Alcohol: A controlled substance to include liquor, beer, or wine.
Altered Operations: The period during which the Chancellor or designee can move College operations to a remote posture. Under altered operations conditions the College remains operational without having to maintain full staffing on site. Employees with job tasks that can be completed remotely continue to work their schedules remotely (remote work can include work from home, alternate College campus or an SLT approved work site). Employees who have job tasks that do not translate effectively to remote work will be directed by their leaders on alternate tasks or, in the case of essential employees, report to work as scheduled. Under altered operations no loss of service or instructional time occurs. SLT may designate certain essential personnel to report on site to manage critical functions to ensure continuity of operations.
Alternate Work Schedule Arrangement: An authorized work agreement that allows eligible full-time employees to work a longer-term scheduling arrangement that permits a variation of the employee's starting and departure times but does not alter the total number of hours worked in a week.
Annual Filing:The annual financial information and operating data to be filed with the MSRB pursuant to Rule 15c2-12 and Disclosure Agreements
Arbitrage: The difference between the interest paid on tax-exempt bonds and the interest earned by investing the proceeds of the tax-exempt bonds in higher-yielding taxable securities
Audit a Course: The ability to take a course without the benefit of receiving a grade or credit for the course.
Banking Day: A day on which banks are open to the public for carrying on substantially all banking functions, generally excluding Saturday, Sunday, and legally defined holidays.
Broadcast or Live-Stream: The transmission of programs, information (sounds or images) or live events by radio, television, internet, app (application software), web conferencing tools, or any other medium including postings to any social media platform.
Called Out: Employee is requested to perform required job duties outside the employee's assigned schedule.
Campus: All land and buildings owned or leased by the San Jacinto Community College District.
Campus program for minors: Such programs as defined as providing oversight and training for camps and programs involving minors held on College premises or operated by the College which have recreational, athletic, religious, or educational activities for the campers. This includes all camps or programs covered by Texas Education Code, Chapter 51, Section 51.976, as well as any day camp, activity, or University Interscholastic League (“UIL”) event sponsored by the College.
Campus SaVE Act: refers to the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act of 2013.
Campus Image: A still or moving image of San Jacinto College property that can be readily identified by the public as College property by architecture, landmarks, signage, the presence of prominent individuals, the inclusion of logo clothing or athletic uniforms or any other means.
Carnegie Unit: Equivalent of one hour (50 minutes) of lecture time for a single student per week over the course of a semester.
Chargeback: Expense for goods or services charged to one College department by another College department (as opposed to a purchase made from an off-campus supplier).
Clock hours: The total number of actual hours per week a student spends attending class or other instructional activities that count toward completing a program of study.
Closure: Any natural or human-caused incident that may require a building, a campus, or the entire College to close for business. In this type of suspension, students and staff are made aware that some on-site functions of the College have been suspended. There are no imminent life and safety threats, and faculty/staff may choose to remain in the building or on campus, dependent on the affected area, but students and visitors are required to leave the building or campus. Leaders can request certain essential staff to report to duty to manage continuity of operations procedures.
Closure Compensation: The purpose of closure compensation is to mitigate the short-term interruption of work schedules and salaries for regular, full-time College employees. Closure compensation is not considered time worked for purposes of calculating overtime. Closure compensation will not exceed forty (40) hours per work week.
College: The San Jacinto Community College District and also referenced as San Jacinto College.
College Name and Graphic Marks: Any use of the College name or any form of the College name including the campuses or district office. Graphic marks include the college logo, tagline, advertising campaign, seal and campus mascots.
College Property: Property, whether indoors or outdoors, located within the State of Texas that is owned, operated, leased, occupied, or controlled by the College. For purposes of the Policy on Alcohol Usage at Events on College Property, this includes but is not limited to all buildings, classrooms, laboratories, auditoriums, library buildings, offices, athletic facilities, any other structures, grounds, sidewalks, parking lots, walkways, and attached parking structures owned or controlled by the College.
Compressed Work Schedules: A compressed work schedule allows an employee to work a traditional 40-hour workweek in less than the traditional number of workdays.
Communicable diseases: are infectious diseases that are easily spread from one human to another.
Comp Time: Comp time is time banked in accordance with payroll procedures, at the employee’s discretion, to be taken as an alternative to overtime paid. Comp time is limited to eighty (80) hours accumulated during a fiscal year and must be taken within the same fiscal year.
Concealed Carry: The Texas Department of Public Safety defines a concealed handgun as a handgun not openly discernable to the ordinary observation of a reasonable person.
Conflicts of interest: When a college trustee and/or employee’s direct or indirect personal interests are inconsistent with or interfere in any way with the best interests of the College
Contract: An agreement between two or more parties that is intended to have legal effect to create a financial commitment or obligation of the College. A contract may include, but is not limited to, goods and service agreements, memoranda of understanding, letters of intent, lease agreements, rental agreements, grant awards, purchase orders, sole source contracts, cooperative contracts, interlocal contracts, and job order contracts.
Course Drop: A course drop, which is recorded on a transcript, is defined as an affected credit course not completed by an undergraduate student who:
- Is enrolled in the course at the Official Census Date, and
- Will receive a non-punitive grade of WL.
The official Census Date varies according to the length of the course. The most common course lengths can be found by visiting Six-Drop Course Limit Process | San Jacinto College. For the census date for all other course lengths, please contact the Office of the College Registrar/College Records.
Credential-Evaluation Agency: A recognized credential-evaluation agency is an agency that evaluates and verifies the authenticity of academic work done for the purpose of further study in the US, immigration, military service, professional licensing, and employment. These agencies offer professional translations by experts in all languages into English and conducts evaluations that can be tailored to the specific criteria requested by individual educational institutions and professional licensing boards.
Course: A course is counted as a course without respect to credit hours, e.g., PE, Art, Automotive, and Physics courses count as one course whether credit hours are 2, 3, 4 or 5.
Deferred Maintenance: The practice of postponing maintenance activities such as repairs on both real property (i.e., infrastructure) and personal property (i.e., machinery) to save costs, meet budget funding levels, or realign available budget funds.
Demotion: The movement of an employee from one salary grade to a lower salary grade as a result in change in positions. A demotion may result in a decrease in compensation.
Dependent: A parent or spouse who is incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability. A biological, adopted, foster child, stepchild, a legal ward, or a child of a person standing in loco parentis, who is either under 18 years of age or is 18 years of age or older and is incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability.
Disaster: The occurrence or imminent threat of widespread or severe damage, injury, or loss of life or property resulting from any natural or man-made cause, including fire, flood, earthquake, wind, storm, wave action, oil spill or other water contamination, volcanic activity, epidemic, air contamination, blight, drought, infestation, explosion, riot, hostile military or paramilitary action, extreme heat, cybersecurity event, other public calamity requiring emergency action, or energy emergency.
Disciplinary Suspension: Separation from San Jacinto College, due to a student disciplinary process, for a specified period of time or until certain conditions are met.
Disposition of Records: Action taken with regard to local government records that are no longer needed for current government business as determined by their appraisal pursuant to legislation, regulation, or administrative procedure. Examples of disposition include destroying records or transferring them to archives once the records retention period has expired per the TSLAC retention schedules.
Earned Aid: refers to the amount of financial aid based on the number of days a student has attended classes with a term.
Electioneering: The act of persuading (or attempting to persuade); communication intended to induce belief for a candidate attempting to be elected.
Electioneering marker: The electioneering marker is a sign placed by the polling entity designating the distance candidates must be from the polling location for electioneering.
