About William Jewell College

A student may wish to present a grievance against a faculty or staff member, or another student, when the
issues cannot be resolved informally or by use of other regular College procedures. A grievance is a concern
related to an alleged illegal or improper action not otherwise addressed in policies contained within the
Student or College Employee Handbook. William Jewell College has set procedures for students who wish to
present grievances. Academic related grievances, (i.e. an appeal of a course grade), should go through the
Provost’s Office.
The student wishing to present a grievance should file a formal written complaint with the Dean of Students or
the Assistant Dean of Students to identify his/her particular grievance. The student should present the
complaint as promptly as possible after the alleged incident and at least within 12 months of the occurrence of
the incident. The formal written complaint should include the following information:
Date(s) and Time(s) of the alleged incident(s);
Names of all person(s) involved in the alleged situation, including possible witnesses;
All details outlining what happened during the alleged incident;
Student’s contact information so that the College may follow up appropriately.
Students filing a written grievance with the Office of Student Affairs may be required to meet with a staff
member face-to-face to answer questions and provide more contextual information related to the alleged
incident. The Dean of Students and/or the Assistant Dean shall at this point suggest a course of action or
alternate channels for resolving the potential problem. Depending upon the resolution sought, the student
may ask to remain anonymous, however, anonymity cannot be guaranteed in all circumstances.
If the student refuses to submit their grievance in writing and/or refuses to meet with College staff when
requested to do so, the College reserves the right to not respond to the filed grievance; although a copy of the
report will be left in the student’s file within the Office of Student Affairs.
A Student officially filing a grievance needs to understand that some grievances may lead to disciplinary action
against another student and may require the student to play a role in a disciplinary hearing. In each case, the
Office of Student Affairs will advise the student of their rights and the rights of others as outlined in the
College’s Standard of Conduct and Student Disciplinary Processes.
Sexual Harassment
William Jewell College is committed to protecting the rights and dignity of all students and employees and
accordingly will not tolerate sexual harassment in the classroom or workplace. All students and employees
have the right to work in an atmosphere free from sexual harassment.
Rationale
Sexual harassment is a violation of federal and state law and places the college in a precarious legal position.
More importantly, sexual harassment subverts the mission of the college. In both obvious and subtle ways, the
possibility of harassment is destructive to individual students, faculty, staff and the academic community as a
whole. When, through fear of reprisal, a student or employee is exposed to unwanted sexual attention, the
college’s ability to carry out its mission is undermined.
Sexual harassment is especially serious when it threatens relationships between faculty and student or
supervisor and subordinate. In such situations, sexual harassment exploits unfairly the power inherent in a
faculty or supervisor’s position. The college also recognizes that harassment may occur between persons of
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