Home/LSCO Policies & Procedures/Administrative Policies and Procedures/Section 1: Introduction

Section 1: Introduction

Print This Page

On this page:

1.0 Administrative Policies and Procedures

Scope: Faculty and Staff

Lamar State College Orange is governed by the Board of Regents for the Texas State University System. The actions of persons employed by the College shall be consistent with policies, procedures, rules, regulations, directives, and guidelines that are adopted or otherwise prescribed by the Board.

State human resource management policies and regulations are drawn primarily from general laws enacted by the Legislature, the biennial Appropriations Act, Attorney General's opinions, and State Auditor interpretations. The primary sources of reference have been the Texas State University System Rules and Regulations and the Texas Human Resource Management Statutes Inventory. In the event of conflict between the provisions of this Manual and the System Rules and Regulations, the latter shall prevail.

Relevant policies and regulations are presented in summary form in the Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual.

This Handbook includes only a brief description of benefits offered by Lamar State College Orange and an overview of major rules and policies. It is designed to be a reference to guide present employees as well as to provide initial information to new personnel.

Nothing in the Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual in any way creates an expressed or implied contract of employment.

Changes, Amendments, and Exceptions

Changes and amendments to these policies, rules, and regulations may be made by the President with the approval of the Board of Regents for substantial changes. In certain isolated and unique cases, exception to one or more of these policies, rules, and regulations may be necessary and/or desirable. The authority to grant exception to one or more of these provisions is vested in the Office of the President.

1.1 Institutional Statement

Scope: Faculty and Staff

Institutional Policy Statement

Lamar State College Orange declares and reaffirms its policy of equal educational opportunity, and nondiscrimination in the provision of education, employment, and other services to the public.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Lamar State College Orange is an equal opportunity employer. Students, faculty, and staff members are selected without regard to their race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion or disability consistent with the assurance of compliance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Executive Order 11246 amended by Executive Order 11375; Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972, as amended; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments of 2008, Equal Pay Act of 1963, Civil Rights Act of 1991, Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, and Family Medical Leave Act of 1993.

Lamar State College Orange prohibits retaliation against a person who opposes discriminatory practice, files a charge, files a complaint, or testifies, assists, or participates in any manner in an investigative proceeding or hearing.

Statement on Diversity

Lamar State College Orange believes that freedom of thought, innovation, and creativity are fundamental characteristics of a community of scholars. To promote such a learning environment, Lamar State College Orange has a responsibility to seek cultural diversity, to instill a global perspective in its students, and to nurture sensitivity, tolerance and mutual respect. Discrimination against or harassment of individuals on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, ethnicity, religion, sex or disability is inconsistent with the purpose of the College.

Equal Educational Opportunity

Lamar State College Orange reaffirms its policy of administering all of its educational programs and related supporting services, and benefits in a manner which does not discriminate because of a student's or prospective student's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status disability, or veteran status.

Americans with Disabilities

1. Policy: In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as amended January 1, 2009, Lamar State College-Orange will not discriminate in its hiring and employment practices against any qualified individual with a disability because of that disability.

2. Definitions: An individual with a disability is a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life functions or activities, has a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having such impairment.

2.1 Physical Impairment — A physical impairment is any physiological disorder, condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the body systems.

2.2 Mental Impairment — A mental impairment is any mental or psychological disorder, such as mental retardation, organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities.

2.3 Episodic Impairment — An impairment that is episodic or in remission is a disability if it would substantially limit a major life activity when active.

2.4 Regarded as having an impairment — An individual is “regarded as” disabled if the person is subject to an action prohibited by this policy based on an actual or perceived impairment that is transitory (lasting 6 months or less) and minor.

2.5 Substantial Limitations — A substantially limiting impairment renders an individual incapable of performing a major life activity, or restricts the duration, manner or condition under which an individual can perform a major life activity. Determination of whether an impairment substantially limits a major life activity must be made without regard to the ameliorative efforts of mitigating measures, including: medication, medical supplies, equipment, devices, and appliances; prosthetic limbs; hearing aids or implanted hearing devices; mobility devices; oxygen therapy equipment; visual devices with the exception of refractive eyeglasses and contact lenses; the use of assistive technology; reasonable accommodations; auxiliary aids or services; and learned behavioral or adaptive neurological modifications.

