Student Complaints or Concerns
Students who wish to bring a concern or complaint to the attention of the university should first approach the university employee most closely involved with the matter to seek resolution. Students are encouraged to approach such matters constructively. Students must initiate and represent their own complaints or concerns, but they may elect to have an advocate present in formal proceedings for support and advice.
Some academic decisions have articulated processes that supersede this policy including:
- Grade challenges
- Academic integrity appeals
- Academic dismissal appeals
- Academic accommodation disputes
Decisions governed by select academic program handbooks (i.e. program eligibility and progression guidelines)
A complaint may be informal or formal in nature.
Informal Complaints
An informal complaint is for informational purposes only. This can be done either verbally or in writing. If the concern or complaint is in writing, it may be submitted anonymously or signed. However, the person to whom the concern or complaint is directed is not required to respond to the student regarding action or lack of action taken.
Formal Complaints
A formal complaint seeks intended action. This complaint must be clearly defined in writing, including all relevant facts and the desired outcome, and may not be anonymous. The university employee(s) responsible for handling the complaint will provide a response to the complainant regarding the action or lack of action taken. Formal complaints will follow either the non-academic or academic complaint process.
Non-Academic Complaint Process
If, after approaching the university employee most directly associated with the concern, the issue remains unresolved, or if this step is not practical, the student may then address the matter with any executive director, any vice president, or the president of the university. The concern or complaint must be clearly defined. Once a formal concern or complaint is received, it is the responsibility of the major administrator to coordinate a response to the person lodging the complaint or concern.
Non-academic incident report forms are available from a residence director or from Campus Security.
Academic Student Complaints or Concerns
Students should first bring complaints or concerns to the attention of the university faculty member most closely involved with the concern or complaint for resolution. If the student is unable to address the faculty member or if the resolution is considered by the student to be unfair or inaccurate, the student may advance his or her concern to the department chair and then to the school dean if necessary. The unedited, formal complaint will be forwarded to the faculty member. The faculty will be given 14 days to respond before any formal action is taken. Concerns may be brought to the Provost if the issue involves the school dean.
Online students residing in Ohio may file a complaint with the Ohio Department of Higher Education, while those residing in a SARA state outside of Ohio, may appeal to the Ohio SARA Portal Entity.
Complaint Resolution
The University does not guarantee that the student who lodges the concern or complaint will be satisfied with the team member’s action. However, we do assure students that a good-faith effort will be put forth by the team member to reach a satisfactory resolution of the concern or complaint.
The University is required to keep a log of student complaints on file and make it available to its accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission; however, individual identities are shielded to assure anonymity.