Eligible Driver: An eligible driver for operating a college-owned or leased vehicle must: (1) possess a valid Texas Driver’s License with applicable endorsements and valid classification for the vehicle he/she is driving, (2) successfully complete the College’s approved on-line Driver’s Training Course every three years, (3) maintain an acceptable driving record, (4) is 18 years of age or older if a full-time employee or is 25 years of age or older if a part-time employee, and (5) must be authorized by the SHERM Office.
Emergency Incident: An emergency incident is defined as any event that is outside of normal College operations and has the potential of affecting the business functions of the College or the life and safety of the College community.
EMMA: The Electronic Municipal Market Access system maintained by the MSRB
Emotional Support Animal: A companion animal that provides some benefit for an individual with a disability. An emotional support animal is not considered a service animal or a psychiatric service dog.
Employee Organization: A College defined and recognized organization representing a group of employees that may include: (a) Faculty Senate, (b) Administrative Organization, and (c) Staff Organization.
Employee: A full-time or part-time employee of the College as defined by Human Resources policy and procedure.
Energy and Water Management Plan:A resource conservation plan meeting the requirements of 34 TAC §19.14.
Energy Emergency: A temporary statewide, regional, or local shortage of petroleum, natural gas, or liquid fuel energy supplies that makes emergency measures necessary to reduce demand or allocate supply.
Epidemic: means the occurrence in a community or region of cases of an infectious disease or illness that exceeds normal expectancy.
Essential Staff:Essential staff are employees who are required to report to their designated work location or to work remotely to ensure the operations of essential functions or departments during an emergency or when the College has suspended operations. Essential staff provide services that relate directly to the health, safety, and welfare of the College, ensure continuity of key operations, and maintain and protect College properties.
Ethical conduct: Honesty, transparency, personal accountability, and an appreciation that trustees and employees are stewards of the public trust
Evacuation: Any natural or man-made incident that may require extraordinary disruption of College operations. In this type of suspension, students and staff are made aware that all critical and non-critical functions of the College have been suspended. There are imminent life and safety threats to the campus and all faculty, staff, students, and visitors are required to leave campus. Faculty and staff are not to report to duty until the SLT decides to resume operations.
Event Notice: The notice to be filed with the MSRB through EMMA upon the occurrence of events defined as reportable by the MSRB
Exclusion Zones: An area of a campus, building, or room where the possession of a handgun is prohibited by current Texas statute; or an area of a campus, building, or room designated and approved by the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) and Board of Trustees in which the possession of a handgun is prohibited.
Exempt: Employees who are paid a monthly salary (such as faculty, administrators, counselors, and other professionals) are "exempt" from the overtime/comp time provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Exempt employees are expected to work at least a forty-hour week and must use paid leave time (sick, vacation, or personal leave) to account for a 40-hour week. Exempt employees do not "bank" compensatory (comp) time or overtime to be used or paid at a later time as do non-exempt employees.
Expressive Activities: Any speech or expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution or by Section 8, Article I, Texas Constitution, and includes assemblies, protests, speeches, the distribution of written material, the carrying of signs, and the circulation of petitions. The term does not include commercial speech.
Expulsion: Permanent separation from San Jacinto College, due to a student disciplinary process, whereby the student is not eligible for readmission.
External Market Equity: The review of external market equity is an assessment that attempts to align College salaries with the external market compensation for the same duties. External market equity is used as a retention tool, as well as a means to ensure competitiveness in pay practices. External market equity is not used solely to match market pay, but rather provides guidance on when it is most appropriate to lag, match, or lead the market based on budget, availability of skill, and mission critical jobs.
Federal Direct Subsidized Loans: are low interest, long-term loans funded by the federal government for students who demonstrate financial need. Students are not charged interest before repayment begins or during authorized deferment periods. The government “subsidizes” the interest while students are enrolled at least half-time, which is six credit hours.
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans: are available to students who need additional assistance, and students do not have to demonstrate financial need to get an unsubsidized loan. These loans charge interest immediately until they are paid off.
