Students who feel aggrieved in their relationships with the University, its policies, its practices and procedures, or its faculty and staff should submit their grievance in writing to the responsible administrator (Academic Dean or Personnel Director or Students and Alumni Services Coordinator, Compliance Officer), who will act upon it or direct it to the Hearing Committee. A response on student’s grievance will be send to him or her via mail. Should a student not be satisfied with the reply, he or she can appeal to the President of SBU.

Any questions or problems concerning this procedure which have not been satisfactory answered or resolved by the University should be directed to the following:

 
COMPLAINTS PROCEDURES

Some problems or disputes, such as sexual harassment and certain other incidents, because of their private and sensitive nature may be more appropriately handled through the complaint process. In these instances, a complaint may be filed with the Students and Alumni Services Coordinator, if grievance includes another student of SBU, Academic Dean, if grievance includes faculty, and Personnel Director, if grievance includes staff member requesting an investigation into the alleged action(s) or nature of the complaint or with the Compliance Officer for any reason.

Step 1: The student consults with one of the above administrators depending on the nature of the complaint and requests a resolution of the complaint.

Step 2: The administrator while maintaining confidentiality of the dispute, gathers the necessary and relevant facts, and informs the student of a decision. The administrator has no more than 30 calendar days from the initiation of the complaint to render the decision unless it is not reasonable to conclude the investigation and render a report within the above time frame due to extenuation, or unusual circumstances.

Step 3: If a student is not satisfied with the proposed resolution, he or she may then initiate a formal grievance procedure.

FORMAL GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES

The following steps shall be taken in sequence by the student who initiates a formal grievance. Failure to comply with any of these steps or time limits without agreement of all parties to the dispute may result in the termination of the grievance or other appropriate action. A student has the right to withdraw his or her grievance at any stage of the proceeding causing the proceedings to terminate. All correspondence between the students involved and an appropriate administrator shall be kept and retained in a confidential file in Student Services Office pending resolution of the grievance or further action by either party. Copies of correspondence shall also be forwarded to the Academic Dean should grievance include a faculty member, and to the Personnel Director should grievance include a staff member, all Grievances will be forwarded to the Compliance Officer. If the allegations involve charges of discrimination or sexual harassment against faculty or staff member, copies of all correspondence must be forwarded to the Personnel Director. 

FOR ALL GRIEVANCES

Step 1: 

1.1 The student shall give written notification to the person he or she alleges has aggrieved him or her within an academic quarter. The time limit to file a formal grievance expires at the close of business of the last day of instruction of the quarter following the one in which the alleged incident occurred or of the time the student should have become aware of the alleged violation. If the party cannot be contacted through reasonable efforts because he or she is no longer in residence or is on leave, an additional period of one quarter shall be provided. 

1.2 The notice of grievance or incident report (INR) must include specific allegation(s), date(s) of incident(s), and necessary details regarding the complaint. The notice must also include the remedy requested. 

1.3 Within 30 days, the party against whom the grievance is filed must respond in writing to the student addressing the allegations with accompanying explanations: 

1. Agreeing to grant the remedy(ies) requested in full, or 
2. Agreeing to grant the remedy(ies) requested in part with an explanation, or 
3. Agreeing to negotiate an appropriate remedy with an explanation, stating suggested alternatives. 

1.4 In the even the party against whom the grievance is filed will be unavailable for more than one academic quarter, the student shall proceed to Step 2 provided they have complied with Section 1.2. 

Step 1 2.1. Attach all grievance material from Step 1 to the Letter of Appeal in Step 2 and to all subsequent appeals (if any). 

Step 2:

2.1 Within 30 calendar days of the receipt of the response in Step 1, or in the absence of a written response, after 30 days but no more than 45 days has elapsed, the student in writing either accepts or rejects the proposed remedy and appeal the results of the grievance to the next level. 

