Planning and decision-making at Boricua College are a comprehensive process that require the participation of all segments of the College's community including the Board of Trustees, Faculty, Administration, and Students. This process revolves around the fundamental goals of facilitating the learning of each student, and responding to the needs of the total student body or a whole community.

Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees has legal responsibility for insuring the College fulfills its mission and goals, and supports the institution's plans and operations. The Board has clearly stated authority commensurate with its functions and responsibilities defined in the by-laws, setting forth its purpose and policies. To this end, the Board appoints a chief executive officer to direct its operation, develop policy, and provide advice on major issues. It strives to conserve, develop and enhance the institution's resources and above all, maintains the responsibility to ensure continuous institutional integrity and quality.

Executive Council

The College's planning and leadership process is carried out by the Executive Council composed of the President, Vice Presidents and Deans. The Executive Council also receives input from the Academic Senate, Academic Management and Administrative Management teams, the Faculty Colloquia, Staff Colloquia, Student Colloquia and the Student Council.

Academic Senate

All professorial-ranked faculty, who are at the College five or more years, are members of the Academic Senate, and advise the President on academic policy.

Academic Management Team

The Academic Management Team is chaired by the President and includes the Vice Presidents, Deans, Associate Deans and Chairpersons of academic departments. The Academic Management Team meets bi-weekly and is responsible for managing the operations of all instructional programs.

Administrative Management Team

The Administrative Management Team includes the Vice Presidents and all Directors of administrative departments. It meets bi-weekly and is responsible for the implementation of the College's administrative and financial policies and operations.

The Faculty Colloquium

The members of the full-time faculty meet weekly in a colloquium format to discuss their concepts, theories and experiences in carrying out the role of educational facilitators and the implementation of the College's curricula. Faculty research, scholarship, and topical issues are also discussed.

The Staff Colloquium

Every alternate Friday, senior level administrators meet in a colloquium format to discuss work-related issues as they impinge on their relationships. The purpose of this colloquium is to enhance fellow-feeling and cooperation.

Colloquium of Student Colloquia

This colloquium takes place every cycle, and brings together all the students enrolled at each learning center to meet with the President, faculty, senior administrators and departmental directors. The primary objective is community building. Everyone is expected to participate and communicate their goals and concerns about how the College is working. It is an opportunity for constructive criticism and for recommending ways to ameliorate existing problems.

The Student Council

Every year students elect two Student Council presidents from each of the College's two campuses. The elected Council Presidents and officers meet regularly with the Vice President and Dean of Generic Studies. A member of the Vice President's staff has permanent responsibility for monitoring elections, and acts as liaison to the Student Council. The Associate Deans of Generic Studies also meet regularly with the Student Council to plan, budget, and carry out activities of benefit to the students of each of the College's three centers. The Student Council Presidents meet periodically with the College's President to be apprised of the College's plans. The Council is authorized and encouraged to participate in, or send student representatives to, the committees interviewing new faculty and other relevant committees as determined by the Vice President and Dean of Generic Studies. The Student Council Presidents assist the College's President in making presentations at the annual commencement exercises.

Discrimination Against the Handicapped

Boricua College takes seriously its obligation under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 not to discriminate against qualified handicapped individuals in its federally assisted programs or activities. The College recognizes responsibility under Section 504 to ensure that no handicapped student who can meet the academic and technical standards requisite for admission to, or participation in, its programs is excluded from such participation or otherwise discriminated against because of the absence of educational auxiliary aids which are necessary to provide the handicapped student an equal opportunity to obtain an education.

Boricua believes that its responsibility to ensure the availability of necessary auxiliary aids ordinarily can be met by assisting handicapped students in obtaining such aids from governmental units, such as the state vocational rehabilitation agencies, or from private charitable organizations. Accordingly, handicapped students will be expected to exercise reasonable self-help in obtaining and maintaining funding from outside sources for required aids.

In the event a handicapped student has been turned down by outside agencies for aid, the College will take whatever action necessary to fulfill its obligation to ensure that the student is not denied the right to participate because of the absence of educationally necessary aids.

To ensure the availability of necessary aids at the start of any particular semester, a handicapped student who believes he or she will need an auxiliary aid in order to participate in a course or courses offered by Boricua College must notify the Vice President and Dean of Generic Studies. Such notice is required in order to give the student and the College a reasonable period of time in which to evaluate the request, to identify sources for purchasing, leasing or hiring any necessary aid, and, if possible, to obtain funding for required aids from appropriate governmental or charitable agencies.

Sex Discrimination in the Form of Sexual Harassment

Boricua College reaffirms the principle that its students, faculty, and staff have a right to be free from sex discrimination and/or sexual harassment by any member of the College community.

Sexual harassment is defined as an attempt to coerce an unwilling person into a sexual relationship, or to subject a person to unwanted sexual attention, or to punish a refusal to comply, or to create a sexually intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or educational environment. Sexual harassment is understood to include a wide range of behaviors, from the actual coercing of sexual relations to the unwelcome emphasizing of sexual identity. This definition will be interpreted and applied consistent with accepted standards of mature behavior, academic freedom, and freedom of expression.

The office of the Vice President/Dean of Generic Studies as well as the Department of Personnel have institutional responsibility for monitoring compliance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX. Any individual who feels that a sexual harassment complaint did not receive prompt and equitable response should contact these offices.

In compliance with the New York State Law (Chapter 739 of the Laws of 1990), Boricua will provide on a regular basis, information on the prevention of sexual assault. The College also has an advisory committee comprised of administrators, students, faculty and community members on campus security.

A Drug Free Campus

The United States Department of Education (DOE) has issued regulations implementing provisions of the Drug-Free School and Communities Act Amendments signed into law by the President on December 12, 1989.