Legal Information

Saint Vincent College subscribes to a policy of equal opportunity in the classroom, workplace, and programs. Saint Vincent does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, veteran status, national origin, marital status, genetic history, or disability in its programs and activities as required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable statutes and College policies. Saint Vincent prohibits sexual harassment, including sexual violence.

As Saint Vincent College is an educational community rooted in the tradition of the Catholic faith, the heritage of Benedictine monasticism, and the love of values inherent in the liberal approach to life and learning, nothing in this equal opportunity policy shall require Saint Vincent to act in a manner contrary to the beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church. Nor shall it be construed as a waiver either of Constitutional or statutory rights which Saint Vincent enjoys as a religiously-affiliated institution. Nor does this abrogate the right of the College to specify as a qualification for employment an individual’s willingness to fully embrace Saint Vincent’s mission as a Catholic, Benedictine institution.

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries involving students and programs regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and related statutes and regulations:

Marisa Carlson, Director of Academic Affairs Support Services and Compliance, Office of Academic Affairs, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe PA 15650, (724) 805-2371, or marisa.carlson@stvincent.edu.  

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and to serve as the overall campus coordinator for purposes of Title IX compliance:

Eileen K. Flinn, Esq., Title IX Coordinator, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, PA 15650, (724) 805-2897, or eileen.flinn@stvincent.edu.  Read the College’s policy on Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Harassment.

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding Title IX sports compliance:

Susan Hozak, Assistant Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator/Compliance Officer, Athletic Department, Carey Center, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, PA 15650, (724) 805-2112, or sue.hozak@stvincent.edu.  

Saint Vincent College requires directors, officers and employees to observe high standards of business and personal ethics in the conduct of their responsibilities.  As employees and representatives of Saint Vincent, we must practice honesty and integrity in fulfilling our responsibilities and comply with all applicable laws and regulations.

It is the responsibility of all directors, officers and employees to follow this practice and to report violations or suspected violations in accordance with the Whistleblower Policy. These violations may include any of the published policies of the College, but also include financial improprieties or irregularities.  Financial improprieties or irregularities means, among other similar matters, misappropriation of funds, supplies, property, or other resources; misreporting hours worked; fraud or deliberate errors in the preparation, evaluation, review or audit of any financial statement of the College; forgery or alteration of College financial documents or financial computer files; pursuit of financial benefit or advantage in violation of Saint Vincent’s conflict of interest policy; or deficiencies in or noncompliance with Saint Vincent’s financial controls.    

No director, officer or employee who in good faith reports a violation shall suffer harassment, retaliation or adverse employment consequence.  An employee who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation in good faith is subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment.  This Whistleblower Policy is intended to encourage and enable employees and others to raise serious concerns within Saint Vincent prior to seeking resolutions outside of Saint Vincent.

Saint Vincent encourages employees to share their questions, concerns, suggestions or complaints with someone who can address them properly.  In most cases, an employee’s supervisor is in the best position to address an area of concern.  However, the employee is not comfortable speaking with his or her supervisor or he or she is not satisfied with their supervisor’s response, employees are encouraged to speak with someone in the Human Resources Office or anyone in management whom the employee is comfortable in approaching.  Supervisors and managers are required to report suspected violations to Saint Vincent’s Compliance Officer, who has specific and exclusive responsibility to investigate all reported violations.  For suspected fraud, or when an employee is not satisfied or uncomfortable with discussing his or her concerns with these persons, the individual should contact Saint Vincent’s Compliance Officer directly.

If the complaint or concern is regarding the conduct of the designated Compliance Officer, the President is the appropriate authority to report such a concern.  If anonymity is desired, an unsigned written report may be delivered to the Office of the President via internal house mail or via regular US mail.  The President or his designee will be responsible to conduct a thorough investigation of the reported violation as outlined above including reporting the matter to the Finance, Audit, and Enrollment Committee of the Board of Directors and work with the Committee until the matter is resolved.       

Saint Vincent’s Compliance Officer is responsible for investigating and resolving all reported complaints and allegations concerning violations, shall advise the President and/or the audit committee.  The Compliance Officer has direct access to the Finance, Audit, and Enrollment Committee of the Board of Directors and is required to report to the audit committee at least annually on compliance activity.  Saint Vincent’s Compliance Officer is the Vice President of Finance and Administration.

The Finance, Audit, and Enrollment committee of the Board of Directors shall address all reported concerns or complaints regarding corporate accounting practices, internal controls or auditing.  The Compliance Officer shall immediately notify the committee of any such complaint and work with the committee until the matter is resolved.

Anyone filing a complaint concerning a violation or suspected violation must be acting in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing the information disclosed indicates a violation.  Any allegations that prove not to be substantiated and that prove to have been made maliciously or knowingly to be false will be viewed as a serious disciplinary offense.

Violations or suspected violations may be submitted on a confidential basis by the complainant or may be submitted anonymously to a designated hotline:  724-805-1900.  Reports or violations or suspected violations will be kept confidential to the extent possible, consistent with the need to conduct an adequate investigation.

The Compliance Officer will notify the sender and acknowledge receipt of the reported violation or suspected violation within five (5) business days.  All reports will be promptly investigated and appropriate corrective action will be taken if warranted by the investigation.

The Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, enforces civil rights laws in a wide variety of contexts.  For information of how to file a complaint or report a potential civil rights violation with the appropriate Office of Civil Rights (OCR) Section, please go to https://www.justice.gov/crt/how-file-complaint. If you are not sure which Section is the appropriate one to receive a complaint, you may also contact the Civil Rights Division at toll-free 855-856-1247 or (202) 514-3847.     

OCR investigates complaints from individuals or groups who believe that they have experienced discrimination from an agency that receives funding from the Justice Department.  These include the Office of Justice Programs and its components as well as the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services and the Office of Violence Against Women.  OCR can also investigate agencies that receive Justice Department funding from state and local government agencies.