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Complaints (Written & Verbal)


Any student wishing to voice a complaint may do so. Complaints may be presented in writing or verbally. The following procedure will be followed:

  • Written or verbal complaints will be directed to the vice president for student services.
  • Students will be scheduled for a meeting to discuss the complaint.
  • Students will be encouraged to discuss the complaint with individuals involved or with individuals who have knowledge necessary to discuss the issue.
  • Should the issue not be resolved at this level, the student will be directed to the appropriate individual at a supervisory level, if necessary.
  • Failing success at the supervisory level, the vice president for student services will discuss the Grievance Procedures, if appropriate, as outlined in the College Catalog and Student Handbook.

Complaints will be addressed as soon as possible. Every attempt will be made to reach a reasonable end to the concern. However, should the student believe that his/her complaint is not being adequately considered, action through the Grievance Procedures is made available.

Student Grievance Policy

Purpose of the Student Grievance Policy

The purpose of the student grievance policy is to provide due process for resolving student complaints against faculty, staff, or other College employees concerning

  1. discrimination on the basis of age, sex, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, disability, or other conditions or preferences;
  2. sexual harassment;
  3. unfair treatment that is in violation of students’ basic rights, as set forth in the College Catalog and Student Handbook; and
  4. academic matters where students have a grievance. Areas for appeal include, but are not limited to, classroom procedures, charges of unfair treatment by an instructor, charges of unfair grades given by an instructor, absence and tardiness practices, course requirements that differ substantially from those set forth in the syllabus, and the right to participate in College-sponsored activities.

Notes: If any of the above are committed against a student by another student instead of a College employee, the offended student should report the matter immediately to a College official. The offending student will then be dealt with according to the Student Code of Conduct. Under no circumstances will a student requesting due process be harassed, intimidated, discouraged, or denied access to the Grievance Procedures (Due Process).

 

Grievance Procedures (Due Process)

RCC has established three grievance procedures for students to follow depending on the nature of the grievance. These three procedures, Standard Grievance Procedure, Procedure for Resolving a Sexual Harassment Grievance, and Procedure for Resolving an Academic Grievance, are explained in detail here.

Standard Grievance Procedure

The following procedure is to be used to resolve a grievance. Once this procedure of due process has begun, students who want to continue to pursue due process must follow the procedure and may not circumvent steps in the procedure and go prematurely to a higher authority.

1. The Offending Person—The student must first go to the offending person within 10 school days. A conference between the student and the offending person will be held to resolve the matter informally. The exception to this requirement is sexual harassment complaints, which may be taken directly to the vice president for student services, as described on the next page.

2. The Vice President for Student Services—If the complaint is not resolved in the informal conference with the offending person, the student may then appeal to the vice president for student services, who will schedule a conference with the student and the other involved parties. If the grievance is academic in nature the student will be directed to follow the “Procedure for Resolving an Academic Grievance” as listed below.

3. The Appeals Committee—If the grievance is not resolved by the appropriate vice president, the student may request a hearing before the Appeals Committee.

A. The student must present his/her case in writing to the vice president for student services who will appoint a chair of the Appeals Committee within five days after the meeting with the appropriate vice president.

B. The Appeals Committee is comprised of two faculty members, a student services director, the vice president for administrative services or his/her designee, an instructional dean, a SGA officer, and any additional members appointed by the president of the College.

C. After receiving the student’s letter of grievance, the Appeals Committee must grant a hearing at the earliest convenient opportunity.

D. The Appeals Committee will send to the student an outline of the procedures to be followed in the hearing. These may include, but are not limited to, who may attend the hearing, who may speak before the committee, and any documentation that is requested.

E. The Appeals Committee must render a decision and respond to the student within 10 working days following the hearing.

5. The President—If the grievance is not resolved by the Appeals Committee, the student may request a hearing before the president of the College. The student must present his/her grievance in a signed and dated document to the office of the president within five working days of receiving the decision of the Appeals Committee. The president will outline for the student any guidelines to be followed in the hearing and will then grant a hearing at the earliest convenient time.

