Welcome to Chemeketa

Chemeketa’s Land Acknowledgement

We are gathered today on the land of the Kalapuya, who today are represented by the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians, whose relationship with this land continues to this day. We offer gratitude for the land itself, for those who have stewarded it for generations, and for the opportunity to study, learn, work, and be in community on this land. We acknowledge that our College’s history, like many others, is fundamentally tied to the first colonial developments in the Willamette Valley. Finally, we respectfully acknowledge and honor past, present, and future Indigenous students of Chemeketa Community College.

Chemeketa is your community college. It is a place where you can accomplish almost any educational goal you have in mind.

At Chemeketa, you can finish your first two years of college, take the career and technical education training you need to qualify for a job, or finish your high school education. You can also explore career paths, retain or add job skills, get professional help on how to run a business, pursue a special interest, or broaden your education.

You can pursue your educational goals in a format that fits your needs. As a full-time student, you can finish a one- or two-year program. As a part-time student, you can take the perfect amount of classes to match your
own schedule.

You can attend classes and special events on the Salem or Yamhill Valley campuses, or at the College’s Brooks, Polk County (Dallas), Eola, or Woodburn locations. We also offer classes in schools and other community
locations throughout the College district. You can even stay home and take remote, online, or hybrid classes that will fit your needs and schedule.

Whatever your goals and interests, we are committed to help you enhance the quality of your life through education.

The Meaning of Chemeketa

The name Chemeketa is a Kalapuya word meaning “place of peace.” Long before settlers came to this area, Willamette Valley Native Americans would gather at a place they called Chemeketa, today known as Salem.

There, they conducted their councils, renewed friendships, shared old ideas, and cultivated new ones. It is hoped that those who come to Chemeketa today will do just the same. The meaning of Chemeketa is illustrated on the sculptured wall panels (pictured here), which appear on Building 3 on our Salem Campus. Designed by graphic artist Arvid Orbeck, the panels symbolize the territorial divisions of the tribes and the movement of the tribes toward the established meeting place.

As the tribes move through the territorial divisions, the carved designs become less aggressive and less linear.

Softer curves start to enter into the forms, showing more peaceful attitudes. The final points of the arrow shapes become completely calm upon reaching the center, where the individual chiefs, each indicated with his own form of dress, decoration, and behavior, sit down in a formal circle for peaceful work.

Programs

Chemeketa has three areas of study:

• Career and technical education prepare you to qualify for work in specific fields. You can enroll in more than 95 career and technical training programs. In some of these, you can earn a certificate of completion in one year or less. Many programs have other certificates that credential you to work in jobs in your field while attending the College. In most programs, you can earn an Associate of Applied Science degree. It usually takes two years to meet the requirements; it may take longer if you attend part time or don’t have the prerequisite skills.
  In addition to vocational classes, Chemeketa’s career and technical education programs include general education courses. The aim of these courses is to help you become more competent in writing and mathematics and gain knowledge of the humanities, communications, sciences, and social sciences. See Associate of General Studies Degree Requirements (AGS)  for general education information.
• College transfer courses prepare you to continue your education at a four-year college or university. You can complete the one-year Oregon Transfer Module (see Oregon Transfer Module (OTM) ) or the two-year college transfer program (see Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer (AAOT) Degree Requirements ). If you successfully complete the two-year program, you can earn an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree.
  Some career and technical education programs also include courses that may be transferred for college credit. For more specific information, consult with a Chemeketa counselor or advisor or with an advisor at the four-year institution you wish to attend. Generally, transfer courses are numbered 100 or above.
• Developmental skill building classes are offered for you to learn basic reading, writing, mathematics, and study skills, finish high school, or learn English.

Chemeketa schedules classes during the day, evenings, and on weekends.

Chemeketa Community College Guiding Principles

Vision Chemeketa will be a gathering place for lifelong learning.

Mission Chemeketa transforms lives and strengthens communities through quality education, services, and workforce training.

Values

Core Themes/Promises The areas of work that express essential elements of the mission and collectively encompass our role.

Academic Quality - Quality programs, instruction, and support services are provided to students.
Access - A broad range of educational opportunities and workforce training is provided to students in pursuit of their goals.
Community Collaborations - Instruction, training, and workforce development are provided through collaboration with education partners, businesses, and community groups.
Student Success - Students progress and complete their educational goals.