2.6 Major Life Activities — Major life activities include, but are not limited to, caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, functions of the immune system, normal cell growth, and digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions.

2.7 Undue Hardship — An undue hardship means an action which would cause significant difficulty or expense in consideration of the following factors:

2.7.1 The nature and cost of the accommodation; and

2.7.2 The overall financial resources available to the college to provide the accommodation, the effect on expenses and resources, and/or the impact of the accommodation upon the operations of the institution.

2.8 Qualified Individual — A qualified individual with a disability means an individual with a disability who, with or without reasonable accommodations, can perform the essential functions of the employment position the individual holds or desires. Essential functions mean those responsibilities that are critical, primary, necessary, basic, visual, required or indispensable to the job.

2.9 Reasonable Accommodation — A reasonable accommodation is an accommodation which includes:

2.9.1 Making physical facilities accessible to and useable by individuals with disabilities; and

2.9.2 A service animal that is individually trained to assist a person with disabilities for tasks, including but not limited to:

  • guiding an individual who has a visual impairment
  • alerting an individual who has a hearing impairment or who is deaf
  • stabilizing/calming an individual with anxiety or posttraumatic stress disorder during a panic attack or flashback
  • assisting an individual in a wheelchair
  • alerting or protecting an individual who has a seizure disorder
  • reminding an individual who has a mental illness to take a prescribed medication

2.9.3 Requiring job restructuring; part-time or modified work schedules; reassignment to a vacant position; acquisition or modification of equipment or devices; appropriate adjustment or modifications of examinations or training materials; the provision of qualified readers or interpreters; and other similar accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

A reasonable accommodation is not required for a known physical or mental limitation or an otherwise qualified individual if the individual's disability is based solely on being “regarded as” having an impairment that substantially limits at least one major life activity.

2.10 Discrimination — Discrimination includes:

2.10.1 Limiting, segregating, or classifying a job applicant or employee in a way that adversely affects the opportunities or status of the individual because of his/her disability.

2.10.2 Participating in a contractual or other relationship that subjects a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to the discrimination prohibited by this policy.

2.10.3 Utilizing standards, criteria, or methods of administration that discriminate on the basis of disability or that perpetuate discrimination.

2.10.4 Denying equal jobs or benefits to a qualified individual because of the known disabilities of an individual with whom the qualified individual has a relationship or association; or

2.10.5 Not making requested reasonable accommodations for the documented physical or mental limitations of a qualified individual with a disability who is an applicant or employee, or denying opportunities for employment where reasonable accommodations may be needed and requested.

3. ADA Administration: Any applicant or employee seeking accommodation on the basis of disability is responsible for notifying either their direct supervisor or the Director of Human Resources that they are disabled and wish to request a reasonable accommodation. The request should be made on the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form. Lamar State College Orange may require a confirming examination or a doctor's letter before a request is considered.

If a request for accommodation is received, the employee or applicant will be asked to provide suggestions about what would work best. The Director of Human Resources and the supervisor will then review the suggestions. It may be necessary to investigate alternative solutions and make other suggestions to the individual requesting accommodation. All actions taken are to be documented on the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form. If the request is granted, the employee/applicant will review, edit, and sign a statement describing the steps taken.

The Vice President for Finance and Operations and the President will be responsible for determining “undue hardship” based on the facts provided by the Director of Human Resources. When determining whether the accommodation is too costly or creates an undue hardship, the cost of the accommodation, the employer's size, financial resources and the nature and structure of the operations must be considered. The Vice President for Finance and Operations should be consulted concerning financial resources. If the accommodation would cause an undue hardship, Lamar State College Orange would consider whether funding for the accommodation is available from an outside source, such as a vocational rehabilitation agency. The applicant or employee with the disability would also be given the opportunity to provide the accommodation or pay for a portion of the accommodation that constitutes an undue hardship.

