Student Complaints
The state must have a process to review and appropriately act on complaints concerning the institution. What process has your institution put in place to resolve student complaints?
Students are given instructions on filing a grievance against the school during the enrollment process. The grievance policy is outlined in student handbooks as well.
Erica,
Once a student brings a grievance to your attention what is your organizations next steps?
Cindy Bryant, Facilitator
Complaints tend to go through a chain of command but come through at a campus level and then proceed on to our administration at the corporate level if need be.
Both Student and the School recognize and agree that any dispute which may arise between Student and the School should be resolved as quickly and as amicably as possible. Accordingly, the following procedure shall apply to the resolution of any dispute arising out of or in any way related to this Agreement, any amendments or addenda hereto, or the subject matter hereof, including any tort or contract claim (individually and collectively, the “Disputeâ€):
(1) The parties shall make an initial attempt, in good faith, to resolve the Dispute in accordance with the School’s Student Complaint/Grievance Procedure.
(2) If the Dispute cannot be resolved through the Student Complaint/Grievance Procedure, then the Dispute will be resolved by binding arbitration between the parties.
Arbitration is the referral of a dispute to one or more impartial persons for a final and binding determination and is designed for a quick, practical and inexpensive resolution of claims. Both Student and the School agree that this Agreement involves interstate commerce and that the enforceability of this Resolution of Disputes section will be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §1-9 (“FAAâ€). The arbitration between Student and the School will be conducted in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association subject to the following modifications:
(a) The arbitration will be conducted before a single arbitrator who will be experienced in the resolution of commercial disputes.
(b) The site of the arbitration will be the city of Indianapolis.
(c) The substantive law which will govern the interpretation of this Agreement and the resolution of any Dispute will be the law of the state where the School is located.
(d) The parties may take discovery through interrogatories, depositions and requests for production that the arbitrator determines to be necessary.
(e) In making an award the arbitrator will not have jurisdiction to award to any party in the arbitration (i) consequential or punitive (ii) costs or (iii) expert witness or attorneys’ fees; provided, however, if the enforceability of any of these restrictions on jurisdiction is limited by the applicable substantive law, that restriction will only be enforced to the extent permitted by such law.
(f) The prevailing party in any of the following matters (without regard to Paragraph (e)) will be entitled to recover its reasonable attorneys’ fees incurred in connection with such matters: (i) any motion which any party
is required to make in the courts to compel arbitration of a dispute; or (ii) any appeal of an arbitration award, whether to the arbitrator or the courts, for the purpose of vacating, modifying or correcting the award
(g) All aspects of the arbitration proceeding, and any ruling, decision or award by the arbitrator, will be strictly confidential. The parties will have the right to seek relief in the appropriate court to prevent any actual or threatened breach of his provision.
For students attending a campus in the state of Ohio, all student complaints should be first directed to the school personnel involved. If no resolution is forthcoming, a written complaint shall be submitted to the director of the school. Whether or not the problem or complaint has been resolved to his/her satisfaction by the school, the student may direct any problem or complaint to the Executive Director, State Board of Career Colleges and Schools, 35 East Gay Street, Suite 403, Columbus, Ohio, 43215, Phone 614-466-2572; toll free 877-275-4219. Students attending a campus in the state of Indiana can also contact the Indiana Commission on Proprietary Education, 302 W. Washington Street, Room E201, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46204-2767.
Our institution follows the guidelines and standards of both our national accreditor and state regulatory agency. Our process begins with providing the student with the steps to take, beginning with the faculty, and ongoing directly to the corporate level if no satisfaction is provided. Additionally, we require both the campus and corporate office to document all student complaints and their final resolution.
Jeremy, this is very similar to what we provide our students with in California as well. Interesting to see how alike we may be in our handling of student issues.
The student is provided several outlets for complaints or issues. If the student is unsure there are several contacts to find this information. Student handbook, staff, SAS, etc. Depending on the issue, the student should report through the proper channel.
Hi Donna,
If you want to be able to deal effectively with complaints it is essential that you and your students understand the process.
Students need to understand that it is alright to have a concern or complaint as long as they are voicing their concern appropriately. Many schools inform the student of the process but not how to approach the process.
Resolving complaints is easy when trust exists. Yet many efforts at resolving complaints fail for one primary reason, namely fear. When our natural fear of losing something or not getting something we want takes over our brain, our ability to understand another person's perspective usually goes out the window
Cindy Bryant, Facilitator
Mindy,
Once these reach the corporate level how are they handled?
Cindy Bryant, Facilitator
Curtis,
It's great that your school has several means for reporting concerns. As you know students are usually intimidated by formal processes and have to be directed (hand held) at times.
Cindy Bryant, Facilitator
Jeremy,
WOW! This process is very detailed and thorough. How is this process communicated to the student in "layman" terms?
Cindy Bryant, Facilitator
This is the language that is provided via our Enrollment Agreement. Program Specialists are available for questions while the students complete the form.
