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STUDENT COMPLAINT
PROCEDURES
Introduction
The complaint
procedure is designed to assist students who have perception
of unfair and/or unlawful treatment. A student is defined
as any person enrolled full or part-time in credit or
non-credit courses at the College. A complaint of unfair
and/or unlawful treatment formally charged by a student
against a College employee, in regard to the application
of College rules, policies, procedures, and regulations,
should be resolved without initiating the formal procedure,
if at all possible. This procedure does not supersede
the policies set forth for grievances of discrimination,
harassment, or grade appeals. Access to these policies
is listed at the end of this document.
Please note that it is generally beneficial to the student
to discuss the problem with College personnel prior to
filing a formal complaint. College personnel are available
to advise students. Students should not hesitate to contact
a faculty member, counselor, or any other College staff
person.
Procedure
LEVEL 1
A complaint should
be raised and resolved as quickly as possible. Within
fifteen (15) business days following either the event
which preceded the complaint, or within fifteen (15) business
days of the time when the student reasonably should have
gained knowledge of the issue, the College employee involved
should be contacted by the student. A business day is
defined as a Monday through Friday when the College is
open. An attempt should be made to resolve the complaint
informally.
The first step is for the student to meet with the College
employee involved. If the matter cannot be resolved, the
student may file a written complaint within ten (10) business
days following the verbal response from the College employee
involved. The written complaint should be presented to
the employee with notification of complaint being forwarded
to the employee's supervisor. The written complaint should
contain the following:
- A complete description of the complaint;
- any supporting documents; and,
- the redress (desired outcome) sought.
An entire set
of records should be assembled and maintained by the student.
The person receiving the written complaint has ten (10)
business days to reply to the student in writing.
LEVEL 2
If the student
is not satisfied with the written response from the employee,
he or she may appeal it to the appropriate supervisor
within ten (10) business days. The student should forward
copies of all correspondence and relevant documents from
LEVEL 1, along with a cover letter, to the supervisor.
The supervisor has ten (10) business days to adjudicate
the matter and reply in writing to the student.
LEVEL 3
If the student
is not satisfied with the written response from LEVEL
2, he or she may appeal to the appropriate Dean. This
appeal must be made within ten (10) business days after
the reply from LEVEL 2. The student should forward copies
of all correspondence and relevant documents from LEVELS
1 and 2, along with a cover letter, to the Dean. The Dean
has ten (10) business days to adjudicate the matter and
reply in writing to the student.
LEVEL 4
If the student
is not satisfied with the Dean's response, he or she may
appeal to the College President within ten (10) business
days after the reply from LEVEL 3. The student should
forward copies of all correspondence and documentation
from LEVELS 1, 2, and 3, along with a cover letter, to
the President. The President will discuss the complaint
with all concerned parties and adjudicate the issue within
ten (10) business days after receipt of the correspondence.
This decision will be final.
General Guidelines
The student filing
a complaint may be accompanied by an advisor or representative
of his/her choice and at the student's expense at any
level of the procedure. The student may not be represented
in these discussions by an attorney-at-law without prior
written approval and Kentucky Community & Technical
College System legal council also present.
Revision of the deadlines for filing appeals and providing
written responses may be made due to extenuating circumstances
such as vacations, examinations, or illnesses. If the
deadlines are changed by either party, the respective
employee should inform the student of the receipt of the
complaint and give an estimated date of the final reply.
Copies of the Dean's decision will be sent to the appropriate
College employees at LEVELS 1 and 2, and to the President.
For formal grievance procedures involving
alleged discrimination or harassment, students should
refer to the following websites:
http://www.kctcs.edu/employee/policies/volumeII/volII6-6.pdf
http://www.kctcs.edu/student/sexualharassmentstudents.pdf
The Student Code of Conduct may be
accessed at the following website:
http://www.kctcs.edu/student/code.htm
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