Empire College of Law (a branch of Monterey College of Law)
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CONTENTS
Annual Campus Security Report and Anti-Harassment & Discrimination Policy
HEA Gainful Employment Disclosures
College Navigator – Completion/Graduation and Transfer Out Rates
Privacy of Student Records – FERPA Policy
CARES ACT HEERF STUDENT AID
Click here for information on the distribution of Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF).
COST OF ATTENDANCE
Click here for estimated costs of attending Empire College School of Law.
HEA GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT DISCLOSURES – EARLY IMPLEMENTATION
On July 1, 2019, the U.S. Department of Education (“Department”) published final regulations in the Federal Register rescinding the 2014 gainful employment regulations at 34 CFR part 668 subpart Q and subpart R. Final Regulations; 84 Fed. Reg. 31,392 (July 1, 2019). Please see the Internal Memorandum below indicating Empire College’s decision to participate in early implementation of the rescission.
Early Implementation of the Rescission of the Gainful Employment Rule
ANNUAL CAMPUS SECURITY REPORT
Empire College Annual Security Report 2024 (PDF)
Anti-Harassment & Discrimination Policy
Empire College is committed to providing an environment free of unlawful harassment or discrimination. In furtherance of this commitment, all managers and supervisors are required to take our mandatory Sexual Harassment Prevention Training. College policy prohibits harassment or discrimination based on race, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), military or veteran status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, age, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information or any other basis protected by the federal, state or local law. Additionally, the College will respond to and investigate claims of sexual harassment in accordance with its stated policies and in accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and any effective amendments thereto, and in accordance with regulations governing the response to and investigation of claims of sexual harassment. See, e.g., 34 CFR, Subtitle B, Chapter 1, Part 106, sections 106.30-106.46. The College prohibits discrimination based on sex, which includes sexual harassment and sexual violence, and the College has jurisdiction over Title IX complaints.
The College’s anti-harassment policy extends to admission and employment practices. It applies to all persons involved in the attendance at and operation of the College, and prohibits unlawful harassment by any employee of the College, as well as students, vendors or anyone who does business with the College. It further extends to prohibit unlawful harassment by or against students. Any employee, student or contract worker who violates this policy will be subject to disciplinary action. To the extent a customer, vendor or other person with whom the College does business engages in unlawful harassment or discrimination, the College will take appropriate corrective action. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and the grievance procedures for responding to claims of sexual harassment may be referred to the Title IX Coordinators identified below.
As part of the College’s commitment to providing a harassment-free environment, this policy shall be disseminated widely to the College community through publications including the Student Handbook/Policy Manual, Faculty Handbook, School Catalog, Employee Handbook, the College website, new employee orientations, student orientations, and other appropriate channels of communication. The College provides training to key staff members to enable the College to handle any allegations of discrimination, sexual harassment or sexual violence promptly and effectively. The College will respond quickly to all reports, and will take appropriate action to prevent, to correct, and if necessary, to discipline behavior that violates this policy.
Definitions
Sexual Harassment is defined as unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature. It includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, nonverbal, or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Sexual harassment is conduct that explicitly or implicitly affects a person’s employment or education or interferes with a person’s work or educational performance or creates an environment such that a reasonable person would find the conduct intimidating, hostile or offensive.
Sexual Violence is defined as physical sexual acts engaged in without the consent of the other person or when the other person is unable to consent to the activity. Sexual violence includes sexual assault, rape, battery, and sexual coercion; domestic violence; dating violence; and stalking.
Domestic Violence is defined as abuse committed against and adult or a minor who is a spouse or former spouse, cohabitant or former cohabitant, or someone with whom the abuser has a child, has an existing dating or engagement relationship, or has had a former dating or engagement relationship.
Dating Violence is defined as abuse committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim.
Sexual Assault occurs when a physical sexual activity is engaged in without the consent of the other person or when the other person is unable to consent to the activity. The activity or conduct may include physical force, violence, threat, or intimidation, ignoring the objections of the other person, causing the other person’s intoxication or incapacitation through the use of drugs or alcohol, and taking advantage of the other person’s incapacitation (including voluntary intoxication).
