The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 includes a number of educational tax benefits that may have an impact on students and their families. The act includes the following sections that involve the university reporting information on students to the Internal Revenue Service.

• Hope Scholarship Tax Credit (effective 1/98): a nonrefundable credit equal to a maximum of $1500 in out-of-pocket qualified tuition and fee expenses paid by or on behalf of a student for two tax years during which the student is enrolled at least half time in the first or second year of post-secondary education leading to a recognized degree or certificate.
• Lifetime Learning Credit (effective 7/98): a nonrefundable credit equal to 20 percent of the $5,000 of qualified out-of-pocket tuition and fee expenses paid by or on behalf of a student enrolled in post-secondary course work at the undergraduate or graduate level leading to a recognized degree or certificate or to improved job skills.
• Student Loan Interest Deduction (effective 1/98): a deduction from income of up to $1000 in qualified education loan interest due and paid during the first 60 months of repayment.

To find out if you qualify for benefits under these or other provisions of the Taxpayer Relief Act, please contact a tax consultant; or call the Internal Revenue Service. Beginning January 1999, information reported to the IRS was available at www.1098-T.com or 1-877-467-3821, toll free. The University of California is not authorized to respond to tax questions.

Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act

Federal Student Right-to-Know Act

The following graduation-rate information is listed in compliance with the 1990 Title I: Federal Right-to-Know Act, Section 103. Based on recent data, 48.6 percent of students who entered UCSC as freshpersons in 1999 graduated after four years, and 65.0 percent of those who entered in 1998 graduated after five years. In recent years, students who entered as freshpersons took an average of four and one-half years to graduate, and students transferring to UCSC as juniors averaged two and one-half years. These graduation rates are well above the national averages.

In accordance with the Education Amendments of 1976, Section 493A, more detailed information regarding retention is available from the Office of Planning and Budget, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064. More information is also available on the web at planning.ucsc.edu/irps.

Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act

In compliance with the federal Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act, UCSC annually notifies students, faculty, and staff of policies, procedures, and potential consequences related to unlawful possession, use, or distribution of drugs and alcohol on campus. This notice is distributed to students through the colleges and the Graduate Studies Division and to faculty and staff through campus mail. The university also conducts a biannual review of programs related to drugs and alcohol to determine effectiveness, implement changes, and ensure that disciplinary sanctions are consistently enforced. This review is conducted by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, (831) 459-4446.

Smoke-Free Policy

To protect the rights of the nonsmoking campus community to breathe smoke-free air, UCSC has adopted a Policy for a Smoke-Free Environment. This policy prohibits smoking in all indoor areas of all nonresidential public buildings on campus and in common areas such as lobbies, lounges, waiting areas, and rest rooms of residential buildings. Smoking is also prohibited in the outside areas beside all building doorways, windows, and ventilation air intakes; this includes patios underneath building windows or other areas where smoke could enter openings to buildings. For more detailed information about the smoking policy, see the web: www2.ucsc.edu/smoking. Tobacco products will not be sold on campus either through vending machines or campus establishments. UCSC supports and assists efforts to stop smoking by providing literature and referrals to community cessation programs. Students may obtain information about the programs from the Cowell Student Health Center, (831) 459-2211.

Nondiscrimination Statement

The University of California, in accordance with applicable federal and state law and university policy, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, medical condition (cancer-related), ancestry, marital status, citizenship, sexual orientation, or status as a Vietnam-era veteran or special disabled veteran. The university also prohibits sexual harassment. This nondiscrimination policy covers admissions, access, and treatment in university programs and activities.

Inquiries regarding the university’s student-related nondiscrimination policies may be directed to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs, (831) 459-4446.

Inquiries regarding UCSC’s Sex Offense Policy and Procedures for Reports of Sexual Assault(s) and Sexual Harassment and/or violations of Title IX may be directed to Rita E. Walker, Title IX coordinator/sexual harassment officer, 459-2462, or by e-mail at rew@ucsc.edu.

Inquiries regarding the university’s affirmative action, equal employment opportunity, and nondiscrimination policies for employment may be directed to the Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Office, (831) 459-2686, or by e-mail at bene@ucsc.edu.

Inquiries regarding Section 504 or the Americans with Disabilities Act may be addressed to the director, Disability Resource Center, (831) 459-2089 (voice); (831) 459-4806 (TTY); or by e-mail at drc@ucsc.edu.

Alternate formats of this document—such as large-print, audiotape, braille, or electronic file—can be provided. Please call (831) 459-4446 for referral.

Sexual Harassment and the Title IX Office

For a copy of the UCSC Sex Offense Policy and Procedures For Reports of Sexual Assault(s) and Sexual Harassment go to www2.ucsc.edu/title9-sh.

UC Santa Cruz takes the issues of sexual assault and sexual harassment seriously and is committed to ensuring that our campus community is free of violence, discrimination, and harassment.

The goal of the Title IX Office is to ensure that students, staff, faculty, and persons participating in university sponsored programs and events can learn, work, and/or enjoy the benefits and opportunities offered by the campus, free from any uninvited, unwelcome, unsolicited, and unwanted conduct directed at them because of their sex. The Title IX/SHO is authorized by the chancellor to conduct the administrative investigation of all reports of sexual assault filed by students, staff, and faculty. Additionally, the Title IX/SHO receives and resolves reports and complaints of sexual harassment.

Any person who is the target of a sex discrimination, including sexual assault and sexual harrassment, should consult with the Title IX/sexual harassment officer (831) 459-2462, or rew@ ucsc.edu, to receive information and advice about your options and/or to file a complaint.

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