Internal Controls Survey Glossary
- Affirmative action: Is a policy or a program whose stated goal is to redress past discrimination through active measures to ensure equal opportunity, as in education and employment.
- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): A Federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities, such as buying an item at the store, going to the movies, enjoying a meal at a local restaurant, exercising at the health club, or having the car serviced at a local garage. To meet the goals of the ADA, the law established requirements for businesses of all sizes. These requirements went into effect on January 26, 1992. Businesses that serve the public must modify policies and practices that discriminate against people with disabilities; comply with accessible design standards when constructing or altering facilities; remove barriers in existing facilities where readily achievable; and provide auxiliary aids and services when needed to ensure effective communication with people who have hearing, vision, or speech impairments. All businesses, even those that do not serve the public, must comply with accessible design standards when constructing or altering facilities.
- Business Continuity: A progression of disaster recovery, that describes the processes and procedures an organization puts in place aimed at allowing an organization to continue its essential functions after (and ideally, during) a disaster (utility outages, loss of workspace etc.). Business continuity planning seeks to reestablish full functioning as swiftly and smoothly as possible after a disaster.
- Disaster Recovery Plan: A plan that covers the data, hardware and software critical for a business to restart operations in the event of a natural or human-caused disaster. It should also include plans for coping with the unexpected or sudden loss of key personnel.
- Discrimination: In the operation of its programs and activities, the recruitment and employment of faculty and staff members, and in the recruitment, admission, retention, and treatment of students, the State University of New York at Geneseo does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, creed, disability, marital status, national origin, race, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status as either disabled or of the Vietnam era. In the administration of services to students, no distinctions on illegally discriminatory bases are permitted with respect to the provision of financial assistance, counseling and tutoring programs, and activities, which are sponsored by the College. On-campus housing is assigned on a non-discriminatory basis. Placement services and institutional facilities are made available only to persons, agencies, organizations, and firms which comply with existing equal opportunity laws, and the College so informs all clients, potential employers, lessors and sellers and recipients of significant assistance. Non-exempt agencies or organizations which do not agree to abide by the nondiscriminatory policies of the College, or that are found to have illegally discriminated, are denied College recognition, sponsorship, and use of College facilities and general or specific support. Additionally, the College does not condone or tolerate sexual or racial harassment in employment or in its academic setting. Geneseo actively supports equal opportunity for all persons, and takes affirmative action to see that both the total student and employee populations at the College enjoy access to all programs and equal opportunities in all activities. Questions regarding issues of discrimination may be directed to the Dean of Students Office, the Director of Affirmative Action (Erwin 219), or the Director of Multicultural Affairs.
- The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA): A Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. For more information click here.
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): The United States Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was established in 1996. HIPAA establishes mandatory regulations that require extensive changes to the way that health providers conduct business. HIPAA seeks to establish standardized mechanisms for electronic data interchange (EDI), security, and confidentiality of all healthcare-related data. The Act mandates: standardized formats for all patient health, administrative, and financial data; unique identifiers (ID numbers) for each healthcare entity, including individuals, employers, health plans and health care providers; and security mechanisms to ensure confidentiality and data integrity for any information that identifies an individual.
- Public Officer Law:
- POL73: Deals with the restrictions on the activities of current and former state officers and employees.
- POL73a: Deals with Financial Disclosure.
- POL74: Deals with the code of ethics.
- Sexual Harassment: SUNY Geneseo seeks to create and maintain an educational environment in which all members of the College community are free to pursue their educational goals. Harassment on the basis of sex is violation of the law (Sec. 703 of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act as amended, Title IX Education Amendments of 1972, and the New York State Human Rights Law) and will not be tolerated in the Campus community of SUNY Geneseo. The College will not condone actions and words that a reasonable person would regard as sexually harassing. It is the responsibility of every administrator, supervisor and faculty member to create and maintain an environment that is free of discrimination and allows full access and opportunity for participation to all members of the College community. Sometimes people who are being harassed feel that if they ignore the problem it will go away. The truth is, the situation could continue or get worse. Sexual harassment can substantially interfere with a student’s education. For further information, consult the policy section of this handbook (which contains the Sexual Harassment Policy in full), or contact the Dean of Students Office at 245-5706.
- Succession Planning: The process of identifying and preparing suitable employees, through mentoring, training and job rotation, to replace managers, directors, and department heads within Geneseo as they exit the college. From the risk management aspect, provisions are made in case no suitable internal candidates are available to replace the loss of any key person.