OAR 715-011-0005: Definitions

For the purposes of this rule, unless otherwise indicated by context: (1) Commission means the Higher Education Coordinating Commission or its designee. (2) Career schools are those that are licensed under ORS Chapter 345 and: (a) Admit as regular students, or maintain as a majority of their enrollment, those students who have earned a recognized high school diploma, the equivalent of a recognized high school diploma, or a GED certificate, or who are beyond the age of compulsory education in the State of Oregon; and (b) Are authorized by the Commission to offer one or more educational programs beyond secondary education. (3) Discrimination or discriminate is defined as any act that unreasonably differentiates treatment, intended or unintended, or any act that is fair in form but discriminatory in operation, either of which is based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, veterans’ status, sexual orientation, or marital status. (4) Post-secondary education programs include: (a) Community colleges operated under ORS Chapter 341; and (b) Public universities listed in ORS 352.002. (c) The Oregon Health Sciences University (5) Private non-profit colleges and universities are schools or their separately accredited campuses that: (a) Have conferred degrees in this state under the same control for at least ten consecutive years; and (b) Are accredited by a regional accrediting association or its national successor. (6) Private colleges or universities include: (a) Private independent colleges and universities; and (b) Private schools, colleges or universities that are otherwise authorized by the Commission to offer degrees in Oregon under ORS 350.075(3)(i). (7) (a) Prohibited discrimination m eans any act that either in form or operation, whether intended or unintended, differentiates among persons on the basis of age, veterans’ status disability, national origin, race, color, marital status, religion, sex or sexual orientation. (b)The definition of discrimination is applicable to post-secondary programs that receive direct appropriations from the Legislative Assembly and private career schools licensed under ORS 345.010 to 345.450. (8) Retaliation means suspension, expulsion, disenrollment, grade reduction, denial of academic or employment opportunities, exclusion from academic or extracurricular activities, denial of access to transcripts, threats, harassment or other adverse action that substantially disadvantages a student in academic, employment or extracurricular activities. (9) Student means a person who is enrolled or accepted for enrollment at a school for the purpose of obtaining a degree, certificate or other recognized educational credential offered by that school.