Seminary of the Southwest complies with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.  Title IX prohibits all public and private schools receiving any federal financial assistance, including federal student aid, from discriminating on the basis of sex in their education programs and activities.  The Seminary is required to comply with the provisions of Title IX.

The Seminary admits students without regard to race, sex, color, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at this school. The Seminary does not discriminate on the basis of these factors in the administration of its admissions policies, federal student aid programs, educational policies, housing policies, student activities, student employment, and all other school administered programs.

Questions regarding Title IX may be referred to the Seminary’s Title IX coordinator or to the Office of Civil Rights of the U. S. Department of Education.

The Seminary’s designated Title IX coordinator is:

Frederick L. Clement
Executive Vice President
Seminary of the Southwest
501 E. 32nd St.
Austin, Texas  78705
Telephone (512) 472-4133
[email protected]

The U. S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights may be contacted at:

U.S. Department of Education
Office for Civil Rights
Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Bldg.
400 Maryland Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20202-1100

Telephone: 800-421-3481
FAX: 202-453-6012; TDD: 800-877-8339
Email: [email protected]

TITLE IX TRAINING

Regulations promulgated by the U.S. Department of Education under 34 CFR Part 106.45(b)(10) provide that materials used to train Title IX Coordinators, investigators, decision-makers, and any person who facilitates an informal resolution process be, and hereby are, posted or linked on the seminary’s website for public access.  The following materials have been used by the seminary for Title IX training purposes:

Association of Title IX Administrators Training Resources

Hearing Officer and Decision-Maker Certification Course Materials

Title IX Coordinator One Materials

PERIODIC FUND REPORT ON THE APPLICATION FOR AND EXPENDITURE OF HIGHER EDUCTION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUNDS UNDER THE CORONAVIRUS AID, RELIEF, AND ECONOMIC SECUIRTY ACT (CARES ACT), THE CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE AND RELIEF SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT (CRRSAA) AND THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN (ARP).

Recipient name:  The Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest

Reporting period end date:  December 31, 2021

Introduction

The Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, founded in 1952 and located at 501 E. 32^nd Street, Austin, Travis County, Texas 78705 (the “Institution”), is organized and legally existing in the state of Texas as a private, non-profit institution of higher education operating under a Certificate of Authorization issued by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.  The Institution is exempt from federal income tax under IRC § 501(c)(3).  The Institution is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, and the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada.  The Institution is authorized to participate in Title IV federal student aid programs administered by the U. S. Department of Education (the “Department”).

The Institution publishes this Periodic Fund Report, as required by § 18004(e) of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) and § 314(e) of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (the “CRRSA”) and American Rescue Plan (ARP), collectively, the “Acts.”

1. The Institution signed and delivered to the Department Funding Certification and Agreement formsdated on or about April 10, 2020, expressing assurance that the Institution has used, or intends to use, no less than fifty percent (50%) of federal grant funds the Institution receives from the Department under § 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act for emergency financial aid to students; and that the Institution has used, or intends to use, the Department’s formula grants awarded under the CRRSAA and the ARP for (a)(1) and (a)(4) programs, subject to the Department’s awards and spending provisions of the Acts.
   
   
2. The Institution received from the Department on various dates the following federal grants:
   
   

Award P425E204442:  $  65,582 emergency student financial aid grants;

Award P425F203128:    $  75,883 allocation for institutional portion; and

Award P425N200179:  $470,903 Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.

3. The total amount of emergency financial aid grant funds distributed by the Institution to eligible students under § 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act and under the CRRSAA and ARP as of the reporting period end date is $99,190. 
   
   
4. The Institution had an estimated total of 120 students eligible to participate in programs under §484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and thus eligible to receive emergency financial aid grants to students under the Acts.
   
   
5. The total number of students who have received an emergency financial aid grant under the Acts is sixty-eight (68) as of the date of this Periodic Fund Report.  
   
   

6. Pursuant to guidance issued by and on behalf of the Secretary of Education, the Institution identified students potentially eligible to receive emergency student financial aid grants under the Acts based upon their Title IV eligibility, citizenship status, completion of the 2019-2020 FAFSA, satisfactory academic progress, minimum credit hour enrollment requirements, eligible degree program, and eligible students’ demonstrated financial need and eligibility requirements described in the Acts.
   
   
7. The Institution informed eligible students via email about the availability of emergency student financial aid to be provided under the Acts.  Students were invited to make an online application for emergency student financial aid.  In this application, students attested to the following: “I, the undersigned applicant, have read the section Student Eligibility Requirements and FAQ for CARES Act Emergency Student Financial Aid above and that I understand its provisions.  The applicant-provided information contained in this CARES Act Emergency Student Financial Aid Application is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.”  Award decisions were made promptly based on demonstrated financial need and eligibility.

1. Quarterly report for the period ended June 30, 2020
2. Quarterly report for the period ended September 30, 2020
3. Quarterly report for the period ended December 31, 2020
4. Quarterly report for the period ended March 31, 2021
5. Quarterly report for the period ended June 30, 2021
6. Quarterly report for the period ended September 30, 2021
7. Quarterly report for the period ended December 31, 2021

Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces Federal laws that protect you from discrimination in employment.  If you believe you’ve been discriminated against at work or in applying for a job, the EEOC may be able to help.

Who is Protected?

• Employees (current and former), including managers and temporary employees
• Job applicants
• Union members and Applicants for membership in a union

What Organizations are Covered?

• Most private employers
• State and local governments (as employers)
• Educational institutions (as employers)
• Unions
• Staffing agencies

What Types of Employment Discrimination are Illegal?

Under EEOC’s laws, an employer may not discriminate against you, regardless of your immigration status, on the bases of:

• Race
• Color
• Religion
• National origin
• Sex (including pregnancy and related conditions, sexual orientation, or gender identity)
• Age (40 and older)
• Disability
• Genetic information (including employer requests for, or purchase, use, or disclosure of genetic tests, genetic services, or family medical history)
• Retaliation for filing a charge, reasonably opposing discrimination, or participating in a discrimination lawsuit, investigation, or proceeding.

What Employment Practices can be Challenged as Discriminatory?

All aspects of employment, including:

• Discharge, firing, or lay-off
• Harassment (including unwelcome verbal or physical conduct)
• Hiring or promotion
• Assignment
• Pay (unequal wages or compensation)
• Failure to provide reasonable accommodation for a disability or a sincerely-held religious belief, observance or practice
• Benefits
• Job training
• Classification
• Referral
• Obtaining or disclosing genetic information of employees
• Requesting or disclosing medical information of employees
• Conduct that might reasonably discourage someone from opposing discrimination, filing a charge, or participating in an investigation or proceeding.

What can You do if You Believe Discrimination has Occurred?

Contact the EEOC promptly if you suspect discrimination. Do not delay, because there are strict time limits for filing a charge of discrimination (180 or 300 days, depending on where you live/work).  You can reach the EEOC in any of the following ways:

• Submit an inquiry through the EEOC’s Public Portal: https://publicportal.eeoc.gov/Portal/Login.aspx
• Call:
  1-800-669-4000 (toll free)
  1-800-669-6820(TTY)
  1-844-234-5122 (ASL Video Phone)   
• Visit an EEOC Field Office (information at eeoc.gov/field-office)
• E-Mail: [email protected]

Additional information about the EEOC, including information about filing a charge of discrimination, is available at www.eeoc.gov.

Employers Holding Federal Contracts or Subcontracts

The Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) enforces the nondiscrimination and affirmative action commitments of companies doing business with the Federal Government. If you are applying for a job with, or are an employee of, a company with a Federal contract or subcontract, you are protected under Federal law from discrimination on the following bases:

Race, Color, Religion, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, National Origin

Executive Order 11246, as amended, prohibits employment discrimination by Federal contractors based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, and requires affirmative action to ensure equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment.

Asking About, Disclosing, or Discussing Pay

Executive Order 11246, as amended, protects applicants and employees of Federal contractors from discrimination based on inquiring about, disclosing, or discussing their compensation or the compensation of other applicants or employees.

Disability

Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, protects qualified individuals with disabilities from discrimination in hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral, and other aspects of employment by Federal contractors. Disability discrimination includes not making reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual with a disability who is an applicant or employee, barring undue hardship to the employer. Section 503 also requires that Federal contractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities at all levels of employment, including the executive level.

Protected Veteran Status

The Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as amended, 38 U.S.C. 4212, prohibits employment discrimination against, and requires affirmative action to recruit, employ, and advance in employment, disabled veterans, recently separated veterans (i.e., within three years of discharge or release from active duty), active duty wartime or campaign badge veterans, or Armed Forces service medal veterans.

Retaliation

Retaliation is prohibited against a person who files a complaint of discrimination, participates in an OFCCP proceeding, or otherwise opposes discrimination by Federal contractors under these Federal laws.

Any person who believes a contractor has violated its nondiscrimination or affirmative action obligations under OFCCP’s authorities should contact immediately:

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)
U.S. Department of Labor
200 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 2021
1-800-397-6251 (toll-free)

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services. OFCCP may also be contacted by submitting a question online to OFCCP’s Help Desk at https://ofccphelpdesk.dol.gov/s/, or by calling an OFCCP regional or district office, listed in most telephone directories under U.S. Government, Department of Labor and on OFCCP’s “Contact Us” webpage at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/contact.

Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance

Race, Color, National Origin, Sex

In addition to the protections of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in programs or activities receiving Federal financial assistance. Employment discrimination is covered by Title VI if the primary objective of the financial assistance is provision of employment, or where employment discrimination causes or may cause discrimination in providing services under such programs. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs or activities which receive Federal financial assistance.

Individuals with Disabilities

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity which receives Federal financial assistance. Discrimination is prohibited in all aspects of employment against persons with disabilities who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of the job.

If you believe you have been discriminated against in a program of any institution which receives Federal financial assistance, you should immediately contact the Federal agency providing such assistance.

(Revised 10/20/2022)