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The policies and regulations included here are only a portion of the official policies and regulations of Middlesex Community College. MCC has regulations in place regarding alcoholic beverages, drugs and animals on campus, bomb threats, posting items on campus bulletin boards, false fire alarms, gambling, hazing, solicitation, trespassing and campus visitors.
For reader convenience, the subjects included here are listed in alphabetical order. Due process is accorded to students in the event of any alleged violation of college regulations.
Crime Awareness - Crime Statistics
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In Nov. 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 safety and 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 policies and procedures which have been developed in accordance with the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act. The annual crime statistics, and safety and emergency policies and procedures as well as crime prevention and education information can be found in the Annual Safety and Security Report or through the Director of Public Safety.
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Crime Awareness - Sex Offender Registry Information (SORI)
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| 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 your local police department or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Sex Offender Registry Board, P.O. Box 4547, Salem, MA 01970-4547, 978-740-6400. Level 3 offender information is also available online at www.mass.gov/sorb. If you have any questions regarding access to sex offender information, please contact the Director of Public Safety, Daniel Martin at martind@middlesex.mass.edu or 781-589-0165. |
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Drop for Non-Attendance/Roster Verification Policy- Last Updated 5/21/2021
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Students register for classes each semester with the best intentions, but at times, circumstances prevent them from beginning the semester. When a student fails to drop or withdraw from a course they are not attending, they may be charged for the course and receive a failing grade due to their non-attendance.
When a student fails to attend a course over the 1st two weeks from the course start, the College has developed the Drop for Non-Attendance (DN) process. Through this process, faculty enter a grade of DN which notifies the Registrar of a student’s non-attendance. The student is then dropped from the course without course charges or the issuance of a failing grade. Since faculty are not required to monitor daily student attendance, the DN process may not be initiated in all cases and it is ultimately a student’s responsibility to drop a course by the end of the drop/add period in order to avoid any penalties.
Definition for Attendance for Online Courses
2020-21 Federal Student Aid Handbook
For distance education, documenting that a student has logged into an online class is not sufficient to demonstrate academic attendance by the student. A school must demonstrate that a student participated in class or was otherwise engaged in an academically related activity.
Examples of acceptable evidence of academic attendance and attendance at an academically related activity in a distance education course/program include:
- student submission of an academic assignment
- student submission of an exam
- documented student participation in an interactive tutorial or computer-assisted instruction
- a posting by the student showing the student’s participation in an online study group that is assigned by the institution
- a posting by the student in a discussion forum showing the student’s participation in an online discussion about academic matters
- An email from the student or other documentation showing that the student initiated contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course.
Emergency Phone Numbers
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In case of a campus emergency, phone calls to the following numbers can be dialed from any college common-area or office phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week:
- Police-Fire-Medical assistance dial 911
- For all other assistance:
- In Lowell, dial; 781-589-1384
- In Bedford, dial: 781-589-0234
For increased safety, it is recommended that you program the above numbers into your phone.
When you call in an emergency, please be sure to tell the operator the following:
- Who you are
- The nature of your call
- The location of the emergency
- The telephone extension from which you are calling
The appropriate numbers are posted on all office telephones, all common-area telephones, in all elevator lobbies, and on bulletin boards.
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Financial Information
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| Middlesex Community College’s audited financial information is included as part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. Requests for financial information should be addressed to Vice President/Chief Fiscal Officer, Middlesex Community College, 591 Springs Road, Bedford, MA 01730. |
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Firearms/Weapons
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It is the policy of Middlesex Community College to prohibit the possession, display of, or attempt or threat to use unauthorized firearms, knives or other weapons on campus also including, but not limited to explosives, ammunition, replica or facsimile weapons, or objects not originally intended as a weapon, but used as such or to imitate a weapon.
This policy does not prohibit small quantity personal protection chemical spray devices (e.g., key-chain sprays) intended for defensive purposes, or tools possessed and used by employees in accordance with departmental policies, uniformed law-enforcement officials, armored-car couriers, or others specifically authorized by the College. |
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Institutional Review Board
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The Middlesex Community College Institutional Review Board (IRB) supports the research endeavors of students, faculty and staff. The IRB has responsibility to oversee procedures for carrying out MCC’s commitment to protect human subjects in research. The IRB is charged with evaluating each project’s compliance with ethical standards in regard to issues such as informed consent, confidentiality and risk to participants. Any research involving the use of human subjects requires review by the IRB. Those individuals seeking to conduct such research may not solicit subject participation or begin data collection until they have obtained clearance by the IRB.