The President will have final authority in the event that there is disagreement over whether or not an accommodation will create an undue hardship. If the decision is made not to make the accommodation based on “undue hardship,” the reasons are to be documented. The individual then receives a standard letter explaining the reasons for failing to grant the request, and what will happen next.

4. Medical Examinations:

4.1 No medical examination may be conducted or required before an offer of employment has been made. A medical examination may be required after an offer of employment has been made and prior to the commencement of employment duties, if all persons offered the position are required to have the examination. An offer of employment may be conditioned on the results of such examination.

4.2 Inquiries may not be made of a job applicant as to the individual's disability, or the nature or severity of such disability. Inquiries may be made into the ability of an applicant to perform job-related functions so long as inquiries are made of all individuals who are interviewed.

4.3 Applicants extended an offer of employment and employees who request an accommodation are responsible for obtaining a medical statement that contains a diagnosis, prognosis, and the major life function that is substantially limited. The medical statement should include an evaluation as the effect that the impairment has on the applicant's or employee's ability to perform the duties of the job.

4.4 All medical information will be treated as confidential and will be kept in a separate file from other personnel records.

5. Grievance Process: In the event that an employee feels that a grievance exists, the employee can file a grievance requesting that the issues be addressed by the formal grievance process (Policy 5.5).

6. Reasonable workplace accommodations may be made not only for individuals with disabilities, but also persons with sincerely-held religious beliefs and women affected by pregnancy.

Veterans Preference

Lamar State College Orange reaffirms its policy of giving preference in employment opportunities to qualified veterans in accordance with S.B. 646, as amended by the 74th Legislature. Veterans qualify for preference “if the veteran served in the military for not less than 90 consecutive days during a national emergency declared in accordance with federal law or was discharged from military service for an established service-connected disability.” The veteran must also have been honorably discharged and must be competent. A veteran's orphan or surviving spouse who has not remarried qualifies for the veterans' preference if the veteran was killed on active duty; the veteran served in the military for no less than 90 consecutive days during a national emergency in accordance with federal law; and the spouse or orphan is competent.

An individual who qualifies for a veteran's employment preference is entitled to a preference in employment over other applicants for the same position who do not have a greater qualification.

Lamar State College Orange is required to file a quarterly report with the Comptroller stating hiring percentages and the current percentage of employees that are eligible for a veteran's preference. In addition, Lamar State College Orange must provide the Texas Workforce Commission information regarding open positions that may be subject to the hiring preference law.

Non-Discrimination in Services to the Public

Lamar State College Orange (LSCO) provides equal access and opportunity for all persons regardless of race, sex, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, disability, or veteran status, in employment, educational programs, and activities and admissions. LSCO complies with Title IX of the Higher Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs or activities; Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits sex discrimination in employment; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination based on disability; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, which prohibits discrimination based on age; and the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act. Sexual misconduct, as defined in the College's Sexual Misconduct Policy, constitutes a form of sex discrimination prohibited by Title IX and Title VII.

For questions concerning our non-discrimination policy, you may contact our Title IX Coordinator at (409) 882-3910, Accessibility Coordinator at (409) 882-3393 or the Office for Civil Rights at (214) 661-9600.

Compliance with Laws

Through the policies and programs set forth by Lamar State College Orange, the institution undertakes to fully comply with all federal, state, and local laws relating to equal educational and employment opportunity.

Institutional policies specifically address the obligations of Lamar State College Orange under the following laws and regulations:

  • Titles VI & VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended
  • Executive Order #11246 as amended
  • Revised Order No. 4
  • The Equal Pay Act of 1963
  • The Vietnam Era Veterans Rehabilitation Act of 1974
  • The Rehabilitation Act of 1973
  • Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
  • The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
  • Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments of 2008
  • Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 2008
  • Civil Rights Act as amended 1991
  • The Family Medical Leave Act 1993
  • Veteran's Employment Preferences, Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Legislature
  • Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) of 2008

1.2 Functions of the Human Resources Office

Scope: Faculty and Staff

The function of the Lamar State College Orange Human Resources Office is to design, implement, and maintain a program of personnel administration for Lamar State College Orange; a program which is adequately defined and explained for each employee of the College. Under the direction of the Vice President of Finance and Operations, the Human Resources Office is responsible for the development and administration of sound personnel policies and programs in accordance with federal, state, and State College statutes, regulations, and policies. Major functional areas include coordination of payroll, benefits, records maintenance, employment, classification/compensation, workers' compensation, and employee relations.