Faculty

Chemeketa employs nearly 200 full-time faculty members. In general, faculty who teach college transfer courses have at least a master’s degree; some have doctoral degrees. Faculty members in career and technical programs generally have a rich background that combines education with practical, on-the-job experience. In addition, hundreds of experienced, professional, part-time faculty members teach day, evening, and weekend classes on subjects directly related to their area of expertise.

History

Chemeketa’s roots were established in 1955 when the local school district approved Salem Technical Vocational School. The Chemeketa Community College district was formed in September 1969. The College began operation on July 1, 1970.

As a public institution, most of the College’s financial support comes from local property taxes, state school support funds, tuition, and fees.

Accreditation

Chemeketa Community College is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Accreditation of an institution of higher education by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality evaluated through a peer review process. An accredited college or university is one that has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation.

Accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities applies to the institution as a whole, not to individual programs. As such, it is not a guarantee of every course or program offered, or the competence of individual graduates. Rather, it provides reasonable assurance about the quality of opportunities available to students who attend the institution.

For more information on accreditation, contact the Accreditation Liaison Officer in Building 9, Rm.104 on the Salem Campus at 503.399.6531.

Teaching and Learning Values - We Are a College That:

• Creates a learning climate of mutual respect and fairness
• Encourages creative and critical thinking
• Engages participants in an active learning process
• Facilitates learning that applies to and enriches lives
• Encourages student responsibility for learning
• Promotes learning as a lifelong process

The Teaching and Learning Values are a shared responsibility at the college and are considered in decision- and policy-making arenas. We encourage and promote these values in college programs, courses, services, and activities.

Location

Located in the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Chemeketa Community College is a non-residential public institution serving approximately 541,000 residents in a largely rural district of 2,600 square miles across three counties. Its name comes from the indigenous Kalapuya word for “place of peace” to signify the College’s role as a gathering place, where students develop new skills and knowledge, share ideas, and meet old and new friends. Established in 1969 and first accredited in 1972, Chemeketa is the second largest of Oregon’s seventeen community colleges.
 

Chemeketa’s two campuses, two regional centers, and three specialized centers serve its large district. The original and largest campus is located in Salem, the district’s most populous city and the state capitol. Yamhill Valley Campus serves McMinnville, a rural city in the district. Chemeketa Polk in Dallas and Chemeketa Woodburn provide local education and student services to other rural community centers. Chemeketa Center for Business and Industry (CCBI) in Salem, Chemeketa Eola, featuring the Northwest Wine Studies Center, and Chemeketa Brooks, a regional training center for public safety professionals, each offer specialized education and training.

Equal Opportunity is the Law

Chemeketa Community College prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, whistleblowing, genetic information, domestic abuse victim, expunged juvenile record, injured workers, protected hairstyle, political affiliation or belief, tobacco use during work hours, victims of domestic violance (sexual assualt, stalking, and/or harrassment) or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law in any area, activity or operation of the College. The College also prohibits retaliation against an individual for engaging in activity protected under this policy, and interfering with rights or privileges granted under federal, state or local laws.

Under College policies, equal opportunity for employment, admission, and participation in the College’s programs, services, and activities will be extended to all persons, and the College will promote equal opportunity and treatment through application of its policies and other College efforts designed for that purpose.

Persons having questions or concerns about Title IX, which includes gender based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual violence, interpersonal violence, and stalking, contact the Title IX coordinator at 503-584-7323, 4000 Lancaster Dr. NE, Salem, OR 97305, or http://go.chemeketa.edu/titleix. Individuals may also contact the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR), 810 3rd Avenue #750, Seattle, WA 98104, 206.607.1600.

Individuals may also contact the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR), 810 3rd Avenue #750, Seattle, WA 98104, 206-607-1600.

Persons having questions or concerns related to Equal Employment Opportunity or Affirmative Action should contact the Affirmative Action Officer at 503.399.2537, 4000 Lancaster Dr. NE, Salem OR 97305.

To request this publication in an alternative format, please call 503.399.5192.

