Home > Student Policy Documents > Student Complaint Policy

Student Complaint Policy

Student Complaint Policy (Regarding Faculty)

This document is a summary of the student complaint procedures approved for the colleges of the Kern Community College District by the District Board of Trustees. For a complete copy of these procedures, please contact the Office of Student Learning at the Indian Wells Valley campus or call 760-384-6201.

The Student Complaint Procedures are established so that students can resolve difficulties or problems encountered in College-related activities. Student complaints are taken seriously. Therefore, they must be of a compelling, substantive, and verifiable nature.
Repeated filings of the same complaint, filings of a frivolous nature, or capricious complaints against school personnel will be considered abuse of the student complaint process and such filings will be referred to the College President.

The Student Complaint Procedures detailed below apply to

• Assignment of grades
• Course Content
• Access to classes
• Verbal or physical abuse by faculty.
• Faculty Member refusal to confer with student(s)
• Harassment

These procedures do not apply to student complaints which involve:

• Student code of conduct issues
• Discrimination
• Sexual Harassment

At Cerro Coso Community College, the Office of the Vice President of Student Learning will receive student complaints and handle student code of conduct issues. The Vice President of Student Services will handle discrimination and sexual harassment complaints.

Any party to a complaint may be represented by one person on the College staff or student body.

Filing of complaints against any party is a serious undertaking. Prior to filing a written complaint the student should attempt to resolve the issue by contacting the staff member involved either in person, by telephone, email or in writing. If this contact is not feasible or does not solve the difficulty, the student should proceed with initiating a Level I action.

Please note: Notices sent to the last address available in the records of the College and deposited in the United States mail, postage prepaid, shall be presumed to have been received and read. Keep your address current!

Level I

The student should contact the office of the faculty member’s Faculty Chair, putting his or her complaint in writing. At the time of contact, the student will be given an appointment to meet with the Faculty Chair, which will be within ten instructional days.

At the time of the appointment, the student and the Faculty Chair will attempt to resolve the issue in a satisfactory manner. If the complaint remains unresolved, the supervisor shall meet and confer with the staff member within five instructional days. If a resolution is agreed upon that is acceptable to the complainant, the Faculty Chair shall put the resolution in writing and submit copies to the complainant and faculty member and maintain an original in the Office of Student Learning.

If the Faculty Chair does not resolve the complaint to the complainant’s satisfaction, the complainant may, within ten instructional days of the decision, file with the appropriate administrator a request to move the complaint to Level II.

Level II

If the complainant chooses to move the complaint to Level II, he or she must submit the complaint in writing and justification for not accepting the resolution provided in Level I.

Within fifteen instructional days of receiving the request, the appropriate area administrator shall investigate the allegations and convene a conference of the student, the faculty member, and the Faculty Chair. The student bringing the complaint and the faculty member being complained against must be present at this conference. At this meeting, an attempt will be made to resolve the issues and agree upon a remedy.

If the complainant fails to appear for this conference, except for good cause, the Level II complaint process shall be terminated, and the complainant shall have no further recourse. Following this Level II conference, the administrator shall, within five instructional days, provide a written decision and the basis for the decision. Copies of this decision shall be sent to the student, the faculty member, and the Faculty Chair, and the appropriate Vice President.

The student bringing the complaint and/or staff member being grieved against may challenge the Level II decision by proceeding to Level III.

Level III

If the student and/or the staff member challenges the Level II decision, he or she must submit in writing a request to Appeal the Level II recommendation providing the justification for not accepting the Level II recommendation within ten instructional days of notification of the Level II decision.

The purpose of Level III is to make one last attempt to resolve the issues to the satisfaction of the parties involved. To that end, the Level III administrator (which at Cerro Coso may be a Vice President. College President or designee) shall, within five instructional days of receiving the referral assemble the complainant, the faculty member, the Faculty Chair, and the appropriate administrator from Level II. If the complainant fails to appear for this conference, except for good cause, the complaint process shall be terminated, and the complainant shall have no further recourse.

If the Level III Administrator is able to resolve the complaints, such resolution shall be established in written form and shall be validated by the signatures of all parties involved. This agreement shall become part of the file and copies of same shall be made available to the complainant(s), faculty member(s), Faculty Chair, appropriate administrator or designee.

If the complaint remains unresolved, a Hearing Panel shall be convened within ten instructional days of that determination.

Level IV

Composition of Committee & Hearing Panel

The composition of the grievance committee shall be composed of eight (8) members. Members shall be appointed each August as follows: two (2) administrators-appointed by the college President; two (2) faculty members-appointed by the Academic Senate President; two (2) students appointed by the Associated Student Body President; and two (2) classified staff members appointed by the CSEA or Classified Senate President. The non-voting Chair of the Hearing Panel, (not a Standing Committee member) shall be appointed by the College President.

For more information about the Student Complaint Hearing Panel – including composition of the panel, procedures, guidelines, and confidentiality of records – please contact the Office of Student Learning.
 

Top

 
Home | Campus Map | Contact Us | Directory | Search | Sitemap | About this website | Alternative Media
All Content © 2007 Cerro Coso Community College | Kern Community College District | Disclaimer | Giving to CCCC

Last updated October 19, 2004