Academic Grievance Procedure
All academic concerns may be discussed with the appropriate school official, however only the violation of a University rule, regulation or policy will be considered for formal review as stated in the Grievance Policy and all informal attempts at settling the grievance must have been attempted. To file a formal grievance, a student must follow the following steps.
Informal Process
Step one: A student must first attempt to resolve the grievance with the person responsible for the action. An appointment for discussion should be made by the student, and the student should be prepared to provide evidence for supporting the grievance. The student and person responsible should work to resolve the issue.
Step two: If the issues cannot be settled between the person responsible and the student, the student should meet with the immediate supervisor of the person. If satisfaction cannot be reached, then the student should proceed to the formal grievance process.
Formal Process
Step One: The student should prepare a written request for the Dean of the School. This request must be submitted before the completion of the term following the incident and should include the following sections:
- The date of submission
- The name of the student and his/her student ID number
- The department in which the student is enrolled
- Facts and documentation supporting the nature of the complaint
- A summary of the informal steps that have been taken, copies of any documents created during that process, and reasons why the informal process was not satisfactory
- Names of up to five witnesses to the situation and their contact information
- Suggestions for resolution
Step Two: The Dean (or his designee) will review the grievance and will affirm, deny or modify the recommendation. A response letter must be written and provided to the student within 10 class days. If the student wishes to appeal the decision of the Dean, he/she must file the grievance appeal to the Dean’s response within 10 class days of receiving the response letter.
Step Three: A hearing before the Grievance Committee is called by the Dean within 10 class days of receiving the appeal. All materials must be provided to the Committee by the student. They will hear the grievance, listen to the student and the witnesses, and forward a recommendation to the Assistant Vice President for Resources and Planning within ten class days.
Step Four: The Assistant Vice President will render a decision and will communicate that decision in writing to all entities involved in the grievance process within 10 class days. That decision will be considered final.
For students at the Arizona location: If the student complaint cannot be resolved after exhausting the Institution’s grievance procedure, the student may file a complaint with the Arizona State Board for Private Post-Secondary Education. The student must Contact the State Board for further details.
The State Board address is:
1740 W. Adams Street, #3008
Phoenix, AZ 85007.
Phone: 602/542-5709
Website: www.azppse.gov