Federal Register: refers to an annually updated journal that contains government agency rules, proposed rules, and public notices.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG): are given based on the availability of funds and are only awarded to undergraduate students with exceptional financial need. Priority is given to students who receive Federal Pell Grants. Students must be enrolled in at least 6 semester credit hours to receive a disbursement from the award.
Federal Work Study (FWS): refers to a college providing part-time jobs for undergraduate students with financial need, allowing them to earn federally-funded money to pay for educational expenses.
Filming: The capturing of moving or still images of San Jacinto College property by any means on any media now known or that may be invented in the future including, but not limited to, film, videotape, digital disk or any electronic transmission to another medium or to the Internet.
Financial Advisor: Firm providing financial advisory services to the College
First Class Mail: Type of mail often sent through the U.S. Postal Service. It includes postcards, letters, large envelopes and small packages that are under 13 ounces in weight.
Flexible Work Schedule: A temporary scheduling arrangement within a single work week that permits a variation of the employee's starting and departure times but does not alter the total number of hours worked in a week.
Formula Pay: Formula pay is the incentivized rate of pay for regular full-time faculty teaching classes during the winter and spring mini semesters or off contract during the summer.
Fraud: Personal enrichment through the deliberate misuse or misapplication of the College’s resources or assets.
Grant Principal Investigator (PI)/Project Director (PD): The person designated in a grant proposal as responsible for all grant project development, program and financial administration, facilitation, reporting, and outcomes assessment.
Handgun: A handgun is any firearm that is designed, made, or adapted to be fired with one hand.
Hazardous Materials: Article or substance designated by the U.S. Department of Transportation as being capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, or property during transportation. Hazardous materials include but not limited to: common consumer and household items such as perfumes, aerosols and electronic products that contain certain batteries. A complete list of hazardous materials can be found in Appendix D in USPS publication 52.
HIPAA:is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and it protects all individually identifiable health information that is held or transmitted by a covered entity or a business associate. The College is not bound by HIPAA; however, the hospitals, clinics, or labs with whom we are associated in our instructional programs are considered covered entities by HIPAA.
Ineligible to Enroll:Student is not allowed to register for and take classes on any San Jacinto College campus or extension center.
Instructional Animal:A living or non-living animal that is used specifically to further an instructional purpose as part of a College or district program.
Internal Equity: Internal equity is an assessment that attempts to identify and address inequities in compensation between employees who are considered similarly situated and are performing similarly. Internal equity does not attempt to make pay exactly the same for employees simply because they are in the same job title, but rather considers the similarities and dissimilarities in experience, skills, abilities and record of job performance, and aligns the pay fairly and equitably based on those factors.
Interview Committee: An appointed group of individuals whose purpose is: to review application materials for candidates within the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), to select qualified candidates for interviews, to identify the most qualified candidates for each position, and to complete required documentation of the screening and interview process.
Key: Hard cut access tool to provide access to secured spaces
Lateral Transfer:The movement of an employee from one position to another with the same salary grade and salary range. There is no change in compensation associated with a lateral transfer.
License to Carry Holder: A person licensed to carry a concealed handgun under Chapter 411 of the Texas Government Code.
Liquor Store: A retail shop licensed to sell prepackaged alcoholic beverages.
Local Government Record: Any document, paper, letter, book, map, photograph, sound or video recording, microfilm, magnetic tape, electronic medium, regardless of physical form or characteristic, created or received by a local government or any of its officers or employees in the transaction of public business.
Mitigation: Capabilities designed to reduce or eliminate risks to persons or property or to lessen the actual or potential effects or consequences of an incident. Mitigation measures may be implemented prior to, during, or after an incident/disaster.
MSRB: The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board
Non-essential Staff: Non-essential staff are employees that are not required to report to their designated work location during an emergency or when the College has suspended operations. Non-essential staff may be asked to report to work if there is specific work that must be performed.
Non-exempt: An employee classification eligible for overtime compensation under the provisions of the federally governed Fair Labor Standards Act.