Jeremy,
Thank you for sharing such important information. I am still unclear on how the students feel about the language and whether or not the inderstand the process. Sometimes admissions representatives point out the regulatory jargon but are very good at helping the student understand the information thoroughly.
Cindy Bryant
We are a growing school and we take complaints seriously and as a campus administrative i think it is vital for the success of students and overall as a school. So we have devised various ways to do this.
1. Suggestion box
2. Anonymous classroom surveys from students
3. We do have procedure set in the catalog set in regards to the person to contact and then steps o take from there.
4. According to the state regulation and our institutional accredited we have the readily made available the sate regulatory and accreditor contact information in catalog and on posting on campus.
Do have any other suggestion?
Mallik,
It sounds as if you have every dimension covered in regards to complaints-the only thing that you didn't mention was an open door policy which allows the students the opportunity to approach the management team with concerns.
Cindy Bryant
It is so much part of our day to day operation, i don't know how i forgot about it. Anyway that would be my first on the list.
Mallik,
Thank you for your quick response and posting in the forums.
Cindy Bryant
Our program is within a community college so we follow a common complaint procedure with all state colleges. Complaints are usually resolved at the first level ( see complete policy below) through informal discussion between the parties that any or may not be facilitated by a faculty or administration member. Rarely the rest of the very formal policy is used. In our program we emphasize professionalism and honesty from the beginning and incorporate a class on active listening and objective responding in the first week of the program. We try hard to foster respect for diversity in hopes of avoiding conflict.
Our published policy is below:
Level One - Informal Procedure
This is the informal stage where most complaints are resolved. The Grievant and the Responding Party should consult with the Student Grievance Officer at this time.
A student grievant initiates the informal phase of the grievance process. The grievant shall first present his/her complaint orally and informally to the Responding Party within thirty (30) calendar days following the instructional period when the grievant knew or should have known of the grievable act or inaction.
The Responding Party must respond to the Grievant's complaint within ten (10) days.
LEVEL TWO - FORMAL PROCEDURE
Prior to filing a written grievance at Level Two, a Grievant must consult with the Student Grievance Officer. The Responding Party should also consult with the Student Grievance Officer at this phase of the process.
L2 - Step One
The Student Grievance Officer shall notify the parties in writing when a complaint is not resolved informally at Level One.
The Grievant may, within ten (10) calendar days after receipt of the Student Grievance Officer's written notice, file with the Student Grievance Officer a formal written grievance. The Student Grievance Officer shall deliver the grievance, and all supporting documents, if any, to the Responding Party within five (5) calendar days. If the Responding Party is unavailable at the time the grievance is filed, the Student Grievance Officer shall use reasonable means to deliver the grievance within a reasonable period of time.
The Responding Party shall forward a written response to the Student Grievance Officer within ten days of his/her receipt of the grievance. The Student Grievance Officer shall deliver the written response to the Grievant within five days of receipt.
L2 - Step Two (Supervisor Level)
If the grievance is not resolved to the satisfaction of the Grievant within ten days after his/her receipt of the Step One response, or if no written response is submitted, the Grievant may within ten (10) calendar days after the written response was received or due, request the Student Grievance Officer to forward the written grievance and response, if any, to the supervisor of the Responding Party, with a copy to the Senior Officer of the work area of the Responding Party.
The supervisor shall investigate the grievance and confer with the Senior Officer. The supervisor shall forward his/her written decision to the Student Grievance Officer, within ten days after receipt of the Step Two grievance. Thereafter, the Student Grievance Officer shall deliver the decision to the Grievant and the Responding Party within five days.
At any time before the issuance of the Supervisor's Step Two decision, the Senior Officer may request that the parties meet to discuss the issue and attempt to resolve it.
L2 - Step Three (Student Grievance Committee Level)
If the grievance is not resolved to the satisfaction of the Grievant within the period allowed at Level Two - Step Two, the Grievant may request a hearing before a Student Grievance Committee. Such a request must be in writing and presented to the Student Grievance Officer within ten days from the issuance of the Supervisor's Level Two - Step Two decision.
Within ten days of the Student Grievance Officer's receipt of the Grievant's request for a hearing, the Student Grievance Officer shall arrange a hearing before a Student Grievance Committee. The Committee shall deliver its findings and recommendations to the Student Grievance Officer within ten calendar days following the hearing. A copy of the Committee's findings and recommendations shall be delivered to the Grievant, the Responding Party, and the President or his/her designee, within five calendar days of receipt.
Within ten days of the President's receipt of the Committee's findings and recommendations, the President or his/her designee, shall issue a written statement accepting, modifying or rejecting the Committee's recommendations.
The decision of the President, or his/her designee, shall be final and binding on all parties.
Bernadette,
You have a provided an incredibly detailed explanation on how your campus handles student complaints. No doubt that this area is covered.
Cindy Bryant