The MCC IRB Policies and Procedures Manual, meeting dates and all application forms can be found on the IRB’s website. If you have questions regarding the IRB or human subject research, contact irb@middlesex.mass.edu .
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Policy on Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity & Diversity
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Smoke-Free Environment
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Smoking is prohibited on all property owned or operated by Middlesex Community College. This consists of all buildings, all grounds, including exterior open spaces, parking lots, on-campus sidewalks, roadways and driveways, recreational spaces and facilities; and in all college-owned or leased vehicles. Smoking will only be allowed in private vehicles, lawfully parked on campus lots, in which the smoker is authorized to be.
For the purposes of this policy, smoking includes the burning of tobacco or any other material in any type of smoking equipment, including but not restricted to cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or electronic vapor-cigarettes.
Educational opportunities about the benefits of smoking cessation and assistance with smoking cessation for smokers who are members of the MCC community will be made available through the LifeWorks Employee Assistance Program and MCC Center for Health & Wellness on both the Lowell and Bedford campuses.
Complaints concerning employees of the College should be brought to the attention of the employee’s immediate supervisor, or in the alternative to the Public Safety or Human Resources Office. Complaints concerning students should be brought to the attention of Public Safety. In the case of repeat offenses by students, complaints should be referred to the Office of the Dean of Students.
Any disciplinary measures will be reserved for repeat infractions or infractions that interfere with the College’s academic or workplace needs or responsibilities,
consistent with applicable collective bargaining agreement procedures or student Code of Conduct.
Visitors who fail to comply with the policy may be prohibited from remaining on or returning to campus.
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Trespass Act
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| Middlesex Community College is governed by the Massachusetts Trespass Act which states in part that whoever willfully trespasses upon land or premises belonging to the Commonwealth, or to any authority established by the general court for purposes incidental to higher education, or whoever after notice from an officer of any said institution to leave said land, remains thereon, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $50 or imprisonment for not more than three months. |
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Visitors on Campus
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| Visitors and guests are expected to abide by the rules and regulations established by the college. |
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Computer & Network Usage Policy
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General Principles
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Access to the College’s computer systems and networks, including email imposes certain responsibilities and obligations and is granted subject to College policies, and local, state and federal laws. Acceptable use always is ethical, reflects academic honesty, and shows restraint in the consumption of shared resources. It demonstrates respect for intellectual property, ownership of data, system security mechanisms, and individual rights to privacy.
Users include but are not limited to all students, faculty, staff and administrators, who have been granted access to college-owned or college-licensed computers, networks, software or any peripherals associated with the College’s computing facilities and/or equipment (“computer resources”). This policy applies to all Users.
The College’s computer resources are the property of the College. Such equipment and resources, including email, shall be use for academic, educational, or professional purposes, which are related to official College business and in support of the College’s mission.
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No Expectation of Privacy
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Users shall have no expectation of privacy when using College computer resources, including email. Users should be aware that the President has authorized network administrators to monitor network traffic in order to ensure proper network operations. The President may also authorize the network administrator to inspect any user’s computer, any data contained in it, and any data, including e-mail communications, sent or received by that computer, on a case-by-case basis.
Guidelines
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In making acceptable use of resources you MUST:
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use resources only for College business, for purposes authorized by the College;
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be responsible for all activities on your user ID or that originate from your system that result from your negligent failure to protect your user ID or to protect against such unauthorized use; Users should not give a password to anyone;
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access only files and data that are your own, that are publicly available, or to which you have authorized access;
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use only legal versions of copyrighted software in compliance with vendor license requirements; and
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be considerate in your use of shared resources. Examples include not monopolizing systems, overloading networks with excessive data, or wasting computer time or resources, disk space, printer paper, manuals, or other resources
In making acceptable use of resources you MUST NOT:
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use another person’s system, user ID, password, files, email address or data without permission;
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use computer programs to decode passwords or access control information;
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download, transmit or display obscene material;
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circumvent or subvert or attempt to circumvent or subvert system or network security measures;
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engage in activity that unreasonably interferes with the normal operation of the college;
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engage in any activity that might be harmful to systems or to any information stored thereon, such as creating or propagating viruses, disrupting services, distributing chain letters or damaging files;
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use College systems for commercial or partisan political purposes, such as using electronic mail to circulate advertising for products, for political candidates or for any profit-making company or enterprise;
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make or use illegal copies of copyrighted software, store such copies on College systems, or transmit them over College Resources;
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engage in unauthorized use or distribution of copyrighted material, including unauthorized peer-to-peer file sharing; or download any on-line software without appropriate authorization.