2.2 In the event of party against whom the grievance is filed will be unavailable for more than one academic quarter, the student shall proceed to Step 3, provided they have complied with Section 1.2 Step 1. Attach all grievance material (including INR, if any) from step 1 to the Letter of Appeal in Step 3 and to all subsequent appeals (if any). 

Step 3: 

APPEAL LEVEL A. 

Student v. Student 

1. If the grievant is not satisfied with the results of Step 1 and 2, he/she can appeal the grievance to the Student and Alumni Services Coordinator or Compliance Officer within 30 days of receiving the written notification from the other party or in the absence of a written response, after 30 days but not more than 45 days has elapsed. 
2. The Student and Alumni Services Coordinator or Compliance Officer shall refer the grievance to a committee established at this level who will review the grievance. The committee may hold a hearing if appropriate and convey its recommendation to the Student and Alumni Services Coordinator or Compliance Officer. 
   1. The Committee shall be appointed by the Student and Alumni Services Coordinator or Compliance Officer within 10 calendar days after receiving the written notice of grievance or notice of appeal. 
   2. The Committee shall forward its recommendations, to the Student and Alumni Services Coordinator or Compliance Officer within 30 calendar days of its appointment 
   3. The Committee shall include the one (1) student member with voting privileges. 
   4. No member of the Committee shall be a student, faculty, staff or administrator from the same class or the same department or service area as the grievant or the person(s) against whom the grievance is filed. 
3. The Student and Alumni Services Coordinator or Compliance Officer shall respond to the student in writing within 10 days of receiving the recommendation(s) of the Committee. The response shall contain the Committee’s findings on the complaint, the action(s) to be taken, and the justification(s) for such action(s).

Student v. Staff

1. If the grievant is not satisfied with the results of Step 1 and 2, the/she can appeal the grievance to the Personnel Director or Compliance Officer within 30 calendar days of receiving the written notification from the other party or in the absence of a written response, after 30 calendar days but no more than 45 calendar days has elapsed. 
2. The Personnel Director or Compliance Officer shall refer the grievance to a committee established at this level which will review the grievance. The committee may hold a hearing, if appropriate, and convey its recommendation to the Personnel Director or Compliance Officer. 
3. The Committee shall be appointed by the Personnel Director or Compliance Officer within 10 calendar days after receiving the written notice of grievance or notice of appeal. 
   1. The Committee shall forward its recommendations to the Personnel Director or Compliance Officer within 30 calendar days after its appointment. 
   2. The Committee shall include one (1) student member with voting privileges. 
   3. No member of the Committee shall be a student, faculty, staff or administrator from the same class or the same department or service area as the grievant or the person(s) against whom the grievance is filed. 
4. The Personnel Director or Compliance Officer shall respond to the student in writing within 10 calendar days of receiving the recommendation(s) of the Committee. The response shall contain the Committee’s findings on the complaint, the action(s) to be taken, and the justification(s) for such action(s). 

Student v. Faculty 

1. If the grievant is not satisfied with the results of Step 1 and 2, he/she can appeal the grievance to the Academic Dean or Compliance Officer within 30 calendar days of receiving the written notification from the other party or in the absence of a written response, after 30 calendar days but no more than 45 calendar days has elapsed. 
2. The Academic Dean or Compliance Officer shall refer the grievance to a committee established at this level which will review the grievance. The committee may hold a hearing if appropriate and convey its recommendation to the Academic Dean or Compliance Officer. 
   1. The Committee shall be appointed by the Academic Dean or Compliance Officer within 10 calendar days after receiving the written notice of grievance or notice of appeal. 
   2. The Committee shall forward its recommendations to the Academic Dean or Compliance Officer within 30 calendar days after its appointment. 
   3. The Committee shall include one (1) student member with voting privileges. 
   4. No member of the Committee shall be a student, faculty, staff or administrator from the same class or the same department or service area as the grievant or the person(s) against whom the grievance is filed. 
3. The Academic Dean or Compliance Officer shall respond to the student in writing within 10 calendar days of receiving the recommendation(s) of the Committee. The response shall contain the Committee’s findings on the complaint, the action(s) to be taken, and the justification(s) for such action(s). 