Non-renewal: Non-renewal of an employee contract occurs when the College declines to offer further employment at the expiration of the term of the contract. Non-renewal may occur with or without cause, except that, if a reason exists, it is not an unlawful reason.
Normal Overload Rate: Normal overload rate is the current part time faculty instructional rate as posted on the Board approved salary or rate schedule.
Notifiable Conditions: are those conditions that the College deems pose a threat to the College community, typically communicable diseases primarily spread through contact or respiratory pathways.
Official Transcript: An official transcript is a transcript that is sent directly from the issuing authority or evaluation service to the College by mail or electronic service (e-Script-Safe or similar service provider).
On Call/On Standby: An employee who is required to be available for work if needed outside of the employee's assigned schedule but is not actually working. The employee may be at home or another location and is allowed to leave a message where they can be reached.
"On or about their person": Means a person licensed to carry a handgun must carry a handgun in a manner that the handgun is close enough to the license holder that he or she can reach it without materially changing position.
On-site Work Location: A designated work location either on College Property or other location authorized by leadership where normal work, meetings, or related business activities are performed on behalf of the College.
Operating Hours and Core Business Hours: Operating hours for San Jacinto College are generally 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM. Core hours, typically 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., are when employees must be in the office to ensure there is adequate coverage during the work day. The College's work week begins 12:01 am Monday and extends through midnight the following Sunday.
Outside employment: Any activity for pay performed in addition to the official responsibilities of a College employee.
Overtime Pay: All hours worked in excess of forty (40) hours per work week will be paid at the rate of one and one-half times the regular pay rate.
Pandemic: is an epidemic of infectious disease that has spread through human populations across a large region.
Parent PLUS Loans (Parent Loans to Undergraduate Students): are a credit-based loan available to parents to help their children pay for college. These loans are not to exceed the cost of attendance, minus any other financial aid awarded to the students. These loans are only available to parents of dependent students.
Partial Suspension: The period during which a building or campus is closed while other parts of the College system remain open and operational. Employees may be directed to work at alternate locations, telecommute, or be assigned alternate work during partial suspensions.
Part of Term: Used to describe courses that are offered at different intervals throughout the academic year.
Patient-Care Areas: An area, including research areas, that involves the treatment or evaluation of a medical or mental health condition of a patient by a licensed health care provider or under the supervision or direction of a licensed health care provider and that results in a formal record of treatment.
Pcard: A purchasing card utilized and approved by the San Jacinto College Business Office.
Peace Officer: A full-time employee employed by the College in a police officer or police leadership position who is licensed by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE).
Pell Grants: use a standard formula set by Congress to determine a student’s level of need. The formula produces an Student Aid Index (SAI), the amount a family should pay toward the cost of the education. The amount of aid received is based on the SAI and the number of college hours attempted by a student.
Photography: The capturing of still images onto any compatible medium, or posting to the Internet, by any means or devices now known or that may be invented in the future including, but not limited to, film cameras, digital cameras, electronic devices such as personal computers (PC), mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA), etc.
Physical Resources: Relates to the buildings, grounds, and infrastructure of the College.
Policy: a statement by the Board requiring and/or authorizing action used to guide and determine present and future decisions.
Policy draft: a draft of a new or revised policy or justification for rescinding a policy that addresses elements of a policy request.
Policy recommendation: a recommendation to the Board of Trustees of a new or revised policy or justification for rescinding a policy that addresses elements of a policy request.
Policy request: a proposed change to policy submitted by a member of the College community.
Policy team: subject matter expert(s) or a team of employees charged by the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) to develop a policy draft.
Polling place: A building where voting takes place during an election, typically one that normally has another function, such as a school.
Practice: an operational process conducted within a specific functional area of the College; practice may be defined in operational manuals, forms, methods, process documents, or in some cases, through verbal communication.