Stalking is behavior in which a person repeatedly engages in conduct directed at a specific person that places that person in reasonable fear of his or her safety or the safety of others.
Consent is informed, voluntary and revocable. Consent is an affirmative, unambiguous, and conscious decision by each participant to engage in mutually agreed-upon sexual activity. It must be given without coercion, force, threats or intimidation. Consent must be ongoing throughout a sexual encounter and can be revoked at any time. Once consent it withdrawn, the sexual activity must stop immediately.
Prohibited Conduct
This policy strictly prohibits sexual or other unlawful harassment or discrimination as well as sexual violence, as defined above. Sexual or other unlawful harassment or discrimination includes any verbal, physical or visual conduct based on sex, race, age, national origin, disability or any other legally protected basis if:
– submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s education or employment;
– submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as a basis for decisions concerning that individual’s education or employment; or
– it creates a hostile or offensive environment, which means the alleged conduct is sufficiently serious to limit or deny a student’s or employee’s ability to participate or benefit from the individual’s education or employment.
Unlawful harassment or discrimination may include racial epithets, slurs and derogatory remarks, stereotypes, jokes, posters or cartoons based on race, national origin, age, disability, marital status or other legally protected categories.
Sexual harassment is conduct based on sex, whether directed towards a person of the opposite or same sex, and may include explicit sexual propositions, sexual innuendo, suggestive comments, sexually oriented “kidding” or “teasing”, practical jokes, jokes about or displays of obscene printed or visual material, questions about sexual fantasies, preferences or history, and physical contact such as patting, pinching, or intentionally brushing against another person’s body. Gender-based harassment, including acts of verbal, nonverbal or physical aggression, intimidation, or hostility based on sex or sex-stereotyping are strictly prohibited, even if those acts do not involve conduct of a sexual nature.
Title IX Complaint/Grievance Procedure
The College’s grievance procedures for responding to and investigating claims of sexual harassment are contained in this notice, Chapters 10 and 14 of its Policy Manual, and sections 106.30-106.46 of 34 CFR, Subtitle B, Chapter 1, Part 106, specifically sections 106.44-106.46. If you believe that you have experienced or witnessed discrimination, harassment, or sexual violence, notify the Title IX Coordinator as soon as possible after the incident. Do not allow an inappropriate situation to continue by not reporting it, regardless of who is creating the situation. No employee, contract worker, student, vendor or other person who does business with the College is exempt from the prohibitions in this policy. Employees who receive any type of complaint regarding discrimination or harassment will refer all complaints to the Title IX Coordinator for student-related complaints. In order to facilitate the investigation, your complaint should include details of the incident or incidents, names of the individuals involved and names of any witnesses.
The Title IX Coordinators are listed below and have the responsibility of overseeing all Title IX complaints and identifying and addressing any patterns or systemic problems that arise during the review of such complaints.
Title IX Coordinators:
| Campus President | (707) 546-4000 |
| Academic Dean – Law School | (707) 546-4000 x223 |
The College ensures that its employees designated to serve as Title IX Coordinators have adequate training on what constitutes sexual harassment, including sexual violence, and that they understand how the College’s grievance procedures operate.
Investigation of Complaints
The following is a general description of the procedures the College will follow in responding to and investigating complaints of sexual harassment. For more details, see 34 CFR, Subtitle B, Chapter 1, Part 106, sections 106.30-106.46.
In response to all complaints, the College promises prompt and equitable resolution through a reliable and impartial investigation of complaints, including the opportunity for both parties to present witnesses or other evidence. The time necessary to conduct an investigation will vary based on complexity but will generally be completed within sixty (60) days of receipt of the complaint. The College will maintain confidentiality for all parties to the extent possible, but absolute confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. In cases where a student does not give consent for an investigation, the College will weigh the student’s request for confidentiality against the impact on College safety to determine whether an investigation must proceed. Complainants should be aware that in a formal investigation due process generally requires that the identity of the charging party and the substance of the complaint be revealed to the person charged with the alleged harassment.
