Student Grievance and Complaint Procedures

Students at South Texas College have the right to file a complaint or grievance when they believe that they were unjustly or improperly treated by the College, College employees, or other students.

  1. The student complainant must first meet with a representative from the Conflict Resolution Center or a Site Coordinator to discuss the situation and determine if the issue can be resolved without initiating complaint or grievance procedures.
  2. If the issue cannot be resolved, then the representative from the Conflict Resolution Center or the Site Coordinator will determine whether the issue meets the criteria of a complaint or a grievance.  The representative from the Conflict Resolution Center or Site Coordinator may also suggest mediation as an alternative to the complaint or grievance process.
  3. The student complainant is expected to follow the appropriate procedures as outlined in this document. Any deviation by the student complainant from these approved procedures may result in dismissal of the complaint or grievance.

MEDIATION

Mediation is an informal process where a neutral third-party assists two (or more) disputants in reaching a mutually agreeable solution.

Mediation Procedures

  1. The student complainant must inform the Conflict Resolution Center or Site Coordinator that they would like to participate in mediation.
    • All parties must agree to participate in mediation.
    • Mediation must be scheduled at a time and location that is agreeable to all parties.
  2. A Certified Mediator will facilitate the meeting.  The Mediator seeks to assist the parties in developing a shared understanding of the conflict and generates options that will help the parties reach a practical and lasting solution.

COMPLAINT

Complaint Criteria

A complaint is an informal process used to resolve an issue (dissatisfaction with a procedure, policy, application of a policy or actions of an individual) through which a student’s rights were not violated.

Complaint Procedures

  1. The student complainant will first attempt to informally resolve the matter with the individual directly involved.
  2. If the student complainant is unable to resolve the matter informally they may take the complaint to:
    • If the complaint is against a college employee, the student complainant may then contact that individual's supervisor to discuss the issue.
    • If the complaint is against another student, the student complainant should contact the Director of Student Life or the Site Coordinator.
  3. The supervisor/Director of Student Life/Site Coordinator will hear the complaint and take action as appropriate.  The decision of the supervisor/Director of Student Life/Site Coordinator concludes the South Texas College approved complaint process.

 

GRIEVANCE

Grievance Criteria

A student grievance is a formal process involving written documentation.  The student complainant must demonstrate that the issue meets these criteria to file a formal grievance; otherwise the student complainant must follow the complaint procedures.

  1. There has been a violation, a misinterpretation, an arbitrary or discriminatory application of College policy, regulation, or procedure which applies personally to the student complainant or the student complainant has been discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or sexual orientation.
  2. The student complainant must cite the campus policy, procedure or practice allegedly violated and the student complainant must allege information which, if found to be true, is sufficient to support a violation of College policy, procedure or practice.
  3. The student complainant must describe the personal adverse effect caused by the alleged violation of College policy, procedure, or practice.
  4. The resolution sought by the student complainant must be reasonable given the circumstances of the grievance articulated by the student.  No grievances will be permitted with the desired resolution being a change of grade. Requests for grade changes must follow the procedures outlined in South Texas College Policy #3312 - Student Appeal of Course Grades.
  5. The student complainant must initiate the process within 90 South Texas College working days of becoming aware of the perceived injustice.

 

Grievance Procedures

  1. The student complainant should first attempt to informally resolve the matter with the individual directly involved.
  2. If the student complainant is unable to resolve the matter informally, the student complainant may then file a written formal grievance.
  3. All grievances alleging sexual harassment or discrimination by a South Texas College employee will be forwarded directly to the Office of Human Resources for investigation.
  4. Formal Grievance Procedures
    • The student complainant should submit written grievance to the Conflict Resolution Center within 10 working days of the date the incident occurred.  Grievances submitted longer than 90 working days following the date of the incident will not be accepted.
    • The Conflict Resolution Center will forward the grievance to the appropriate supervisor who will have 10 working days to investigate and provide a written response to the Conflict Resolution Center.  The investigation may consist of interviewing witnesses, and/or requiring documentation relating to the issue.
    • If the grievance is against another student, the grievance will be forwarded to the Director of Student Life who will have 10 working days to investigate and provide a written response to the Conflict Resolution Center.  The investigation may consist of interviewing witnesses, and/or requiring documentation relating to the issue.
    • A representative from the Conflict Resolution Center will review the response with the student complainant to determine if the grievance has been adequately resolved or if the student complainant wishes to continue the grievance process.
      • If the student complainant is satisfied with the response then the grievance is considered resolved
      • If the student complainant is not satisfied with the response then the Ombudsperson will forward the written grievance to the next level of supervision.
    • These procedures (steps b through d) will continue until the grievance reaches the Vice President level.
    • Should the grievance reach the Vice President level, the Vice President may choose to hear the appeal himself/herself or appoint an ad hoc committee.  The committee will consist of five disinterested persons, including student representation, from the College.  The Vice President shall designate the chairman of the committee.  The ad hoc committee will reach its decision by simple majority vote and communicate its recommendation in writing to the Vice President.  Within ten working days of the Vice President's receipt of the grievance, the Vice President will make his/her decision and notify the Conflict Resolution Center.
    • The decision of the Vice President concludes the approved South Texas College formal grievance process.
    • The Conflict Resolution Center will review the response with the student complainant and forward the response to each of the individuals involved
    • The student complainant may withdraw a grievance at any time during the grievance resolution process and in this case the matter will be concluded and deemed to be resolved. The withdrawal must be in writing to the Conflict Resolution Center.