Student v. Dean/Director and Staff V. Staff 

1. If the grievant is not satisfied with the results of Step 1 and 2, he/she can appeal the grievance to the Vice President within 30 calendar days of receiving the written notification from the other party or in the absence of a written response, after 30 calendar days but no more than 45 calendar days has elapsed. 
2. The Vice President shall refer the grievance to a committee established at this level who will review the grievance. The committee may hold a hearing if appropriate and convey its recommendation to the Vice President. 
   1. The Committee shall be appointed by the Vice President within 10 calendar days after receiving the written notice of grievance or notice of appeal. 
   2. The Committee shall forward its recommendations to the Vice President within 30 calendar days after its appointment. 
   3. The Committee shall include one (1) student member with voting privileges. 
   4. No member of the Committee shall be a student, faculty, staff or administrator from the same class or the same department or service area as the grievant or the person(s) against whom the grievance is filed. 
3. The Vice President shall respond to the student in writing within 10 calendar days of receiving the recommendation(s) of the Committee. The response shall contain the Committee’s findings on the complaint, the action(s) to be taken, and the justification(s) for such action(s).

Students who feel aggrieved in their relationships with the University, its policies, its practices and procedures, or its faculty and staff should submit their grievance in writing to the responsible administrator (Academic Dean or Personnel Director or Students and Alumni Services Coordinator), who will act upon it or direct it to the Grievance Committee.

Any questions or problems which have not been satisfactorily answered or resolved by the University should be directed to the following:

 
COMPLAINTS PROCEDURES

Some problems or incidents, because of their private and sensitive nature, are appropriately handled through the complaint incident report process. In these instances, an incident report may be filed with the Students and Alumni Services Coordinator, if the complaint includes another student of SBU, Academic Dean if the complaint includes faculty and Personnel Director.

Step 1:  The student consults with one of the above administrators depending on the nature of the complaint and requests a resolution of the complaint in writing, including the nature of the complaint, details necessary to form a proper investigation and the student’s request for remedy.

Step 2: The administrator while maintaining the confidentiality of the complaint, gathers the necessary and relevant facts and informs the student of a decision. The administrator has no more than 30 calendar days from the initiation of the complaint to render the decision unless it is not reasonable to conclude the investigation and render a report within the above time frame due to extenuation, or unusual circumstances.

Step 3: If a student is not satisfied with the complaint resolution, he or she may then initiate a formal grievance procedure.

FORMAL GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES

The following steps shall be taken in sequence by the student who initiates a formal grievance. Failure to comply with any of these steps or time limits will result in the termination of the grievance or other appropriate action. A student has the right to withdraw his or her grievance at any stage of the proceeding causing the proceedings to terminate.

All correspondence between the students involved and an appropriate administrator shall be kept and retained in a confidential file in Student Services Office pending resolution of the grievance or further action by either party. If the allegations involve charges of discrimination or sexual harassment, copies of all correspondence must be forwarded to the Title IX Coordinator.

FOR ALL GRIEVANCES

Step 1:

1.1     The student shall give written notification to the person he or she alleges has aggrieved him or her within one academic quarter. The time limit to file a formal grievance expires at the close of business of the last day of instruction of the quarter following the one in which the alleged incident occurred or of the time the student should reasonably have become aware of the alleged violation. If the party cannot be contacted through reasonable efforts because he or she is no longer in residence or is on leave, an additional period of one quarter shall be provided.

1.2     The notice of grievance or incident report (INR) must include specific allegation(s), date(s) of incident(s), and the necessary details regarding the complaint. The notice must also include the remedy requested.

