Equity and Inclusion

Statement of Purpose

Purpose: To create a culture of inclusion at the University of Maine at Machias that embraces diversity, encourages open dialogue and makes all members of the UMaine Machias community feel safe and empowered.

Mission: 

  • Provide campus wide programming that represents a wide variety of experiences and support student organizations in planning and executing their own programming
  • Provide trainings to staff, faculty and students around topics of diversity, equity and inclusion
  • Create safe spaces where members of the UMaine Machias community from diverse backgrounds can engage in open dialogue
  • Support students, staff and faculty that come from underrepresented groups
  • Build a community that encourages students to be active bystanders

Diversity at UMM

Vision Statement on the Role of Diversity in Higher Education

Our vision of diversity is that of a resource that invigorates the learning process and energizes the campus community being mindful that it can be a source of misunderstandings and wasted potential. Diversity is the tie that binds, linking together the curricular and the extracurricular, the individual and the collective, and one group to another. Diversity also underscores the need to examine, reaffirm, and cultivate certain individual and institutional values. Experience has shown that diversity initiatives are most likely to succeed in environments characterized by strongly shared values, including the value of academic excellence, civic responsibility, self-respect and good will towards members of the campus community. Diversity invigorates the two major types of learning that take place in the university: academic learning that occurs in the classroom and interpersonal learning that takes place outside the classroom in sites like residence halls and the library.

Reporting An Incident

If you need to speak with a professional about a concern or an incident that you are aware of, please do not hesitate to do so. We are here for you!

The University of Maine at Machias is committed to maintaining a respectful, fair campus environment, free from discrimination, including discriminatory harassment. The goal of the university is to prevent discrimination from occurring and to provide an effective means of raising and promptly resolving complaints.

The university offers internal complaint procedures to resolve concerns of discrimination or harassment on account of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, including transgender status or gender expression, national origin or citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status. These issues may be raised by faculty, staff, students, or members of the community.

Retaliation for bringing a complaint of discrimination or participating in an investigation into such concerns is prohibited.

Complaints against faculty or staff or challenges to a university practice

If a faculty, staff, or student believes that they are being discriminated against and the concern involves actions by a faculty, staff member, or the issue relates to a university practice, the complaint may be resolved using the University of Maine System Equal Opportunity Complaint Procedure. This procedure provides for both informal and formal complaint resolution mechanisms.

You may also request an investigation online.

Make sure to check out our Equal Opportunity or Title IX pages for even more information relating to this area.

Complaints against students

If a faculty, staff or student believes that they are being discriminated against and the concern involves actions by a student, the University of Maine System Equal Opportunity Complaint Procedure provides that formal complaints are resolved through the University of Maine’s Student Conduct Code process. Such conduct may be reported to the University of Maine at Machias’s Title IX Coordinator.

Resources

On Campus

Office of Student Life

The Office of Student Life includes the Director of Student Life, Assistant Director of Campus Life, Assistant Director of Aquatics, Mental Health Counselor, and Residence Life Coordinator. These professional staff members can act as resources for information about UMaine Machias and our commitment to equity and inclusion. You can reach the Office at 207.255.1320.

Documentation, International Students, Matriculation as an Undocumented Student

If you have any questions that relate to attending UMaine Machias as an undocumented student, international status, or documentation in general, please feel free to contact our Admissions Office.

Student Organizations

100% Society – Advocating awareness and acceptance of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and other groups, UMaine Machias’ 100% Society is a student organization that supports students and local community members who belong to a gender / sexual minority or have friends or family members who do. UMaine Machias’ Student Senate and Office of Student Engagement & Inclusion provide support for the 100% Society. Check them out here on the Student Organizations page!

Contact Information

If you have any questions, would like to provide feedback, have an event idea or have general comments, please feel free to contact the Office of Student Life at 207.255.1320.