General Institutional Appeal Process

C. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

1. Students must direct complaints to the Vice President of Human Resources or the Vice President of Student Affairs within five working days of the alleged incident. 2. The Vice President of Human Resources or the Vice President of Student Affairs will advise students about the appropriate procedures to follow in resolving a general complaint or concern. 3. Two levels to the grievance procedure exist. Students not satisfied with results at one level should go to the next level.

D. LEVELS OF THE GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE • INFORMAL LEVEL

a. After the complaint is filed, the Vice President of Human Resources or the Vice President of Student Affairs will forward the complaint to the employee’s supervisor. b. The responsible supervisor and the College employee will meet to review the student’s complaint and a decision will be returned to the student in three working days. c. If the student is in disagreement with the decision recommended by the Vice President of Human Resources or the Vice President of Student Affairs, he/she can pursue that decision through the formal grievance procedure.

• FORMAL LEVEL

a. Grievance must be presented to the committee in writing and the committee will maintain a file of each grievance. b. No more than 14 calendar days shall pass between the time of the alleged grievance and written notification to the committee.

c. The College President’s decision will be final.

E. TIMELINES

The timelines specified in this procedure may be extended by the written consent of the complainant, the respondent, and the College president.

At the Community College of Beaver County, students have the right to appeal decisions made or policies applied where they feel errors have occurred or policies are inadequate. Student appeals are settled at the lowest possible administrative level having the authority to decide. Recognizing that no single appeals process can serve the full range of potential complaints, different departments within the college have developed specific appeals processes. This procedure mandates that students follow specific appeals procedures whenever available (See student handbook under types of appeals).

All students have the right to make appeals without fear of coercion, harassment, intimidation, or reprisal from the college or its employees. Confidentiality shall be maintained, where applicable, in all appeal proceedings in accordance with FERPA.

The following appeals process must be followed: 1. The student meets with the college employee or department to discuss the problem and attempt to arrive at a solution. The student and employee may each have an observer present if desired. Appeals must be initiated no later than 30 calendar days after the occurrence. 2. If the student wants to appeal the decision of the college employee or department, they must initiate within 14 calendar days of the meeting in step one, a written request of appeal to the Dean of Students, as required. The student should include the following information with their documentation: