Procedures for Student Grievances or Complaints

The official university policy for student grievances or complaints is listed in the Student Handbook, available online at http://www.georgian.edu/publications/. The guidance offered below is related to how the grievance is managed by the university systems and by key offices and functions.

Stakeholders

• Academic Standards Committee
• Title IX Task Force
• Office of Financial Aid
• Office of Public Safety
• Office of Student Life
• Provost Council
• Office of Student Accounts
• Office of the Registrar
• Office of Residence Life
• Faculty Advisors & Department Chairs

Guidance

A student makes a complaint to an office or university official about any number of matters. The university official will refer the student to the appropriate policy for the type of matter and ask the student to follow the policy. In matters where the university official is unclear on the appropriate policy, the student will be referred to the associate vice president for student retention and registrar. As a general reference, students should be referred to the office/person that manages the area of complaint (financial aid issue to the director of financial aid, grading issue to the instructor, etc.).

Student grievances submitted anonymously will be addressed by the appropriate official; however, the ability to resolve the matter completely may be obstructed by the limited information shared by the student.

Phase 1: Grievance Record

The university attempts to maintain a record of the number and type of grievances reported by students. After each semester, office managers will collect a list of grievances and outcomes reported through the semester and submit them to the associate vice president for student retention and registrar. The list will be collected and annotated into a bi-annual report for the purpose of looking for systemic complaints and grievances that can be addressed. This report of all grievances (not including student names or identifiers) will be reviewed each semester by the Provost Council for consideration of process and policy improvements and changes. The report includes type of grievance, area of concern, the governing regulation/policy, and general outcome.

Phase 2: Adjustment of Policy or Procedure

When there is policy or procedure identified as needing review due to a student grievance, the associate vice president for student retention and registrar and the provost, in collaboration, will suggest that a review of the policy or procedure be conducted by the appropriate committee. For example, an academic policy for grading and/or degree earning will be submitted to the Academic Standards Committee, a policy related to residence life would be referred to the Office of the Dean of Students, and a policy for gender-based discrimination would be referred to the Title IX Task Force.