Student Complaint/Grievance Procedures

STUDENT COMPLAINT/GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES

Student Complaint/Grievance Procedures

It is the policy of Rockford University that students should have an accessible process to bring problems or complaints to the attention of the University for review and resolution. To that end, the University has established a process for students, without fear of reprisal, to raise concerns about a program, their learning experience or the services received in situations where a University policy or procedure specific to their concerns is not already in place.

Students are encouraged to discuss their concerns directly with the person(s) and/or office(s) involved to informally resolve the issue. If the issue is not informally resolved, the student should meet with the supervisor of the person(s) and/or office(s) involved. Most issues are resolved when one makes an appointment with a faculty or staff member and calmly and honestly communicates their concerns. If the issue is not resolved, there is a formal complaint process.

Before initiating the formal complaint process, three points must be made about the process.

1. The complaint process is not applicable to complaints covered by other already-existing University policies and/or actions.  These include, but are not limited to: grade appeals, sexual misconduct, student conduct action, etc. When necessary and appropriate, the Vice President for Student Life will assist students in identifying the applicable University policies and procedures for reporting and resolving such matters.
2. At any point in the process, a student filing a complaint will always have the option to withdraw the complaint.
3. The University strictly prohibits any member of the University community from harassing or retaliating against any student who files a complaint under this policy.

If any student wishes to file a formal complaint, s/he must submit the complaint in writing to the Vice President for Student Life. The complaint must contain the following information:

• Name, phone number, and e-mail address of the person filing the complaint. (Complaints can be submitted anonymously, however, unless you include your contact information, the University will be unable to investigate your complaint or follow up with you regarding the subject matter).
• The name(s) of the individual(s) or office against which the grievance is being alleged.
• A detailed description of the action warranting the grievance (to include how the student has been harmed or treated unfairly) and what the student believes would be a fair and equitable resolution.
• The date or period of time that the action occurred.
• A list of any other people who were either involved or witnessed the action.
• A description of what steps have been taken up to now to resolve the issue.
• Sign and date the complaint.

Upon receipt of a written formal complaint by a student, the Vice President for Student Life shall refer the complaint for investigation and resolution to the appropriate academic or administrative official (typically, a Dean, Director, or Associate Vice President, or another designated appropriate administrator). Within 5 business days of receiving the formal complaint, the Vice President for Student Life will provide the student with a status report in which the student is informed who the complaint has been referred to for investigation or why the complaint was dismissed and not referred for investigation. Formal complaints will be investigated and resolved in 20 business days from the date of referral. If the investigation exceeds 20 business days, the student will be notified in writing of the delay and informed of the anticipated completion date. The designated investigator will provide both the student and the Vice President for Student Life with written notice of the final disposition.

A copy of the complaint and a summary of the process and resolution of the complaint will be kept in the Vice President for Student Life Office for a period of eight (8) years from the date of the final resolution of the complaint.

If the complaint cannot be resolved after exhausting the student complaint/grievance process, the student may file a complaint with the Illinois Board of Higher Education using their institutional Complaint System located at http://complaints.ibhe.org/

If the complaint concerns the institution’s compliance with academic programs, academic quality and/or accrediting standards, students may submit a complaint to the Higher Learning Commission, Rockford University’s accrediting agency, at https://hlcommission.org/HLC-Institutions/complaints.html