6. The Personnel Committee of the Board of Trustees—If the grievance has not been resolved at the final step in the College's organizational structure (i.e., the president), the student may appeal the president’s decision to the Personnel Committee of the Board of Trustees only if there has been a violation of policy in the conduct of the College grievance procedure or because of actions that are prohibited by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The student must make this request to the president in writing, signed and dated, within five working days of receiving the decision of the president. The Personnel Committee of the Board of Trustees will hear the student’s grievance at the first convenient opportunity and will communicate its decision to the student within 10 working days. The student shall have the burden of showing how a College policy or the student’s constitutional rights have been specifically violated in the conduct of the grievance procedure. The Personnel Committee will not render a separate decision on the original grievance itself, but will determine whether the grievant has received a fair hearing from the College in accordance with the Student Grievance Policy and whether there has been a violation of the student’s rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

7. The Board of Trustees—If the Personnel Committee rules against the student, the student may appeal the ruling to the full Board of Trustees only if the student can provide evidence of discrimination (based on a violation of College policy or the student’s constitutional rights) by the Personnel Committee of the Board of Trustees, but may not appeal to the full Board of Trustees merely because the grievant disagrees with the decision of the Personnel Committee. The student must present this request to the president in writing, signed and dated, within five working days of receiving the decision of the Personnel Committee of the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees will hear the student’s grievance at the first convenient opportunity and will communicate its decision to the student within 10 working days. The Board of Trustees will not render a separate decision on the original grievance itself, but will determine whether the grievant has received a fair hearing from the College and the Personnel Committee in accordance with the Student Grievance Policy and whether there has been a violation of the student’s rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Procedure for Resolving a Sexual Harassment Grievance

If the grievance pertains to a charge of sexual harassment by an employee of the College, the student may go directly to the vice president for student services rather than to the offending person. If the matter is not resolved by the vice president for student services, the student has access to the Standard Grievance Procedure described above, beginning with the Appeals Committee.

Procedure for Resolving an Academic Grievance

An Academic Grievance must be initiated within one semester of the completion of the course in question. If the grievance is regarding an academic matter, the following steps must be followed:

1. The Instructor—The student must go first to the instructor with whom he/she has the grievance. A conference with the instructor will be held to resolve the grievance informally.

2. The Program Head/Coordinator/Director—If the informal conference with the instructor does not resolve the grievance, the student may then go within five school days of the informal conference to the next level of appeal.

A. Students in Curriculum programs may appeal to the department chair.

B. Most students in Continuing Education do not have a division chair/director/coordinator, and may appeal to the dean of corporate and continuing education, with the following exceptions:

(1) Students in Emergency Medical Services may appeal to the director of emergency services.

C. Students in Developmental & Basic Skills programs may appeal to the program coordinator.

D. Students in the Business & Industry Training program do not have a department chair/director/coordinator and may appeal to the dean of corporate and continuing education.

3. The Dean of the appropriate educational program (i.e., Division Chair (Curriculum), Dean of Corporate and Continuing Education)—If the meeting with the division chair/director/coordinator does not resolve the grievance, the student may then go within five school days to the dean of the program to seek resolution.

4. Vice President for Instructional Services—If the grievance is not resolved in the meeting with the dean of the appropriate educational program, the student may appeal to the vice president for instructional services. If the grievance is not resolved by the vice president for instructional services, the student has access to the Standard Grievance Procedure beginning with the Appeals Committee.

5. Interim Decision Concerning Student Status—Before the student goes before the Appeals Committee, the vice president for instructional services will determine the feasibility of keeping the student in class while the appeals process continues. Should the circumstances warrant, the vice president for instructional services may decide that the student should be removed from class and/or the campus until the appeals process has ended.