many cases the institute has obtained access to these resources exclusively for the use of members of the institutes' community.
3. Security: The protection of the Institutes IT resources depends heavily on each user's careful handling of "keys" to these resources, since any account can serve as an entry point for theft, damage or unauthorized use. Users must protect the confidentiality of their personal identification codes and passwords and are expected to exercise reasonable care to insure that others cannot use their accounts.
4. Hacking: Persons may not obtain, or use, or attempt to obtain or user-passwords, IP addresses or other network codes that have not been assigned to them as individuals or authorized for their use as STMC employees. Persons may not obtain-or attempt to obtain-unauthorized access to computer accounts, software, files, or any other STMC IT resources.
5. Malicious Activity: Persons may not alter or intentionally damage software or data belonging to someone else or interfere with another person's authorized access to IT resources. Users may not intentionally disrupt or damage University computers or networks in any way.
6. Impersonation and Anonymity: Users of the Institutes IT resources may not send electronic messages with the sender's identity forged or send anonymous messages unless the recipient has agreed to receive anonymous messages.
7. Commercial, Political and Non-University Activities: Persons may not use the Institute IT resources to sell or solicit sales for any goods, services or contributions unless such use conforms to STMC Training Institute rules and regulations governing the use of STMC resources. School employees may not use these resources to support the nomination of any person for political office or to influence a vote in any election or referendum. No one may use the institutes IT resources to represent the interests of any non-school group or organization unless authorized by an appropriate school official.
8. De Minimus Usage: In the interest of making the use of IT resources a natural part of the day-to-day learning and work of all members of the schools community, incidental personal use is tolerated. However, one should use non-academic sources of e-mail, Internet access, and other IT services for activities of an extensive nature that are not related to institutes purposes. 9. State and Federal Laws: Persons may not use the Institutes computing facilities to violate State or federal laws.
Note: Disruption of the Institutes activities, damage to facilities, physical threat, theft or harassment; student academic misconduct; selling, peddling and soliciting; and ethical standards for use of facilities by faculty and staff Violation of school rules governing appropriate use of IT resources may result in loss of access privileges, Institute disciplinary action, and/or criminal prosecution.