Pre-K-12 School-Sponsored activities: Such activities are defined as tours, demonstrations, field trips, events, clubs, camps, clinics, programs, etc., held on College property that are authorized by a Pre-K-12 school district or individual school(s) as a curricular, co-curricular, or interscholastic activity and are managed or supervised in part by the district or school , or district or school employee.
Prevention: Actions taken to avoid, intervene, or stop an imminent crime or threatened or actual mass casualty incident. Prevention is the action the college takes to prevent a threatened or actual incident from occurring and to protect lives and property.
Primary Owner: The Strategic Leadership Team member to which the Board via the Chancellor has delegated primary responsibility for implementing, interpreting, and monitoring the accuracy and timeliness of the policy.
Private Business Use: The use of a facility financed with TEBs by any person or entity that is not a state or local government entity, or certain entities described in section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code
Procedure: A statement that provides specific actions that must be taken to implement and to conform to a policy. Procedures are developed and recommended by designated College employees and approved by the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) to implement and to comply with policy.
Promotion: The movement of an employee from one salary grade to a higher salary grade as a result of change in positions, usually involving higher levels of responsibility and qualifications.
Proof of Work Experience: Work experience that is verified through the College’s designated background check vendor to include dates of employment and position(s) held. Work experience may also be verified through other documentation such as a Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement or Form 1099 Miscellaneous Income with redacted confidential information, an employer’s official correspondence on letterhead, or other appropriate documentation to support the employee’s credentials and qualifications as required by the job description.
Prorated Increase: A prorated increase is the pro-rata share of the applicable merit salary percentage (e.g. someone hired in March will received 6/12 of the merit pay adjustment to cover the period from March through August).
Protection/Preparedness: Capabilities necessary to secure the institution against acts of terrorism and human-caused or natural disasters; protection focuses on ongoing actions that protect students, faculty, staff, visitors, networks, and property from a threat or hazard. Preparedness is range of deliberate, critical tasks and activities necessary to build, sustain, and improve readiness and the operational capability of the College to respond to and recover from incidents/disasters.
Proximity Card: Electronic access tool such as employee ID card or other electronic devices
Psychiatric Service Dog: A service dog trained to assist an individual with a psychiatric disability or mental disability including, but not limited to, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
Public Information Officer: The Public Information Officer, or PIO, is the designated spokesperson during a crisis situation at San Jacinto College. The PIO is a member of the incident management team.
Purchase Order: A contract that legally binds the College to purchase goods and services.
Purchasing Contract: Any contract that requires the purchase of a good or service and includes an expenditure of College funds, regardless of the funding source.
Recording Device: A storage device or system on which information (sounds or images) can be recorded. This also includes any software, application, or service used in the recording of voice and/or video, storage, broadcast, or sharing of recordings. This definition is intended to be inclusive of all possible mediums that can electronically affix sound, images, or video using electronic means.
Records Management Officer: Person designated by San Jacinto Community College District, as required by law, to develop policies, procedures, and processes to ensure that the maintenance, preservation, security, destruction, electronic storage, and other disposition of the records are carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Records Act.
Records Retention Schedules: List of minimum retention periods for records created or maintained by the College. The College has adopted the TSLAC records retention schedules as noted above.
Recovery: Capabilities necessary to assist the College in restoring the learning environment.
Remodeling: Changing the form or structure of an existing structure or facility
Remote Work Arrangement: An authorized work agreement that allows eligible full-time employees to work remotely a maximum of two days per week of the regularly assigned on-site work location. The work arrangement can be short term (up to three months) or long term (three to five months).
Renovation: Restoring or repairing an existing structure or facility; replacing old with new
Response: Capabilities necessary to stabilize an emergency once it has already happened or is certain to happen in an unpreventable way. These activities include immediate actions to preserve life, property, and the environment; meet basic human needs; maintain the social, economic, and political structure of the affected community; and facilitate the transition to recovery.
