• Definition
• Informal Procedure
• Formal Procedure

The purpose of this procedure is to assure prompt and equitable resolution of problems arising from the implementation of academic and administrative policies of Fielding Graduate University as they affect students. If possible, it seeks to find resolution through mutual agreement between the parties and by a process as close to the original difficulty as possible. At the same time it attempts to be responsive to student concerns and to provide a thorough review and due process with regard to any difficulty that has arisen.

Whenever possible, students will utilize the informal procedures for addressing and resolving complaints. When necessary, students may file a formal grievance according to the procedures described below.

Definition

A student complaint is an allegation by a student that there has been, in an individual case, an arbitrary or discriminatory application of, or failure to act pursuant to, the policies of Fielding Graduate University in relation to students.

An academic complaint is one involving faculty members, associate deans, the program director of a particular program, or the Dean of a particular program. Faculty evaluations and grading of student work are based upon the substantive judgment of the faculty and are not subject to a complaint or grievance.

An administrative complaint is one involving staff of the Fielding Graduate University.

A grievance is a formal written request by a student to a designated academic or administrative officer for which specific remedies are requested.

The parties to a grievance are the student filing the grievance and the person(s) against whom the grievance is filed.
 

Informal Procedure for Resolving Student Complaints

A student is encouraged to discuss her/his complaint with the person(s) who is(are) directly involved in the complaint, in an effort to come to a satisfactory resolution.

If these informal direct discussions are not successful, then the student may pursue one of several different informal avenues. If the matter is an academic complaint, the student may contact 1) her/his Graduate Program Advisor; 2) her/his Faculty Advisor; 3) the head or the head's designee of the student's academic program; or 4) the Personnel Committee of the student's academic program, or the student representative to that committee. If the matter is an administrative complaint, the student may contact 1) her/his Graduate Program Advisor; or 2) the administrative department head or the program head. Each program may develop procedures for how that program addresses informal academic complaints, see links at the end of this paragraph for any formalized procedures dealing with complaints. The Graduate Program Advisors can be of assistance in directing a student to the appropriate person, if a student is unclear about who performs these functions.

Informal Complaint Procedure Links for Schools:

• Educational Leadership & Change
• Psychology

Formal Grievance

a. Academic:
If the informal procedure described above does not resolve the student's issue, s/he may initiate a formal grievance no later than 90 days from the precipitating event or action. For academic complaints, the formal grievance shall be submitted to the Dean of the School, in writing, stating the nature and time of the offending action and the person(s) involved in the action or failure to act. If the grievance involves the Dean, the grievance should be addressed to the Provost.

The Dean, or his/her designee, will follow the academic grievance procedures developed by that program. If the program has not developed grievance procedures, the following procedures will apply: the Dean, or his/her designee, will review the grievance with the associate deans of the academic program, if any, omitting an associate dean if s/he is the object of the grievance. Together, the Dean, or his/her designee, and any associate deans will gather information from the parties to the grievance and keep a record or summary of this information. After their review, they will recommend a solution by mutual agreement of the parties, and, if that is not acceptable, they will reach a decision on the grievance. In either case, they will state, in writing, the basis for their recommendation or decision.

b. Administrative:
Grievances involving non-academic matters must be addressed to the administrative leader involved with that function, e.g., Marketing & Recruitment, Business Administration, Academic Resources, Student Services, etc. The relevant administrator will review the grievance in conjunction with relevant staff other than the person(s) complained against. Together they will gather information from the parties to the grievance and keep a record or summary of this information. After their review, they will recommend a solution by mutual agreement, and, if this is not acceptable, they will reach a decision on the grievance. In either case, they will state, in writing, a basis for their recommendation or decision.

If the grievance involves an administrative leader who reports to the Provost, the grievance should be addressed to the Provost.

c. Appeals:
For both academic and administrative grievances, if the parties accept the recommendations of the review group in writing, the formal process terminates. If the recommendations are not accepted, the student grievant(s) will indicate, within 15 days of receipt of the decision, whether s/he/they desire(s) to appeal for a further review. If s/he/they accept(s) the decision, the formal process terminates.

If the grievant(s) elect(s) to appeal the decision of the Dean, his/her designee, or administrative leader, the appeal will go to the Provost, along with the written record from the previous steps.

If the Provost was the original arbitrator of the grievance, the appeal will be referred to the President.

Within 30 days of appeal, the Provost will constitute a Special Hearing Committee ("Committee") to hear the grievance. The Committee will arrange for a hearing via teleconference or web-enabling software; there is no requirement that the hearing must be one where all parties are physically present. The Committee will be composed of a Fielding administrator not from the student's program as chair of the committee, and a faculty member and a student from the student's program. The Committee will function as an administrative committee, and it will establish its own rules of procedure, of which it will inform the parties to the grievance at the outset of the hearing. The hearing must be conducted within 45 days after the formation of the Committee.

At the hearing, all parties to the complaint will participate and testimony will be invited from each. Parties to the complaint may be accompanied by another person for support and/or assistance. Any parties to the complaint may not act in the capacity of an attorney. The student may not be represented by an attorney at the hearing. If any party to the complaint wishes to involve an additional person, they should inform the chair of the Committee in advance, so that other parties may be informed. A written and/or taped record of the Committee's proceedings will be maintained. The written record may be a summary of testimony and proceedings, or may be a verbatim transcript, at the discretion of the Committee.

The Committee will recommend steps to the parties that will provide an amicable and mutually acceptable solution. If the parties cannot agree on a solution, the Committee will make a decision in writing.

The Provost will accept, reject, or revise the decision of the Hearing Committee and communicate it to the student grievant(s). This decision will be based on the record of the previous hearing and the Provost will not reopen the hearing for new testimony.

The Provost may:
a. uphold the Committee's decision;
b. revise the Committee's decision;
c. take other appropriate action.

The action of the Provost will be final.

Where a grievance directly involves and is shared by more than one student, the grievances may be joined in a single grievance and treated in a single process, if all parties to the grievance agree to this procedure.

No reprisal of any kind shall be taken against any participant involved in a grievance procedure.

Georgia Residents
Students who are/were living in the state of Georgia during their Fielding enrollment may file a written complaint with the state of Georgia regarding any grievance that was not resolved to the student's satisfaction, but only after the student has exhausted the University’s grievance procedure as outlined above. Such complaints should be addressed to: Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission, 2082 East Exchange Pl., Ste. 220, Tucker, GA 30084 Phone: 770-414-3300.

Policy Revised 07/01/2008