The Human Resources Office serves the faculty and the administration in their programs of teaching, research, extension, and supporting services.

A centralized human resources office is necessary to provide direction, uniformity, continuity, and efficiency in the use of human resources. The various departments and other units of the College must share in the responsibility for implementing the various policies and procedures. This includes such functions as selection, orientation, training, evaluation, and record keeping.

The responsibility for the administration of the staff personnel program is vested in the Director of Human Resources. The Human Resources Office is available to all members of the faculty and staff for advice and counsel on matters of personnel administration. Any employee having questions regarding personnel policies or procedures are encouraged to call the Human Resources Office prior to initiating any personnel related action.

1.3 Creating and Reviewing College Policies

Scope: Faculty and Staff

Lamar State College Orange is committed to developing and revising its policies and procedures to meet the demands of its mission. To this end, input from any sanctioned and approved standing committee is welcomed and considered.

The Policy for Creating and Reviewing College Policies outlines the procedures and required approvals for drafting new or amending existing Administrative Policies and Procedures and Institutional-Level Academic Policies (hereafter referred to as “policies and procedures”) in a consistent manner.

The process described in this policy does not apply to divisional, departmental, office or unit specific policies that govern the internal operations of a department, unit or division in its implementation of administrative duties and responsibilities. Nor does this policy apply to Academic Policies that are statewide and/or federally regulated.

1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to outline the steps to be taken in developing, revising, reviewing, and approving LSCO policies and procedures.

1.1 This policy provides:

  1. The steps to be taken in developing and approving new policies;
  2. A structure for regular review of existing LSCO policies and procedures and how modifications are accomplished;
  3. A review of policies and procedures to ensure they are consistent with other college policies, state or federal law, and The Texas State University System (TSUS) Rules and Regulations, which govern in the event of a conflict.

2. New Policy Proposal

2.1 Any sanctioned and approved standing committee within the College may propose the need for a new policy, subject to the following review and approvals: the Policy Review Council (Deans and AVP and/or other administrative positions as deemed necessary), Vice President, and President.

2.2 If the Policy Review Council concurs with the need for the policy, the initiator of the request will develop a draft policy and prepare a brief rationale for the new policy using the LSCO Policy and Procedures Template. To ensure an efficient review process, the Policy Review Council may establish timelines for each step in the process prior to submission to the next level.

2.3 The Committee initiating a new policy may share the language and rationale with other constituent groups (Standing Committees, Student Government Association (SGA), Faculty Senate, Staff Senate), if appropriate.

3. New Policy Approval

3.1 A final draft of the proposed policy shall be presented to the President's Cabinet, as appropriate, via the corresponding Vice President under which the proposed policy falls;

3.2 The President's Cabinet will review the proposal and reserves the right to edit a proposed policy prior to approval, as he/she deems appropriate;

3.3 The President will review the proposal and reserves the right to edit a proposed policy prior to approval, as he/she deems appropriate;

3.4 The decision of the President is final.

4. Policy Publication

4.1 All new and approved policies will be sent to the Director of Human Resources for inclusion in the Administrative Policy and Procedures manual;

4.2 When appropriate, the newly approved policy will be published on the LSCO website;

4.3 The Director of Human Resources will coordinate with the responsible office to effectively and efficiently publish, distribute, and communicate the new policy and provide clarity on the policy, as needed.

5. Review, Revision, Consolidation, and Withdrawal of Existing Policies

5.1 The Director of Human Resources will work with appropriate departments to conduct a thorough review and update of policies within the Administrative Policies and Procedures periodically, but not less than every two (2) years unless otherwise stipulated within the policy.

5.2 The committee and/or supervisor responsible for implementing all other college policies will work with appropriate departments to conduct a thorough review and update of the policy periodically, but not less than every two (2) years unless otherwise stipulated within the policy;

5.3 Any sanctioned and approved committee may request a review or revision to a policy as the needs of the college warrant. This should be completed through the same steps as the New Policy Approval process.

