Equity & Inclusion

E&I Committee

OCCC has created the Equity and Inclusion Committee (EIC) to create an inclusive campus climate that acknowledges and respects the community and all its diversity.  The EIC serves many roles from assessing current processes and materials, recommending new policies, and making suggestions for improvement.  The EIC committee reports to the College President and is a participating member of the College Council.

The goals of the committee are to:

• • Hold OCCC to the highest diversity, equity, and inclusion standards and to fully support all students, employees, and community members.
  • Actively promote and advocate for a positive, supportive and safe campus climate for students, faculty, staff, administration and for those in the community.
  • Make recommendations to  College Council and the President on diversity issues that affect the student experience at Oregon Coast Community College.
  • Raise awareness about the importance of creating an inclusive environment and safe space.

EIC Mission Statement:

The Equity and Inclusion Committee will assist in developing a campus whose environment is safe and inclusive for students, faculty, staff, and community members and which welcomes and promotes respect for a wide variety of human experiences. 

Participate

The EIC is open to all students, faculty, and staff to capture different perspectives and experiences.  If you would like to learn more information about joining the committee or attending a meeting, please reach out to equity@oregoncoast.edu.

Have a suggestion or issue to raise? Email us at equity@oregoncoast.edu

Native Land Acknowledgment

Oregon Coast Community College acknowledges that we reside within the ancestral homelands of the Yaquina (Yaqo’n) and Alsea (Wusi’n) Tribes, who agreed to cede their lands to the U.S by treaty in 1855. Much of their homelands, as well as parts of Siletz, Salmon River, Nestucca Bands of Tillamook, and Siuslaw territories, were established as The Siletz Reservation for the many western Oregon Tribes to move into in accordance with treaty agreements and federal policy. However, these treaties were repeatedly violated, and those lands were forcibly taken from them piece by piece, mostly without compensation. Today, those tribal descendants are represented by The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. We are honored for the opportunity to teach, learn, and work on their ancestral lands. We also recognize and appreciate the ongoing contributions they make to the community, Oregon Coast Community College, and the world.

Short version

Oregon Coast Community College acknowledges that we reside within the ancestral homelands of the Yaquina (Yaqo’n) and Alsea (Wusi’n) Tribes. Today, those tribal descendants are represented by The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. We are honored for the opportunity to teach, learn, and work on their ancestral lands. We also recognize the ongoing contributions they make to the community, Oregon Coast Community College, and the world.

Best Practices

Land acknowledgement is a movement happening in several countries (the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, etc.). Part of this movement involves a verbal acknowledgment of the traditional Indigenous inhabitants of the land at which an event or gathering is held. As just one example, all public schools in Toronto, Canada, open their day with a statement of acknowledgment, and many institutions of higher learning around the world have made it part of their practice. If you have attended meetings or lectures hosted by other colleges and universities, you may already have heard a land acknowledgment statement.

OCCC Native Land Acknowledgement Best Practices

We offer these best practices as a way to deepen a conversation around inclusion and equity. In addition, this story about Land Acknowledgements in Oregon was produced by KGW 8 News.