Discrimination Grievance Procedure
Procedure on filing a Discrimination Complaint
A student who wishes to file a complaint about a faculty member, a staff member, or another student regarding alleged discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability, shall register such a complaint with the discrimination Compliance Officer in writing.
In any case of alleged discrimination, the discrimination Compliance Officer will assign a mediator to first attempt to resolve the complaint informally. If a resolution satisfactory to both complainant and respondent is reached within seven (7) working days, the case shall be closed and a written notice to that effect will be sent to the complainant and the respondent by the Discrimination Compliance Officer.
If no formal resolution is possible, and the complainant wishes to pursue the complaint, a grievance (in the form of a detailed written letter) must be submitted in writing to the discrimination Compliance Officer. This formal grievance must be filed within forty-five (45) working days following the alleged discriminatory act, or when the complainant first become aware of the alleged act. The discrimination Compliance Officer will assign an investigator to the case to interview all participants involved, questions possible witnesses and collect evidence. The investigator will then submit a final report on the findings to the discrimination Compliance Officer for review. If an act of discrimination is found to have occurred, the report will be submitted to the appropriate authority in charge of the respondent’s judicial procedure. It is important to note, that all judicial or grievance procedures established thorough negotiated contracts, academic grievance review committees, student disciplinary grievance boards, and any other procedures defined by contract or employer-employee agreements shall be enacted once the report is forwarded to the appropriate jurisdiction.
In cases of alleged sexual discrimination or harassment, the complaint will be forwarded to the Title IX Compliance Officer in charge of those cases; in cases of alleged discrimination based on disability, the complaint will be forwarded to the ADA Coordinator for investigation. In all cases the complaint will be dealt in a timely fashion by each aforementioned officer in the manner described above.
A final decision and resolution will be sent in writing to the complainant within thirty (30) working days of the receipt of the formal complaint by all appropriate parties.