OFTC - FY13 Handbook A Unit of the Technical College ... - OFTC.edu

- 68 - OFTC - FY13 Handbook
2) Formal Complaint Procedure: where a student cannot
resolve their complaint informally, they may use the formal
grievance procedure.
a) Within 15 business days of the incident being grieved,
the student must file a formal grievance in the office of
either the Dean for Student Affairs for North Campus
(including Jefferson or Hancock County Centers) or
South Campus (including Little Ocmulgee Instructional
Center and Dodge County Instruction Site) with the
following information:
provided by the student and the administration, therefore
the student must ensure that he has provided all relevant
documents with his appeal.
c) At the President’s sole discretion, grievance appeals at
the institution may be held in one of the following two
ways:
i) The President may review the information provided
by the student and administration and make the final
decision; or
i) Name,
ii)
Date,
ii)
The President may appoint a cross-functional
committee comprised of 5 members, including one
chair, to make the final decision.
iii)
Brief description of incident being grieved,
iv) Remedy requested
v) Signed, and
vi) Informal remedy attempted by student and outcome
b) If the grievance is against one of the Deans for Student
Affairs, the student shall file the grievance in the Office of
the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs.
c) If the grievance is against Vice President for Academic
and Student Affairs, the student shall file the grievance in
the Office of the President.
d) The Dean for Student Affairs will investigate the matter
and supply a written response to the student within 15
business days.
e) If the grieved incident involves possible unlawful
harassment, discrimination or retaliation for reporting
unlawful harassment/discrimination, the investigation
will be handled pursuant to the Procedure: Unlawful
Harassment and Discrimination of Students.
f) If the grieved incident is closely related to an incident
being processed through the disciplinary procedure,
the disciplinary procedure will take precedence and the
grievance will not be processed until after the disciplinary
procedure has run its course.
iii)
The decision of either the President or the crossfunctional
committee shall be made within 10
business days of receipt by the President of the
appeal.
d) Whichever process is chosen by the President, the
decision of the grievance appeal is final.
4) Retaliation against a student for filing a grievance is strictly
prohibited.
RECORD RETENTION:
Documents relating to formal grievances including investigations,
dispositions and the grievance itself shall be held for 5 years
after the graduation of the student or the date of the student’s last
attendance.
Requests for additional information on the policies, standards,
or procedures of the Accrediting Commission of the Council on
Occupational Education may be addressed to:
Dr. Gary Puckett, Executive Director
Commission of the Council on Occupational Education
7840 Roswell Road, Building 300, Suite 325
Atlanta, GA 30350
Phone: 770-396-3898 or 1-800-917-2081
Fax: 770-396-3790
g) The Dean shall be granted an additional 15 business
days to investigate the grievance upon notice to the
grieving student.
3) Appeal of Staff Response: If a student is unsatisfied with the
response from the Dean, the student may appeal the decision
to the President of the College. The college staff has no right
to appeal.
a) A student shall file a written appeal to the President
within 5 business days of receiving the response
referenced in VI.B.3.
b) The appeal will be decided based entirely on documents