Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity
In compliance with state and federal laws, including Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Shippensburg University provides equal educational, employment, and economic opportunity for all persons without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, or disability. This policy extends to disabled veterans and veterans of the Vietnam era.
Grievance Procedures
You may file a report for sexual misconduct, for any form of discrimination or harassment based on being a member of a protected class, and individuals may file grievances externally as well.
Contact information for the Office of Civil Rights, The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and the US EEOC can be found on the page linked below.
Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits any person in the United States from being discriminated against on the basis of sex in seeking access to any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
Ethicspoint/Navex
Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education is committed to high ethical standards and the enforcement of policies, procedures and legal requirements.
The concerns of employees, students and others within the university communities regarding matters of wrongdoing are important; therefore, an incident reporting system has been established as a means to confidentially identify situations believed to be inappropriate.
Accessibility
In compliance with the requirements of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and amendments ("ADA"), Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania ("University") is committed to equality of opportunity and freedom from discrimination for all persons formally associated with the University including, but not limited to, students, employees, applicants for admission or employment, and all participants in public University-sponsored activities.
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
Prohibits discrimination based on disability in employment, public accommodations, public services, transportation, and telecommunications and requires provision of reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities.
Section 503 and Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Prohibits discrimination based on disability in federally assisted programs and requires affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities.
Transparency
Affordability and Transparency (PA Act 69)
PA Act 69 of 2024 for College Affordability and Transparency was signed into law by Governor Josh Shapiro on July 17, 2024. The Act added three sections to the Public School Code:
- Student Fee Transparency
- Higher Education Cost Transparency
- Exit Counseling
Right to Know
Requests for public records from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania under the Right-to-Know Law, as amended, 65 P.S. §§ 67.101 et seq, are subject to the guidelines in this section.
Privacy and Information Security
As an institution of higher education, Shippensburg University has a responsibility to its students and employees to safeguard certain types of confidential information. The protection and handling of this information is outlined in various legislative acts, such as: the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which affords students certain rights with regard to their educational records, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which provides guidance in maintaining the privacy of protected health information and the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act which regulates the disclosure and handling of financially related information.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records.
HIPPA
Safety
Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act)
A federal law named in memory of student Jeanne Clery, who was assaulted and murdered in 1986 on the Lehigh University (PA) campus in her residence hall, this law requires colleges and universities to report crime statistics and other safety and security information to current and prospective students and employees. Colleges and universities must submit this information in an Annual Security Report to the U.S. Department of Education by October 1 of each year.
Hazing
At Shippensburg University, we are committed to actively preventing hazing and fostering a safe, healthy, and respectful campus community. While our prevention efforts take place year-round, we place particular focus during times when students are most likely to join campus organizations.
Our approach to hazing prevention is informed by data—including trends and insights from campus reporting and the National College Student Bystander Intervention Study™ (NCSBIS), which we’ve previously administered.
Drug Free Schools and Communities Act and Drug Free Workplace Act
As required by the federal ‘Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988,’ the State System of Higher Education (including Shippensburg University) hereby declares as its policy that the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensation, possession, or use of a controlled substance is prohibited at any workplace under the authority of the Board of Governors.
University Policies
The central repository for policies and guidelines, University policies are retained and maintained here to guide and inform the University community, including faculty, staff, administration and students.The policies are organized in categories in the left navigation. If you are seeking information on a subject that is not listed in the policies below, please refer to the Student Handbook. Many policies and guidelines that fall under the purview of the Academic Affairs Office can be found in this document. For additional information or assistance on policy related matters, please contact the Administration and Finance Department office.
Please note: Individual departments also may maintain additional policies. Such policies do not override these university-wide policies.