5.4 In special circumstances, it may be deemed necessary and appropriate to withdraw an existing policy and/or consolidate policies. This should be completed through the same steps stipulated in the New Policy Approval process, using the Policy and Procedures Template.

6. Conflicts

6.1 If an LSCO policy conflicts with the TSUS Rules and Regulations, state, or federal law, the preemptive or more restrictive authority prevails.

Website Update Policy

All content published to Lamar State College Orange's website (https://www.lsco.edu) must be submitted through the Director of Marketing Communications before going live on the website. This is done using the workflow system within the Modern Campus CMS. Any change requested to a webpage is routed via workflow first to the Director of Marketing Communications. The Director reviews for content accuracy and design as well as conformity to all college, state, and federal regulations before routing them to the LSCO Webmaster. The Webmaster conducts additional web compliance review. In instances in which the requested content needs to be verified or substantiated, the requester is directed to provide written approval of the content or conformity to college, state, and federal regulations from their appropriate Dean or Vice President before the Director of Marketing Communications approves and implements the change.

Content is reviewed as it is requested through workflow management and published typically within 1–2 business days after the request is submitted. If the request requires additional pages or menu items to be built, the process may take longer depending on the amount of work requested and current workloads.

Page maintenance / content ownership is noted in the footer of all pages with the date the last update occurred and the contact information for the employee responsible for the page and its content. Page maintenance / content ownership is determined by the Director of Marketing Communications in coordination with campus departments and directors.

Academic Catalog Update Procedures

Catalog titles include the academic years during which the information included in them will be effective, but the provisions of the catalog do not constitute a contract. The College reserves the right to make necessary changes, and because such changes become effective upon approval by the proper officials, updates to the catalog are necessary to reflect changes to the Academic Calendar, new fee and tuition information, educational course and program changes, policy revisions, new regulations, new educational and service programs, and changes to services.

LSCO employs the following procedure to update the catalog as necessary:

  • Maintenance of the LSCO Catalog is the responsibility of the Office of the Executive Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs/Provost (EVP/P). The catalog is filed as an MS Word document in a shared drive accessible by permission only and maintained by the EVP/P's office. Versions of previous catalogs are also archived on the shared drive.
  • Following the Texas State University System's 4th-Quarter Board of Regents meeting each November, and at other times as needed, the Office of the EVP/P sends a copy of the current catalog as an MS Word file to all LSCO administrative officials and issues a request for review, with recommended catalog changes to be due to the EVP/P on a specified date the following January.
  • The EVP/P receives, reviews, and approves the requests for updates from all LSCO offices. The EVP/P or a designee modifies the MS Word version of the current catalog to incorporate the approved catalog revisions.
  • The updated version of the catalog is saved to the shared drive with the date of revision in the file name and the version date prominently displayed at the top center of the first page of the updated catalog, reflecting the date of revision.
  • The EVP/P or a designee notifies the Director of Marketing Communications to request that the updated catalog be reviewed, approved for release to the public, and posted to the LSCO website.
  • The Director of Marketing Communications reviews the updated catalog and
    • makes any adjustments or corrections necessary to prepare it for publication
    • saves the approved updated version as a PDF,
    • accesses the Modern Campus CMS production site,
    • replaces the previous version on the production site with the updated version, and
    • notifies the LSCO Web Administrator that an update is ready for approval and publication.
  • After confirming that the updated version of the catalog is ready for publication, the LSCO Web Administrator posts the PDF of the newly revised catalog to the LSCO website.
  • Following confirmation of the publication of the revised catalog, the EVP/P or a designee provides a list of any program changes to the LSCO Web Administrator and to the offices of the Deans, Associate Deans, and Program Directors to confirm publication of the changes in the catalog, and to facilitate corresponding changes to the individual program webpages. The EVP/P or a designee also notifies the Director of Print and Design Services that a newly revised catalog is in effect, to ensure that subsequently printed copies of the catalog reflect the most current version.

Next Steps

Request Information Visit Apply