Academic Information and Procedures

Compliances

Nondiscrimination in Education

It is the policy of Northwest Iowa Community College not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, creed, religion, and actual or potential parental, family or marital status in its programs, activities, or employment practices as required by federal and state civil rights statutes and all other applicable federal and state laws, regulations and orders. The Board of Trustees shall monitor progress on this policy through the President’s appointed Affirmative Action/Equity Coordinator(s).

If you have any questions or complaints related to compliance with this policy, please contact one of the Equity Coordinators at Northwest Iowa Community College, 603 West Park Street, Sheldon, Iowa, room D403b or room A101D, email equity@nwicc.edu, phone number 712-324-5061, extension 113 or extension 137, fax 712-324-4136; or the Director of the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, John C. Kluczynski Federal Building, 230 S. Dearborn Street, 37th Floor, Chicago, IL 60604-7204, Telephone: (312) 730-1560, Fax: (312) 730-1576, TDD: (800) 877-8339, Email: OCR.Chicago@ed.gov.

Communications and Information Systems Policy Summary
With the growth of telecommunications in the work place, the Board of Trustees recognizes that students and employees will alter the way that ideas are shared, information is transmitted, and people are contacted. As employees and students are connected to the global community, the use of technology brings new responsibilities as well as opportunities.

The College will provide employees and students with communication and information systems for education and educational support purposes. The systems are not to be used in any way that may be disruptive to the learning process, offensive, or illegal. The transmission of sexually explicit images, messages, cartoons, or communications that contain profane or offensive language, ethnic slurs, racial epithets, or anything that may be construed as harassment or disparagement of others based on their race, national origin, gender, age, disability, or religious or political beliefs is prohibited. The systems shall not be used to solicit or proselytize others for commercial ventures, religious or political causes. All employees and students will be required to abide by the NCC Communications and Information Systems Use Policy. Violation of this policy is subject to disciplinary action up to and including expulsion or discharge. View the NCC Computer Systems & Information Use Policy.

Graduation Rate
Public Law 101-542, The Student Right-To-Know and Campus Security Act, as amended by Public Law 102-26, requires higher education institutions to report their completion or graduation rate on an annual basis.

The graduation rate was 62% for students who entered Northwest Iowa Community College on a full-time basis for the fall term, 2017. This figure includes those who received a degree or diploma at Northwest Iowa Community College or transferred to a four-year institution.

Campus Security Act
In accordance with Public Law 102-26 Title I, Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crimes Statistics Act, students, employees, and visitors who have experienced criminal acts or other emergencies which have occurred on the college campus shall immediately report those emergencies to the College Equity Officers, Vice President of Student & Academic Services, Vice President of Operations and Finance, or the Sheldon Police Department.

NCC distributes a notice of this Annual Security Report by October 1 of each year to every member of the College community. Anyone including prospective students or employees, may obtain a paper copy of this report by contacting the Vice President of Operations and Finance at 712-324-5061 or by contacting the Student Services office.

NCC relies on its close working relationships with local law enforcement agencies to receive information about incidents involving NCC students. In coordination with local law enforcement agencies, NCC will actively investigate certain crimes occurring on campus with the assistance of local police departments.

Campus buildings, with the exception of the student housing units, are open and available for use from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Physical Plant staff is available on campus during this period of time to provide help with students, staff and visitors. Emergency telephones for 911 calls are located at the east side of Parking Lot 1, the east side of parking lot 3 and the south side of parking lot 5. The Sheldon Police Department should be called when the incident dictates. Student Housing main outside doors will generally be locked. The campus does not employ a security officer but relies on the Sheldon City Police Department for security 24 hours a day. In the evenings, custodial staff is available to escort students and staff to their cars.

Definition from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Handbook (UCR)

1. On Campus — (1) Any building or property owned or controlled by an institution within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area and used by the institution in direct support of , or in any manner related to, the institution’s educational purposes, including residence halls: and (2) Any building or property that is within or reasonably contiguous to paragraph (1) of this definition, that is owned by the institution but controlled by another person, is frequently used by students and supports institutional purposes (such as food or other retail vendor).

2. Murder/Non-Negligent Manslaughter — The willful (non-negligent) killing of one human being by another.
3. Negligence Manslaughter — The killing of another person through gross negligence
4. Sex Offenses, Forcible — Any sexual act directed against another person, forcibly or/and against that person’s will; or not forcibly or against the person’s will where the victim is incapable of giving consent.
5. Sex Offenses, Non-forcible — unlawful, non-forcible sexual intercourse. (Includes incest or statutory rape — under age of consent).
6. Robbery — The taking, or attempting to take, or anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear.
7. Aggravated Assault — An unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault usually
is accompanied by the use of weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm.
8. Burglary — The unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft.
9. Motor Vehicle Theft — The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle.
10. Arson — Any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, personal property of another, etc.
11. Liquor Law Violations — Violation of state or local laws or ordinances prohibiting the manufacture, sale, purchases, transportation, possession or use of alcoholic beverages (with the exception of “driving under the influence” or “drunkenness”).
12. Drug Law Violations — Violations of laws prohibiting the production, distribution, and/or use of certain controlled substance and the equipment of devices utilized in their preparations and/or use. The unlawful cultivation, manufacture, distribution, sale, purchase, use, possession, transportation, or importation of any controlled drug or narcotic substance, Arrest for violations of state and local laws, specifically those relating the unlawful possession, sale, use, growing, manufacturing and making of narcotic drugs. The relevant substances include opium or cocaine, and their derivatives (morphine, heroin, codeine); marijuana, synthetic narcotics – manufactured narcotics that can cause true addiction (Demerol, methadone); and dangerous non-narcotic drugs (barbiturates, Benzedrine).
13. Illegal Weapons Possession — Violations of laws or ordinance prohibiting the manufacture, sale, purchase, transportation, possession, concealment or use of firearms, cutting instruments, explosives, incendiary devices or other deadly weapons.
14. Hate Crimes — Sufficient objective facts lead a reasonable and prudent person to conclude that an offender’s actions were motivated, in whole or in part, by bias against the victim’s race, gender, religion, sexual orientation ethnicity/national origin, or disability.
15. Domestic Violence — Felony or misdemeanor crimes of violence committed by a current or former spouse of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse, by a
person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction, or by any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person’s acts under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction.
16. Dating Violence — Violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim, and where the existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on a consideration of the following factors: (i) the length of the relationship, (ii) the type of relationship, and (iii) the frequency of interaction between the persons involved
in the relationship.
17. Stalking — Engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for his or her safety or the safety of others or to suffer substantial emotional distress.
18. Unfounded Crimes — A reported crime investigated by law enforcement and found to be false or baseless.

The following statistics, provided in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crimes Statistics Act, are for students and employees and to applicants for enrollment or employment upon request. Our 2018, 2019, and 2020 comparative reputable crime rates were as follows: