Campus and Career Related Policies*
Helping students in their employment search process can sometimes raise some unexpected legal and ethical concerns. Use the NACE Guide to Ethical and Legal Standards in Student Employment to help navigate situations you might encounter. The guide isn't all encompassing. If you have questions, contact your supervisor for assistance.
The Solomon Amendment, a federal law, mandates that educational institutions receiving federal funding must fulfill military recruitment requests for access to campus and for lists containing student recruiting information. This law allows personally identifiable student information to be released to recruiters that would have been denied them under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Information available for release under this law is limited to name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, level of education, academic major, and degree received. Contact Esau Tovar, the Dean of Enrollment at tovar_esau@smc.edu for more information.
Organizations recruiting for campus ambassador positions must follow these guidelines:
- Positions must be paid an hourly wage that is minimum wage or higher
- Stipends or swag compensation will not be considered
- Any kind of promoting of products or services through social networks must be conducted on the company's business account and not through the student's personal social media account as a condition of their employment
Before you make an offer to a student athlete, contact the Athletic Director for compliance related concerns.
Multi-level (“pyramid”) organizations are not allowed to participate in any employer resources and services provided by the SMC Career Services Center.
Because the Career Services Center does not have the ability to vet companies abroad, we will not approve any company/organization located abroad to participate in our employer resources and services.
In order for a start-up company to participate in our employer resources and services, the company must have progressed significantly in their business process and can meet the following requirements:
- Provide a company name, business address, website and email address, and a principal key contact
- Not be seeking potential partners or investors
- Be able to provide the necessary business licenses and Tax IDs as well as sufficient funding, including identifying their funding model and invested, if requested
- Offer paid positions that are not "equity" based (See Compensation and Fees for more information)
- Be able to provide a clear defined description of the company and position description
Unless requested, the Career Services Center requests that employers do not send brochures or other marketing materials to be put on display in the Career Services Center or other parts of the SMC campus. We encourage employers to view Career Resources for Employers for ideas on how to connect with our students.
As the use of marijuana is illegal at the federal level and SMC receives federal funds, we must comply with federal laws. The use of marijuana violates SMC Board Policy 2430, the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act, Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988 and California Health and Safety Section 11352.79, and continues to be banned on campus. Therefore, SMC Career Services Center will not accept companies or positions involved with the use, production, testing, or distribution of recreational or medical marijuana.
The Santa Monica Community College District is committed to building an inclusive and diverse environment and maintains a comprehensive program to ensure that practice reflects these principles. By utilizing any of our Employer Resources and Services, employers are acknowledging their employment and hiring practices are consistent with SMC's prohibition again discrimination and harassment.
100% commission based positions are not eligible to be advertised through any of our Career Resources for Employers. Companies will not be allowed to advertise/market positions using a door-to-door sales model in any of our employer services and resources.
Employers will refrain from any practice that improperly influences and affects acceptances. Such practices may include undue time pressure for acceptance of offers and encouragement of revocation of another offer. Employers will strive to communicate decisions to candidates within the agreed-upon time frame.
Employers using any of our employer resources and services must follow these guidelines related to compensation/fees.
- Cryptocurrency, bitcoin, tokens, fiat or equity are not acceptable forms of payment.
- Organizations offering stipends, unpaid or volunteer positions must meet the organizational definitions and requirements that allow them to do so legally. Any positions must have the pay status clearly stated. Consult your legal counsel regarding any questions.
- Commission Sales Positions: Positions must be paid at least an hourly wage that is minimum wage or higher and be clearly stated in the job description and during the interview process.
- Recruitment for positions requiring our students to pay for equipment and training, any licensing requirement (e.g., real estate, securities, etc.), sales leads, the cost of marketing and advertising of any product, purchase of any goods, out-of-pocket non-refundable fees,etc. are not allowed and will not be approved.
- Employers may not require repayment of or reimbursement for training costs or draw on salary if the SMC student or alumni decide to leave the position for any reason.
- Postings that request donations, application fees, or investments will not be approved.
Employers may include a request for GPA information in their job description as a point of information for potential candidates. However, the Career Services Center does not verify student GPAs. In order to verify academic performance, employers may request students provide an unofficial transcript from students or alumni as part of their application documents.