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use the network for purposes which place a heavy load on scarce resources;
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use the College’s computers or networks to libel, slander, or harass any other person. The following shall constitute Computer Harassment: (1) Intentionally using the computer to harass, intimidate, or threaten, another person by conveying obscene language, pictures, or other materials or threats of bodily harm to the recipient or the recipient’s immediate family; (2) Intentionally using the computer to contact another person repeatedly, whether or not any actual message is communicated, and/or where no purpose of legitimate communication exists and where the recipient has expressed a desire for the communication to cease; (3) Intentionally using the computer to contact another person repeatedly regarding a matter for which one does not have a legal right to communicate, once the recipient has provided reasonable notice that he or she desires such communication to cease (such as debt collection); (4) Intentionally using the computer to disrupt or damage the academic research, administrative, or related pursuits of another; (5)Intentionally using the computer to invade the privacy, academic or otherwise; • use the College’s systems or networks for personal gain; for example, by selling access to your user ID or to College systems or networks, or by performing work for profit with College resources in a manner not authorized by the College;
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use the College’s systems or networks to transmit any material in violation of United States or Massachusetts laws or regulations;
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engage in any illegal or unethical act, including violation of any criminal or civil laws or regulations, whether state or federal;
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engage in any conduct that violates the College’s Affirmative Action Plan or Code of Student Conduct; and
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engage in any other activity that does not comply with the General Principles presented above.
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College Email
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The College provides Users with electronic mail communication. Email communication is intended primarily for educational and College business-related communications and shall be used by all faculty, staff, administrators, and contractors in a manner consistent with this policy.
Student email accounts will be created for each new student upon registration. Students are encouraged to use and check their College email account regularly. Important College information will be communicated to students through the student email system. The College will not allow students to update their e-mail addresses with private or other email addresses but they can forward their MCC email to another email account. Only the assigned College email address will be used by the College for email communications with students.
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Social Media
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| The use of all College computer resources for social media activities, including but not limited to, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, blogs or other form of social media, shall comply with this policy. Use of the College’s computer resources by faculty and staff for personal social media activities is prohibited. Use of the College’s computer resources by students for educational and social activities consistent with the College’s mission shall comply with this policy. |
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College Facebook Page
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| The College encourages interaction from Facebook users but is not responsible for comments or wall postings made by visitors to the page. Comments posted also do not in any way reflect the opinions or policies of the College. The College is not responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the posting of any information on this page. The College reserves the right, but assumes no obligation, to edit or remove any posts and to block or remove members from the group. Posts promoting commercial or political activities or other non-College related ventures are prohibited. The College reserves the right to remove any content from the College’s Facebook Page that is not consistent with this policy or any other College policies. |
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Data Confidentiality
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| In the course of performing their jobs, College employees often have access to confidential or proprietary information, such as personal data about identifiable individuals, student record information or commercial information about business organizations. Under no circumstances may employees acquire access to confidential data unless such access is required by their jobs. Under no circumstances may employees disseminate any confidential information that they have rightful access to, unless such dissemination is required by their jobs. These restrictions are in addition to restrictions or prohibitions over the release of confidential information contained under state or federal law. |
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Enforcement
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College officials will review alleged violations of acceptable use policies on a case-by-case basis. Violations of policy will result in appropriate actions, consideration of appropriate disciplinary measures and/or referral to appropriate authorities responsible for enforcing state and federal laws. Users who breach this policy may be denied access to the College’s computer and communications networks and may be subject to further disciplinary action. When discipline is imposed, it shall be consistent with the terms of any governing collective bargaining agreement as applicable. In order to prevent further possible unauthorized activity, the College reserves the right to disconnect that user from the network. If this is deemed necessary by College staff, where appropriate, reasonable effort will be made to inform the user prior to the disconnection. Breaches of this Computer and Network Usage Policy will be referred to appropriate administrators for consideration of discipline in accordance with applicable College policies and procedures. The College considers any violation of acceptable use of principles or guidelines to be a serious offense and reserves the right to copy and examine any files or information resident on College systems allegedly relating to unacceptable use. Violators are subject to disciplinary action as prescribed in student and employee policies, handbooks, or contracts. Offenders also may be prosecuted under laws including (but not limited to) the Privacy Protection Act of 1974, The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986, The Computer Virus Eradication Act of 1989, Interstate Transportation of Stolen Property, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. Section 1223g), Massachusetts Wiretap Statute (G.L. c.272, Section 99), Massachusetts Privacy Statute (G.L. c 214, Section 1B), Copyright Infringement laws (17 U.S.C. Section 101 et seq.), the Communications Decency Act of 1996 [47 U.S.C. Section 223 (d) - (h)], and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (18 U.S.C. Sections 2510-21, 2701-10, 3121-27).
Revised April 2014
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