Safeguarding Students
Maitripa College is committed to the safety and protection of all who attend classes and programs here, or who interact with us in any way. In order to ensure an environment of safety for all, Maitripa College personnel and students abide by a code of conduct under the general label of “safeguarding,” which is inclusive of specific policies, procedures, and protocols intended to keep all of us safe, and intended to provide clarity on recourse should a complaint arise.
Safeguarding is about doing everything we can to make sure all of our students and staff are kept safe and protected from harm. The government provides statutory guidance to colleges on what they need to do to achieve this. We adhere to all guidance through our policies and we pride ourselves on going above and beyond to make Maitripa College a safe, joyful, and nourishing environment for all. The Maitripa College culture is one that values kindness, compassion, and respect for all perspectives and ways of life. As we are committed to the ethics of non-harm, we emphasize a strong reliance on a personal ethics practice, which begins with refraining from harming other beings through avoiding the five basic types of harm:
- Refraining from taking life
- Refraining from taking what is not given
- Refraining from sexual misconduct
- Refraining from false speech
- Refraining from indulging in intoxicants
Our policies cover and relate to activities and events at Maitripa College only, and include the following:
- Anti-discrimination (in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964)
- Anti-harassment and anti-misconduct (including sexual and sexual misconduct) (in accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972)
- The needs of students with medical conditions (in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973)
- Age discrimination (in accordance with the Age Discrimination Act of 1975)
- Health and safety (COVID)
- Bullying, including cyber-bullying
- First Aid
- Drug and substance misuse
- Grievance policies and procedure
Please see the Maitripa College Catalog for these explicit policies, and our Designated Protection Person information and Grievance Procedures for more information about how and where to report concerns.
Maitripa College has the resources and knowledge to support students in their spiritual development while connected to our community. However, some of the issues that may arise for students, faculty, or staff individually may be beyond the scope of what we can reasonably address at Maitripa College. If that is the case, we will refer you to trusted resources.
Students should attempt to resolve any grievances they may have with their school first. Should attempts to resolve these problems with appropriate school officials fail, or should the student be dissatisfied with the final outcome of the college complaint process, then the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC), can respond to a formal complaint. Students may contact the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, 3225 25th St. SE, Salem, OR 97302 or by sending an email to complaints@hecc.oregon.gov. Students may also access our complaints web page.