The preponderance of the evidence standard will apply to investigations, meaning the College will evaluate whether it is more likely than not that the alleged conduct occurred. Both parties will receive written notice of the outcome of the complaint.
During the investigation, the College will provide interim and potentially emergency measures, as necessary, to protect the safety and wellbeing of students and/or employees involved.
If the College determines that unlawful harassment or sexual violence has occurred, immediate appropriate corrective action will be taken in accordance with the circumstances involved, and the College will take steps to prevent the recurrence of any harassment or discrimination. Any employee determined by the College to be responsible for unlawful harassment or discrimination will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Remedies for student-related claims may include, but are not limited to, an order to stay away, suspension or expulsion.
To initiate a criminal investigation, reports of sexual violence should be made to 9-1-1 or local law enforcement. The criminal process is separate from the College’s disciplinary process. To the extent that an employee or contract worker is not satisfied with the College’s handling of a harassment or discrimination complaint, he or she may also contact the appropriate state or federal enforcement agency for legal relief.
Retaliation Prohibited
The College will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint, and will not tolerate retaliation by students or employees. If you believe you have been retaliated against, you should promptly notify your supervisor or a Title IX Coordinator.
Reporting Requirements
Victims of sexual misconduct should be aware that College administrators must issue timely warnings for incidents reported to them that pose a substantial threat of bodily harm or danger to other members of the campus community. The College will make every effort to ensure that a victim’s name and other identifying information is not disclosed, while still providing enough information for community members to make safety decisions in light of the danger. The College reserves the right to notify parents/guardians of dependent students regarding any health or safety risk, or a change in student status.
Additional Information
Students may contact the Title IX Coordinator listed above with any questions related to this policy. In addition, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) investigates complaints of unlawful discrimination or harassment of students in educational programs or activities. This agency may serve as a neutral fact finder and will attempt to facilitate the voluntary resolution of disputes with the parties. For more information, visit the OCR website at: http://www.ed.gov/ocr/.
COLLEGE NAVIGATOR
National Center for Education Statistics published rates for completion/graduation and transfer out rates, as well as other information.
NET PRICE CALCULATOR
Empire College ceased taking new enrollments into its graduate-level programs effective August 19, 2022, and into its undergraduate programs in 2020. This link is for the undergraduate programs which were previously offered: Net Price Calculator
PRIVACY POLICY
Our Privacy Policy was developed as an extension of our commitment to combine the highest-quality services with the highest level of integrity.
PRIVACY OF STUDENT RECORDS – FERPA Policy
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, is a federal law that protects the privacy of education records of all students who have enrolled in college. The Act provides for the right to inspect and review education records. The Act applies to all institutions that are the recipients of federal funding.
TERMINATION OF PROGRAMS
Effective February 5, 2020, Empire College ceased taking new enrollments in its School of Business programs, which include: Specialized Associate Degree-Accounting, Specialized Associate Degree-Business, Specialized Associate Degree-Information Technology, Specialized Associate Degree-Administrative Medical Professional, Specialized Associate Degree-Clinical Medical Professional, Specialized Associate Degree-Paralegal, Accounting with Certification Emphasis, Accounting with Entrepreneurship Emphasis, Accelerated Business Professional, Business Management Professional, Business Office Professional, IT Support Specialist, Microsoft Solutions Expert, Legal Office Assistant, Paralegal Studies, Clinical Medical Assistant, Medical Administrative Assistant, Medical Assistant Essentials, and Medical Billing and Coding Technician. Effective August 1, 2020, Empire College ceased taking new enrollments in the Phlebotomy Technician program. Effective August 19, 2022, Empire College ceased taking new enrollments in the Master of Legal Studies and Juris Doctor programs, partnering with Monterey College of Law to become a branch campus.
VOTER REGISTRATION
Empire College encourages eligible students to register and vote. Students who are residents of California may register to vote online. If assistance is needed, students may contact their Dean for more information on voter registration.
