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G-28-0.15 Definition of Terms

Revised: 12/18/2025

The following definitions are used in COCC’s Nondiscrimination, Sexual Misconduct and Title IX policies and procedures.

  • Advisor of Choice: A person chosen by either the reporting or responding parties or by COCC to accompany the parties to an activity related to the report. The role of the advisor is to advise individuals on the Title IX process and conduct cross-examination in Title IX hearings.

  • Complaint: A document submitted or signed by the complainant or Title IX staff alleging that a respondent engaged in conduct that violates a Title IX policy and requesting that COCC investigate the allegation.

  • Complainant: The person who experienced potential violations of COCC’s Title IX policy. The term “complainant” applies to Title IX incidents only and is in compliance with federal law.

  • Dating Violence: Violence and abuse committed by a person to exert power and control over a current or former dating partner. Dating violence often involves a pattern of escalating violence and abuse over a period of time. Dating violence covers a variety of actions, and can include physical abuse and psychological or emotional abuse, and sexual abuse. It can also include “digital abuse”, or rather, the use of technology to intimidate, harass, threaten, or isolate a victim. For a full definition of dating violence, see the Violence Against Women Act.

  • Domestic Violence: A pattern of abusive behavior in a relationship that is used by one partner to maintain power and control over another current or former intimate partner. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behavior that intimidates, manipulates, humiliates, isolates, frightens, terrorizes, coerces, threatens, hurts, injures, or wounds someone. For a full definition of domestic violence, see the Violence Against Women Act.

  • Education Program or Activity: Locations, event or circumstances where COCC exercises substantial control over both the respondent and the context in which the sexual misconduct or discrimination occurs; this also includes any building owned or controlled by a student organization that is officially recognized by COCC. Note that this definition applies to Title IX only and that Oregon law may include incidents that take place between COCC-affiliated parties at an off-campus location not controlled by the institution.

  • Finding: A conclusion by the preponderance of evidence standard that the alleged conduct occurred and whether violated Title IX policy.

  • Hearings Officer/Decision-Makers: Personnel who have decision-making and sanction or remedy authority for COCC’s nondiscrimination, Title IX and sexual misconduct processes.

  • Investigator: Personnel charged by COCC with gathering facts about an alleged violation of COCC’s nondiscrimination, Title IX or sexual misconduct policies, assessing relevance of information presented, synthesizing evidence, and compiling information into an investigation report.

  • Notice: Notice occurs when an employee, student, or third party informs Title IX staff or other Official with Authority that conduct potentially violates COCC’s Title IX or sexual misconduct policies.

  • Official with Authority (OWA): A COCC employee with responsibility for managing COCC’s discrimination, Title IX or sexual misconduct policies and procedures, as well as those individuals with assigned to be hearings officers/decision makers. COCC OWA are the Vice President of Student Affairs/Title IX Coordinator, Deputy Title IX Coordinator, Vice President of People and Technology, and Dean of Student Engagement.

  • Protected Class: Includes age, disability, sex, marital status, national origin, ethnicity, color, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, citizenship status, veteran or military status, pregnancy or parenting status, or any other classes protected under federal and state statutes in any education program, activities or employment.
  • Quid pro quo: Quid pro quo sexual harassment is when a person in a position of authority demands or requests unwelcome sexual favors or conduct in exchange for an educational or employment benefit, or to avoid a negative educational or employment consequence. 
  • Reasonable Person: Viewing the circumstances from the perspective of a reasonable person in the same or similar circumstances, including the context in which the alleged incident occurred and any similar, previous patterns that may have occurred.

  • Remedy: Actions taken by COCC after a decision to address the safety of the complainant/reporting party and/or community to prevent future conduct that violates COCC’s discrimination, Title IX or the sexual misconduct policy and to restore access to education programs or activities or the workplace.

  • Respondent/Responsible Party: A person alleged to have engaged in conduct that violates COCC’s Title IX or sexual misconduct policies.

  • Responsible Employees: Responsible employees must report incidents of discrimination, Title IX or sexual misconduct to the College’s Title IX staff should they be made aware of or have reasonably known about a sexual misconduct incident. All employees are considered responsible employees, with the exception of mental health counselors.

  • Sanction: A consequence imposed by COCC on a respondent who is found responsible for violating discrimination, Title IX or sexual misconduct policies.

  • Sexual Assault: Any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without consent of the recipient. Sexual assault includes sexual activity such as forced sexual intercourse, sodomy, molestation, incest, fondling, and attempted rape. It includes sexual acts against people who are unable to consent either due to age or lack of capacity. For a full definition of sexual assault, see the Violence Against Women Act.

  • Sexual Harassment: Under Title IX, sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that is considered so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person(s) equal access to an education program or activity, as defined under the reasonable person standard. Under state of Oregon law, sexual harassment is defined as severe, pervasive, or objectively offensive. In either case, it includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, nonverbal, or physical conduct of a sexual nature and may come in the form of a hostile or intimidating environment or quid pro quo. It also includes all instances of sexual assault, dating or domestic violence or stalking.

  • Stalking: Pattern of repeated and unwanted attention, harassment, contact, or any other course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear. Stalking can include frightening communications, direct or indirect threats, and harassing a victim through the internet, social media, or other forms or technology. For a full definition of stalking, see the Violence Against Women Act.

  • Supporting Party:  Reporting or responding parties may bring a support person to any aspect of the informal or formal discrimination or sexual misconduct processes. In all cases, the supporting party should not have information that may inform the investigation, but instead, attends solely in a supportive role. The support person is not permitted to speak during the meetings associated with this process. This allows the reporting party to best share their experience using their own words.

  • Title IX Coordinator: An official or officials designated by COCC to ensure compliance with Title IX and COCC’s Title IX program.