The institution has adequate procedures for addressing written student complaints and is responsible for demonstrating that it follows those procedures when resolving student complaints. (See Commission policy "The Review of Complaints Involving the Commission or its Accredited Institutions.")
[Compliance]
Narrative:
The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is in compliance with Principle 4.5 because the UAH Student Handbook 2004-2006, Chapter 7, Article II, provides guidance to students regarding their rights and responsibilities including the Equal Employment, Nondiscrimination and Affirmative Action Policy (Chapter 6, Section 9). It also provides guidance on how to petition to address violations of these rights (Chapter 6, Section 10) and provides a detailed grievance procedure for discrimination (Chapter 6, Section 7). Because the Student Equal Opportunity Officer is the Vice President for Student Affairs, students wishing to file a discrimination complaint follow the same procedure as other non-academic cases.
Grievances that deal with academic matters are handled through the academic chain. The chain is the faculty member, the department chair, the dean of the college (or director of the division), and the Provost. Grievances that deal with non-academic matters are handed through the unit head of the department and the appropriate vice president.
At each level of appeal above the initial level, the student will provide a written statement of the grievance and the remedial action desired. The student receives a written response within two weeks of receipt of the written complaint. The response is one of the following from the UAH Student Handbook 2004-2006, Chapter 6, Section 10:
A decision in favor of the student;
A decision supporting the previous action;
A statement of compromise agreed to in a discussion with the parties involved and signed by them;
A recommendation to the challenged official's immediate supervisor, with a copy to the student; or
An explanation for delaying the decision for an additional two weeks, followed by a response as in a-d above by the end of that period.
If, at any level, a student does not receive a response in the manner stated above, he or she may immediately submit his or her grievance to the official at the next level. If the student feels that a satisfactory resolution of the grievance has been reached at any level, the process will be concluded. If, after exhausting the administrative chain as described above, the student still feels there is just cause for grievance, the student may seek redress from the President of the University. The decision of the President is final. All documents relating to the processing of a complaint, or a copy of such documents, are placed in a case file that is maintained by the appropriate receiving official as a permanent record.
Because of the decentralized nature of this process, grievances are typically dealt with and resolved at the department and college level. A survey of written grievances that came to the Provost's Office between January 2004 and July 2005 revealed only three grievances that were complaints against professors (grades, policies, behavior, etc.). These all followed UAH's procedures. The small number of grievances that reached the central administration indicates that the processes in place are effective.
