Student Grievance Procedure
Purpose
A grievance is a formal complaint made by a student to the university. It might be concerning a violation of policy or procedure; a grade dispute; faculty, staff, or administrator behavior perceived to be inappropriate; or another issue that concerns a member of the faculty, staff, or administration. Below is the process for submitting a grievance against a member of the faculty, academic staff, or academic administration. If your grievance concerns non-academic offices such as housing or food services, you should contact the Dean of Students ur original grievance, you can get it by requesting it from the division chair or associate provost who recorded your grievance.
Specific Grievance Issues
Academic Issues: Outside of requests for exceptions, students should, if possible, first meet promptly with the relevant course instructor to present a concern. If the grievance cannot be resolved informally with the instructor or the student does not feel comfortable approaching the instructor, it should be presented promptly in writing to the division chair responsible for the course in which the issue or concern surfaced. Students can get contact information for division chairs from the Office of the Registrar by emailing registrar@svu.edu and requesting the name of the division chair over the course or instructor associated with their grievance. The written complaint should be sent by the division chair to the Office of the Provost at provost@svu.edu, unless a member or members of the Office of the Provost are implicated in the grievance. If the grievance is with a faculty member serving as division chair, then the written complaint should be lodged directly with the Office of the Provost. The provost or associate provost will act in the stead of the division chair.
If the complaint concerns multiple offices and/or people, it should be submitted directly to the Office of the Provost at provost@svu.edu. Complaints submitted to the Office of the President may be referred back to the Office of the Provost. If the complaint is a Title IX concern, the complaint will be referred to the Title IX office.
Written complaints to the division chair and/or Office of the Provost will be responded to in writing, using the official Student Grievance and Complaint Form, within twenty-one (21) calendar days from the time that they are received. The form must also be submitted to the Office of the Provost to be recorded in the Student Grievance Log. An in-person meeting, in addition to the written response, may also be requested by the complainant or the office receiving the complaint.
Instructors are informed of complaints and the content of complaints, although complainants may remain anonymous. The person or office hearing the complaint is responsible for communicating with the instructor. Instructors may responds, if they choose, to the complaint in writing. Any response will be included in the Student Grievance Log. The response must be addressed to the person or office hearing the grievance.
If the parties involved are not satisfied with the resolution of the complaint, the complainant may appeal the resolution. The formal appeal must be made, in writing, within fifteen (15) calendar days from the date that the original written decision was sent out. The formal appeal is submitted to the Office of the Provost and must include a copy of the original written complaint, a copy of the written decision of the division chair, and an argument for why the decision is in error. If the complaint was in regards to an academic policy, grade, or an accusation of academic dishonesty an appeal lies with the Academic Affairs Council. If the complaint was in regards to non-fulfillment of contractual obligations on the part of an instructor (such as holding class as scheduled, grading, compliance with accommodations policies, etc.), an appeal lies with the Office of the Provost. If the complaint was in regards to inappropriate or bias behavior on the part of an instructor, the appeal lies with the Office of the Provost, in consultation with Human Resources when necessary.
The formal appeal will be calendared for consideration at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Academic Affairs Council or the Office of the Provost. Any member of the Academic Affairs Council implicated or Office of the Provost in a formal grievance will recuse him- or herself from consideration of the appeal. The written determination of an appeal by the Academic Affairs Council or Office of the Provost is binding.
Accessibility Issues: Southern Virginia University honors requests for reasonable accommodations made by students with disabilities in a timely and inclusive manner. If a student feels like their accommodations are not being met, either through the refusal to implement the agreed upon accommodations or the inappropriate implementation of accommodations, the student is encouraged to seek an Informal Resolution. Students not satisfied with the outcome of this resolution should contact the Accessibility Service Office to schedule a meeting. The Accessibility Service Office will include all involved parties in order to come to a resolution. Students who are still unsatisfied may file a Formal Review with the Provost’s Office as outlined in the Catalog.
Honor Issues: If a student feels a sanction regarding an honor code violation is unjust or unfair, or that new evidence has emerged that has a bearing on the sanction, the student may appeal in writing within forty-eight (48) hours of receipt of notice to the Honor Council or the Executive Honor Council, as described in the Student Handbook.
If, after receiving the council’s letter setting forth a determination in the case, the student still has an issue with the sanction, he or she may appeal in writing to the Office of Student Life within three (3) calendar days of the Honor Council decision. The written determination by the Executive Honor Council regarding honor code sanctions is binding.
Housing Issues: If the issue concerns on-campus housing students must talk with the resident advisor or head resident advisor. If they cannot provide a resolution, students must submit a written grievance to the Office of Student Life detailing information about the situation and what has and has not been done to resolve the concern. If the Office of Student Life cannot resolve the issue, the student may present the issue in writing to the Vice President of Operations and Student Services. His or her written determination is binding.
Southern Virginia University does not currently designate university-approved off-campus housing or in any way negotiate with landlords about off-campus housing on behalf of students. If the issue concerns off-campus housing that is not owned or operated by the university, the student may ask the Office of Student Life for advice on how to resolve the issues such as security deposits, contract disputes, or maintenance/custodial services; however, this advice should not be construed as legal advice or as any way binding on the landlord.
GI BILL® Beneficiaries: The Virginia State Approving Agency (SAA) approves education and Virginia training programs. Our office investigates complaints of GI BILL ® beneficiaries. While most complaints should initially follow the school grievance policy, if the situation cannot be resolved at the school, the beneficiary should contact our office via email at saa@dvs.virginia.gov. GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by the VA is available at the official U.S. government website at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
Appeals to the President: Appeal to the president of the university is available only to students who have exhausted each step in the grievance process. All appeals to the president of the university must be made within fifteen (15) calendar days of the final decision in a student’s grievance procedure. The president will review the case for procedural error and will only overrule the prior decision if, in the president’s discretion, the prior decision is clearly erroneous.