Retaliation: Any adverse action taken against an employee for filing a complaint or supporting another employee’s complaint under a variety of laws.
Rule 15c2-12: SEC Rule 15c2-12, as amended, under the Exchange Act
Salary Grade: A salary grade is a predetermined compensation level for a given set of positions within an organization reflecting a similar level of impact, responsibilities, knowledge, skills, decision-making, problem-solving abilities, and experience.
Salary Range: A salary range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary an organization will pay for a specific set of positions.
Satellite location: Smaller campus or office in a different location from the larger College campuses or offices.
Satisfactory Academic Progress: refers to a set of standards required to continue receiving financial aid including. San Jacinto College requires students to maintain at least a 2.0 GPA, pass at least 67% of all classes attempted (including transfer work), and earn a degree or certificate within 150% of hours allowed for program completion.
Screening committee: is an appointed group of individuals whose purpose is to: review application materials for candidates within the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), may select qualified candidates for interviews, identify the most qualified candidates for each position, and complete required documentation of the screening and interview process.
Secondary Owner: the position to which the Board via the Chancellor has delegated secondary responsibility for implementing, interpreting, and monitoring the accuracy and timeliness of the policy. The Secondary Owner may be a direct report of the Primary Owner.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973: refers to legislation that assures certain rights to people with disabilities related to any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
Service Animal: Per Title II and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), service animal means any dog or miniature horse that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.
Shutdown: Any natural or man-made incident that may require extended disruption of College operations. In this type of suspension, students and staff are made aware that all non-critical on-site functions of the campus or College have been suspended. There may be life and safety threats to the campus, and faculty, staff, students, and visitors are required to leave campus except for essential personnel. Only Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) members can designate critical functions and request staff to report for duty.
SLA: A Service Level Agreement is a prearranged listing of services and deliverables between a service provider and a client.
Stipend: A stipend is a fixed sum of compensation paid every pay period as supplemental pay for a variety of additional duty assignments or for faculty serving in an official capacity for the College. A stipend may also be a fixed sum paid every pay period to defray specific expenses.
Strategic Leadership Team: The Chancellor’s leadership team that acts as the central body for making recommendations to the Board regarding the development, review, revision, or rescission of a College policy or who approves a College procedure.
Student: A currently enrolled student of the San Jacinto Community College District as defined by instruction policy and procedure.
Student Employees: Can earn up to an additional $5,000 by working part-time on campus through the Federal Work-Study or Texas Work-Study programs. Students access job listings by visiting any Career Services office or online at the SJC Career Connections site.
Student Government Association: A formally recognized student government organization from one of the College campuses, e.g., Central Campus Student Government Association.
Student Records: Any personally identifiable information concerning a student maintained for use by the College. This includes the student’s name, address, personal identifiers such as social security numbers, and other personal characteristics or information that make the student's identity easily traceable.
Substantive change: a significant modification or expansion of the nature and scope of an accredited institution. Substantive change includes high-impact, high-risk changes and changes that can impact the quality of educational programs and services. The full scope of changes considered substantive changes, including those required by federal regulations, is defined by the SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy and Procedures.
Suspension Period: The period between the announcement of the suspension and the time communicated for employees to return to work. This time period is determined by the Chancellor or his/her designee.
Sustainably managing: Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Terminal Degree: The highest university degree that can be awarded in a specific academic or professional track or discipline. Final decision on which degrees are considered terminal resides with the Provost and the Deputy Chancellor & President.
Texas Educational Opportunity Grants (TEOG): are need-based grants for students who are not eligible for a Texas Grant. To qualify, students must (1) be a Texas resident; (2) be enrolled in a certificate or associate degree plan at a two-year institution; (3) have an Estimated Family Contribution no greater than $5,772 for the Initial Year or demonstrate financial need for the Renewal Year (as determined by a standard need-analysis process); (4) not have been convicted of felonies or crimes involving controlled substances; and (5) not have an associate degree or baccalaureate degree.
