Classified Employee Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Plan
July 1, 2005 – June 30, 2008

INTRODUCTION

Blue Ridge Community College is a two-year institution of higher education under the state-wide system of community colleges in the Commonwealth of Virginia, serving the cities of Staunton, Harrisonburg, Waynesboro, and the counties of Augusta, Highland, and Rockingham.

The College is devoted to serving the educational needs of the community and the needs of workers in its region through a cooperative effort with local industry, business, professions, and government.

It is the policy of the Virginia Community College System and Blue Ridge Community College to maintain and promote equal employment opportunity without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, political affiliation, disability or veterans status.

By way of this document the College reaffirms its desire and intent to comply fully with all Federal, State, and local laws, regulations and executive orders relating to equal employment opportunity.

The President of the College has overall responsibility for the College’s equal employment opportunity and affirmative action policy. The President has delegated the authority for the administration of the EEO/AA policy to the Vice-President of Financial and Administrative Services (VPFAS). The VPFAS will ensure that all employees are informed of Executive Order Two (98) and the College’s equal employment opportunity statement. The VPFAS will prepare pertinent EEO/AA reports.

The VPFAS is also responsible for monitoring employment procedures and practices to ensure the effective use of human resources in compliance with Federal regulations and State equal employment practices.

CLASSIFIED POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

It is the College’s objective to utilize a consistent hiring process that promotes equal employment opportunity. Department of Human Resource Management 2.10 sets forth the provisions of the College’s recruitment and hiring process.

RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION

The VPFAS is responsible for ensuring that all selection procedures are job related and that the procedures and selection records are in compliance with appropriate policies.

The following selection procedures are followed for classified personnel:

1. When a classified vacancy occurs, the immediate supervisor recommends to the president or appropriate VP that the position be filled.
2. The job description and criteria for the position are reviewed and updated by the immediate supervisor, if appropriate.
3. A vacancy announcement is prepared by the personnel analyst, using recommendations of the immediate supervisor, the president or the appropriate VP. Each vacancy announcement states the position title, the minimum qualifications for the position, a summary of the responsibilities for the position, a deadline for receipt of applications, and an address and telephone number for the College (including TDD – Telecommunications Device for the Deaf), and the statement “Blue Ridge Community college is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.”
4. At a minimum the announcement is advertised in the three local newspapers and with the DPT “Recruit” system with circulation to all state agencies. The announcement is also mailed to local minority organizations. The announcement is posted on campus bulletin boards and on the BRCC website.
5. All applications are logged upon receipt by the Personnel Analyst. Ethnic, racial, and gender data are separated from the application form.
6. The president or appropriate VP and the immediate supervisor determine the procedure for performing the initial screening of the applicant pool. Only applicants whose application files are complete are included in the pool.
7. At this point, the president or appropriate VP and the supervisor may appoint a screening committee to review the applications and select persons for an interview, or the immediate supervisor may perform this review. Committee members shall be familiar with the basic responsibilities of the position. If members are classified employees, they are in the same or higher pay grade as the advertised position. Employees who will be supervised by the chosen applicant shall not serve on the screening committee. The supervisor and/or the Screening committee members shall meet with the VPFAS or the Personnel Analyst to ensure that they are familiar with lawful and effective selection and employment practices.
8. The chairman of the screening committee and/or the immediate supervisor checks with the personnel analyst to determine whether or not there are any minority applicants. If none of the candidates selected is a minority and there are minority applicants who meet the minimum job qualifications, the screening committee is reconvened. The committee or the supervisor reviews again the files of the minority applicants and determines whether any of the minority candidates could be considered as reasonably competitive candidates worthy of an interview. If, in the opinion of the immediate supervisor and the committee an interview would not be productive, then no offer to interview will be extended. However, if either the immediate supervisor and/or the majority of the committee believe an interview would be useful, then the offer to interview will be extended.
9. Applicants invited for an interview are sent a letter by the immediate supervisor containing information about the time and place of the interview. The letter will include the following statement: “If you have a disability for which you need to request an accommodation during the interview, please make your request in writing at least two working days prior to the interview.” After the request is received, the supervisor and the VPFAS will determine if the requested accommodation is reasonable. This determination may require that additional documentation concerning the disability be obtained from the applicant.
10. A consistent format is used for all interviews, including an established list of questions that are asked in the same order during each interview. While additional follow-up questions may be asked, it is the responsibility of the Chair or the supervisor to assure that they are germane to the original question. If a screening committee is used, the chair of that committee is responsible for keeping appropriate notes on each interview; if the interview is conducted by the immediate supervisor, he/she is responsible for keeping appropriate records. After each interview, the pertinent information about the candidate is summarized by the chair or the supervisor. If there is a committee, a final report is written by the chair outlining the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates. The committee submits this report to the supervisor and the president or the appropriate VP. The supervisor, with the endorsement of the president makes the final employment decision.
11. Any testing that is conducted is consistent with applicable federal and state requirements. Test results are not the sole criteria used for selection.
12. The supervisor verifies the following job-related information on the top one or two candidates: name, employment dates, position held (job title), job duties, beginning and ending salaries, training completed, eligibility for rehire, and required license, certificate or degree. The supervisor obtains the name of the person providing this information and notes the date it was obtained and provides the information for the recruitment file. The supervisor also gathers information from former supervisors or others, as appropriate, concerning prior work
    experience. The supervisor documents the information received and provides this for the recruitment file.
13. If an acceptable candidate is not found among those interviewed, the applications are reviewed again. If no qualified candidates are obtained or selected in the first recruitment effort, the search is extended and the vacancy is re-advertised.
14. Employment is offered to a candidate by letter from the VPFAS. Salary is listed as a semi-monthly figure, converted to an annual salary, and a statement explaining the probationary period is included in all letters for individuals entering the classified system. Those candidates interviewed, but not offered employment, are notified by the supervisor or the personnel analyst of the decision. All other applicants are notified by the personnel analyst that the position has been filled.
15. The following records are maintained by the Personnel Analyst for a period of at least three years from the date the position is filled: position description, records related to recruitment efforts, copies of advertisements, employment applications, race and gender data on all applicants, screening and selection criteria applied, and interview questions and notes on applicant responses and reference checks.

EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

It is the College’s objective to provide employee training in support of its goals and that this training shall be available without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, political affiliation, disability, age or sex.

The College has established a professional development policy encouraging employees to engage in activities to support their professional growth and describing procedures for requesting funding for these activities.

The College encourages and assists employees to attend conferences, conventions, seminars and workshops that are aimed at enhancing and/or increasing their work skills and/or abilities.

It is the responsibility of the personnel analyst to gather training records for classified employees. These records include the participant’s age, race, and sex; course identification and dates of training; the participant’s position classification and salary grade; and cost of course registration, instructional fees, and materials. These records are maintained in the personnel office for three years following the completion of the training.

EXIT INTERVIEWS

Each terminating full-time employee is offered the opportunity to complete an exit questionnaire or participate in an exit interview.

The exit interview process provides opportunity to express both positive and negative concerns. Exit interviews are conducted by the human resources sub-committee chair.