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

It is against the law for this recipient of Federal financial assistance to discriminate on the following bases: Against any individual in the United States, on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, sex stereotyping, transgender status, and gender identity), national origin (including limited English proficiency), age, disability, or political affiliation or belief, or, against any beneficiary of, applicant to, or participant in programs financially assisted under Title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, on the basis of the individual’s citizenship status or participation in any WIOA Title I-financially assisted program or activity.

The recipient must not discriminate in any of the following areas:

Deciding who will be admitted, or have access, to any WIOA Title I-financially assisted program
or activity;

providing opportunities in, or treating any person with regard to, such a program or activity; or

making employment decisions in the administration of, or in connection with, such a program
or activity.

Recipients of federal financial assistance must take reasonable steps to ensure that communications with individuals with disabilities are as effective as communications with others. This means that, upon request and at no cost to the individual, recipients are required to provide appropriate auxiliary aids and services to qualified individuals with disabilities.

What to do if you believe you have experienced discrimination

If you think that you have been subjected to discrimination under a WIOA Title I-financially assisted program or activity, you may file a complaint within 180 days from the date of the alleged violation with either:

The recipient’s Equal Opportunity Officer (or the person whom the recipient has designated for this purpose); or

The Director, Civil Rights Center (CRC), U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room N-4123, Washington, DC 20210 or electronically as directed on the CRC Web site at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/centers-offices/civil-rights-center.

If you file your complaint with the recipient, you must wait either until the recipient issues a written Notice of Final Action, or until 90 days have passed (whichever is sooner), before filing with the Civil Rights Center (see address above).

If the recipient does not give you a written Notice of Final Action within 90 days of the day on which you filed your complaint, you may file a complaint with CRC before receiving that Notice. However, you must file your CRC complaint within 30 days of the 90-day deadline (in other words, within 120 days after the day on which you filed your complaint with the recipient).

If the recipient does give you a written Notice of Final Action on your complaint, but you are dissatisfied with the decision or resolution, you may file a complaint with CRC. You must file your CRC complaint within 30 days of the date on which you received the Notice of Final Action.

Contact person

Alice Sprague, Associate Vice President of Human Resources

alice.sprague@chemeketa.edu  •  503.399.2537

Non-Harassment Policies

College policy also prohibits unlawful harassment. Conduct relating to the protected classes listed above is prohibited when:

1. Submission to such conduct is made, either implicitly or explicitly, a term or condition of employment or academic performance; or
2. Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as a basis for employment or academic performance; or
3. Such conduct is severe or pervasive and has the purpose or effect of the following:
   • Unreasonably interfering with any individual’s work or academic performance; or
   • Creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work or academic environment.

Questions or complaints may be directed to Alice Sprague, Affirmative Action Officer, 4000 Lancaster Dr NE, P.O. Box 14007, Salem, Oregon 97309, 503.399.5009.

Sexual Harassment and Misconduct Statement

Chemeketa is also committed to providing support, resources, and accountability for reports of sexual harassment, gender based discrimination, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking. Students are encouraged to contact the Title IX Coordinator, Jon Mathis, at 503.584.7323 to file a report and may also choose to inform the Public Safety Office and/or local law enforcement.

For more information on Chemeketa’s sexual misconduct process, please visit chemeketa.edu/complaints-and-concerns/report.

Chemeketa Community College prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, whistleblowing, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law in any area, activity or operation of the College. The College also prohibits retaliation against an individual for engaging in activity protected under this policy, and interfering with rights or privileges granted under federal, state or local laws.

Under College policies, equal opportunity for employment, admission, and participation in the College’s programs, services, and activities will be extended to all persons, and the College will promote equal opportunity and treatment through application of its policies and other College efforts designed for that purpose.

Persons having questions or concerns about: Title IX, which includes gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual violence, interpersonal violence, and stalking, contact the Title IX coordinator at 503.584.7323, 4000 Lancaster Dr. NE, Salem, OR 97305, or go.chemeketa.edu/titleix. Individuals may also contact the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR), 810 3rd Avenue #750, Seattle, WA 98104, 206.607.1600.

Questions about Equal Employment Opportunity or Affirmative Action should contact the Affirmative Action Officer at 503.399.2537, 4000 Lancaster Dr NE, Salem OR 97305

To request this publication in an alternative format, please call 503.399.5192.