1.3     Within 30 calendar days, the grievance committee will assemble and will respond in writing to the student addressing the allegations and remedy(ies) awarded, if any:

a. Agreeing to grant the remedy(ies) requested in full or
b. Agreeing to grant the remedy(ies) requested in part with an explanation, or
c. Agreeing to negotiate an appropriate remedy with an explanation, stating suggested alternatives.

1.4     In the event the party against whom the grievance is filed will be unavailable for more than one academic quarter, the student shall proceed to Step 2 provided they have complied with Section 1.2 Step 1. Attach all grievance material from Step 1 to the Letter of Appeal in Step 2 and to all subsequent appeals (if any).

Step 2:

2.1     Within 30 calendar days of the receipt of the response in Step 1, or in the absence of a written response, after 30 days but no more than 45 days have elapsed, the student in writing either accepts or rejects the proposed remedy and appeal the results of the grievance to the next level.

2.2     In the event of the party against whom the grievance is filed will be unavailable for more than one academic quarter, the student shall proceed to Step 3, provided they have complied with Section 1.2 Step 1. Attach all grievance material (including INR, if any) from step 1 to the Letter of Appeal in Step 3 and to all subsequent appeals (if any).

Step 3: APPEAL LEVEL

1.      If the grievant is not satisfied with the results of Step 1 and 2, he/she can appeal the grievance to the Vice President within 30 days of receiving the written notification from the grievance committee, or in the absence of a written response, after 30 days but not more than 45 days has elapsed.

2.      The Vice President will hold an appeal hearing, if appropriate, and convey the hearing result to the aggrieved student.

a.      The Committee shall be appointed by the Vice President within 10 calendar days after receiving the written notice of appeal.
b.      The Committee shall forward its recommendations, to the Vice President within 30 calendar days of its appointment
c.      The Committee shall include one (1) student member with voting privileges.

d.      No member of the Committee shall be a student, faculty, staff or administrator from the same class or the same department or service area as the grievant or the person(s) against whom the appeal is filed.

3.      The Vice President shall respond to the student in writing within 10 days of receiving the recommendation(s) of the Committee. The response shall contain the  Committee’s findings on the complaint, the action(s) to be taken, and the justification(s) for such action(s). The Committee’s determination is final.

SBU policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, gender, gender identity and expression, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, disability, or marital status. This policy applies in recruitment and admission of students, employment of faculty and staff, and scholarship and loan programs. This policy is also followed in the operation of all other programs, activities, and services of the University.

The student grievance procedure assures institutional compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and other laws applicable to institutions receiving federal funding which provide protections to students from discriminatory practices. The procedure to review all grievances arising from a student’s complaint related to any adverse action which is discriminatory or otherwise in violation of the law, affecting his/her education or that practice or policy has been identified which is discriminatory, is stipulated below.

South Baylo University subscribes to the principles and adheres to the requirements of state and federal law pertaining to civil rights and equal opportunity, in accordance with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a amended; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended.

Evidence of practices inconsistent with this policy should be reported to the Compliance Officer, who is the designated coordinator of SBU’s nondiscrimination program. Inquiries regarding compliance with the sex discrimination provisions of Title IX may also be directed to the Assistant for Civil Rights, Department of Education, Washington, D.C.

This student grievance procedure is to assure institutional compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and other laws applicable to institutions receiving federal funding that provide protections to students from discriminatory practices.

All documentation/evidence that is gathered pursuant to the procedures of either an informal or formal review shall be kept in a confidential file separate from permanent student files, and released upon request only to the student and members of the administration involved in the procedure and the Grievance Committee or pursuant to a subpoena or order of a court of competent jurisdiction or by statutory authority vested in government agencies. All persons named in the documents of this confidential file shall have the right to read the parts in which they are named along with relevant contexts and to make a written response that shall be included in the file. The Title IX officer shall notify those named in the file of their right to read and respond. The SBU’s designated Title IX Officer is the Compliance Officer.