TEXAS Grants (Toward Excellence, Access and Success): are a need-based grant authorized by the state of Texas. Since San Jacinto College is a two-year college, the state only authorizes the college to offer Renewal Year awards. To receive consideration, students must (1) have financial need; (2) be a resident of Texas; (3) have graduated from a Texas high school since May 1998 and supply a transcript indicating recommended or advanced high school curriculum; (4) be enrolled as an undergraduate and received an Initial Year award prior to Fall 2014; (5) be registered with Selective Services or be exempt; (6) have not been convicted of a felony or crime involving a controlled substance; and (7) maintain satisfactory academic progress which consists of a 2.5 GPA and successful completion of 24 semester credit hours for the year.
Texas Public Education Grants (TPEG): are funded from tuition revenues generated by San Jacinto College and awarded to students who demonstrate financial need. The amount given depends on a student’s residency, the number of hours attempted, a student’s classification, and the availability of funds. TPEG is also available to the following students: SB 1528 Undocumented, Dual Credit, International, and Continuing Education.
Texas Work Study: also refers to a college providing part-time jobs to eligible students with financial need. Eligibility requirements include, but are not limited to: having Texas residency, enrolling in courses at least half-time, and not receiving an athletic scholarship.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB): The OMB serves the President of the United States in overseeing the implementation of his or her vision across the Executive Branch and oversees the performance of federal agencies and administers the federal budget.
The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 C.F.R. 200): The Uniform Guidance (2 C.F.R. 200) streamlines and consolidates government requirements for receiving and using federal awards so as to reduce administrative burden and improve outcomes.
Transcript: A digital or printed copy of a student’s academic record, including courses, attendance dates, and course grades.
Trustee: Persons who are elected in accordance with the State statute and collectively comprise the governing body of the College
Unearned Aid: Refers to the amount of financial aid based on the remainder of days a student has not attended classes within a term.
Vacancy: An unoccupied position or job created by a promotion, transfer, exit, or newly funded position approved by the Chancellor and/or Board of Trustees.
Valid Licenses/Certificates: Any license or certificate required by the job description of the position in which the individual serves the College. Valid refers to these licenses and certificates being active with the certifying organization and not expired, revoked, restricted, or sanctioned in any way that would prevent the individual from being qualified in performing the full duties of the position as described in the job description.
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA): was signed into law in 1994 by President Clinton and reauthorized twice by President Bush (2000 and 2005). As it relates to the College, the act provided funding toward investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women and imposed automatic and mandatory restitution on those convicted. It was expanded in 2013 as the Campus SaVE Act with the purpose of expanding the scope of legislation regarding reporting (how a college educates students to report), response (how a college educates students on how a College will respond to reports), and prevention education (for students and employees) for the following areas: domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
Volunteer: A person providing a service for, or on behalf of San Jacinto College. This service may be on the premises of the College, or at an activity related to or sponsored by the College at an offsite location. The volunteer, who is not an employee of the College, does not receive compensation in excess of reimbursement for approved expenses.
Web Time Entry: Electronic method to record time worked for non-exempt employees.
Withdrawn (W): If, at San Jacinto College, a student withdraws from a course that does not count towards their limit of six (6) drops, the student will receive a grade of W (withdrawn) on their transcript. A W does not calculate in the student's grade point average, but it might impact financial aid eligibility.
Withdrawn Limit (WL): If, at San Jacinto College, a student withdraws from a course that counts towards their limit of six (6) drops, the student will receive a grade of WL (withdrawn limit) on their transcript. A WL does not calculate in the student's grade point average, but it might impact financial aid eligibility.
Work Order: A work order is a discrete task or a job request for a client, which can be scheduled or assigned to department resources for execution. Facilities Services utilizes a computerized maintenance management software application to aid in the backlog, planning, and scheduling of work orders.
Work Week: The College's work week begins 12:01 a.m. Monday and extends through midnight the following Sunday.