Institutional Policies

Nondiscrimination and EEO Statement

In accordance with state and federal law, McPherson College does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability, sex, marital status, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected characteristic, in the hiring process, during employment, and in the operation of all College programs, activities, and services, including, but not limited to, academics, athletics, other extracurricular activities, the awarding of student financial aid, recruitment, admissions, and housing.

Persons having inquiries concerning the College’s compliance with this policy or any laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination are directed to contact the following:

  • A current student or potential student with questions or concerns about any type of discrimination is encouraged to bring these issues to the attention of the Provost and Executive Vice President, who may be contacted at: (620) 242-0439 or [email protected]. Additionally, any member of the college’s administration may be contacted with questions or concerns.
  • An employee with questions or concerns about any type of discrimination in the workplace or an applicant, who has applied for an open position at McPherson College, is encouraged to bring these issues to the attention of the Director of Human Resources, who may be contacted at: (620) 242-0454 or [email protected]. Additionally, employees should feel free to raise concerns of discrimination with their immediate supervisors at any time.
  • Questions or concerns regarding the College’s compliance with Title IX and its prohibition of sex discrimination may be directed to the Title IX Coordinator. McPherson has designated the following Title IX Coordinator as named in the College’s Sexual Harassment Policy and Title IX Grievance Procedures:

Hannah Rushe Piechowski, Ph.D.
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Students
(620) 242-0503 office
(620) 504-4807 on-call
[email protected]

For questions or concerns related to the Americans with Disabilities Act or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, please contact:

Office of Advising and Student Success
Jen Sjuts
Director of Advising and Student Success
1600 East Euclid
McPherson College
McPherson KS  67460
[email protected]
(620) 242-0507

For all other inquiries related to discrimination at the College, please contact:

Amanda Gutierrez
Provost and Executive Vice President
McPherson College
1600 East Euclid
McPherson KS 67460
(620) 242-0439
[email protected] 

  • The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces discrimination laws related to race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and age. Complaints related to these protected classes can also be filed with OCR by visiting: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/complaintintro.html.

No individual will be subject to any form of retaliation, discipline, or other adverse action for reporting conduct in violation of the College’s nondiscrimination/EEO policy, assisting/cooperating in making a complaint, or assisting with the investigation of a complaint. Any individual who believes they have experienced or witnessed retaliation should immediately notify the appropriate member(s) of the administration as identified above. Those found to be engaging in any type of discrimination in violation of the law or College policy will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion or termination of employment.

ADM 180 – McPherson College Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation and Complaint Procedure explains the process for an individual to file a complaint.

In addition, the following policies and procedures are utilized by McPherson College in addressing various forms of discrimination complaints:

Disability Accommodations

Students with disabilities are welcome at McPherson College under the regular admissions requirements. For details about accommodations, see Disability Services on the Services page of this catalog.

Student Right to Know Information

The Student-Right-To-Know And Campus Security Act of1990, as amended by the Higher Education Technical Amendments of 1991, requires all colleges and universities participating in the Federal Student Aid Program to disclose basic institution information, graduation rates, and information on students receiving athletically related student aid. For the most up-to-date and complete information, see the Student Right to Know Information web page on the college website.

Consumer and Disclosure Information

For the most up-to-date and complete consumer and disclosure information, see the Consumer and Disclosure Information web page on the McPherson College website.

Student Records Policies

Student records are confidential but are open for inspection by the student. Records may also be inspected by parents of financially dependent students. Official transcripts must be requested through the college website https://www.mcpherson.edu/alumni/transcript-request/; other records must be requested in writing from the appropriate dean.

Privacy of Student Records

Certain information is considered to be public or directory information while other information is private in nature. Directory information includes a student’s name, address, email address, telephone number(s), hometown, photograph and/or video content, enrollment status, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance at McPherson College, degrees and awards received and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student. Directory information can be disclosed without a student’s consent unless the student gives a signed notice to the college restricting such disclosure.

A federal law known as the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, or FERPA, gives students and former students the right to inspect, review and copy education records related to them. Students have 10 days following the release of directory information to notify the college that any or all of the information designated should not be released without his/her prior consent. This notice must be given in writing to the office of the dean of students.

Education records and personally identifiable information from those records will not be released without the written consent of the student involved, except to other college personnel, officials of other schools in which the student intends to enroll, authorized state and federal government representatives, or unless it is released in connection with the student’s application for financial aid, in response to a judicial order or subpoena, or in the case of a bona fide emergency.

The college maintains with education records of each student a record identifying all persons other than college officials who have requested or obtained access to the records and indicating the legitimate interest of those persons. This record of access is available upon request to the student in question. Finally, all personal information about a student released to a third party will be transferred on the condition that no one else shall have access to it except with the student’s consent. A complete list, with location and custodian of all records kept on college students, is obtainable from the dean of students.

Upon request, a record covered by FERPA will be made available within a reasonable time, and in no event later than 45 days after the request. The student should direct the request to the custodian of the records in question. Copies of the record will be made available to the student at the student’s expense (usually limited to cost of materials).

A student may also request explanations and interpretations of the records from the official in charge. If the student believes that a particular file contains inaccurate or misleading information or is otherwise inappropriate, the college will afford an opportunity for a hearing to challenge the content of the record. Prior to any formal hearing, the official in charge of the record is authorized to attempt to settle the dispute through informal meetings and discussions with the student.

If the student is not satisfied, he/she may request a hearing. Procedures for such a hearing will be those outlined in the student handbook for all cases coming before the Campus Hearing Board. The student will have the opportunity at the hearing to present any relevant evidence.

Academic Record

A transcript is a student’s official record of courses taken and grades earned. The records are kept and maintained by the registrar’s office. Student records are confidential, but are open for inspection by the student. Inspection of records must be made in writing, with the request being made to the registrar’s office for transcripts and to the appropriate dean for other records. The registrar will notify the student when the file is available for inspection within 20 days of the date of the request.

Student Development File

The student development file is maintained in the office of the dean of students. It contains directory information for the student, emergency contact persons, copies of correspondence between the student and the dean’s office, a record of any disciplinary action which involved the student, and summary records of student involvements on campus such as work or internship experience and achievements through student organizations. Students who wish to review the contents of their Student Development File should make a written request to the dean of students, who is responsible for maintaining the files. The dean will notify the student when the file is available for inspection within 45 days of the date of request.