Appendix IV: Student Complaint Form

Richard Bland College of William & Mary Student Complaint Form

Richard Bland College Student Complaint Form

Richard Bland College is committed to respecting all members of the campus community. Students represent a vital component of our community. The purpose of the complaint process to is to ensure all student complaints are addressed fairly and resolved promptly.

Procedure

When possible, students are encouraged to seek an informal resolution of the matter directly with the faculty or staff involved. However, if an informal approach is neither successful nor advisable, the student should use the following procedure:

A written student complaint form available from the link above which generates a ticket to the Director of Human Resources for written student complaints about Faculty / Staff or to the Assistant Provost of Student Life for written student complaints about students. This form enables the capture of the date and time of the alleged conflict or action, the reason(s) for the complaint, a summary of the complaint, a list of other persons who may provide information, and any appropriate documentation. The student must also include the resolution or outcome he or she is seeking. All of these data points are passed to the student complaints ticketing system. The complaint must be submitted within ten (10) business days of the alleged conflict or action. Any student filing a complaint shall have at every level the right to be represented by legal counsel and to present witnesses and evidence to support the grievance without fear of reprisal. This procedure does not confer the right upon anyone to make slanderous or libelous statements (i.e. false statements).

Upon receipt of a completed form, a conference will take place with the student and a staff member from the Director of Human Resource’s or the Assistant Provost of Student Life‘s office. The staff member will notify appropriate persons and request any information or documentation needed to resolve the complaint. The staff member may attempt to resolve the complaint by encouraging discussion between the student(s) and the faculty member/administrator or by taking the appropriate action to resolve the complaint.

A review of the complaint with the supervisor(s) or others in the line of supervision may be used when deemed appropriate and beneficial to the process. All relevant documentation and possible outcomes must be submitted by the student or other appropriate persons to the applicable supervisor(s) within ten (10) business days of the date the complaint is filed.

When possible, the final resolution (or a finding of “unresolved”) will be filed with the Director of Human Resources or the Assistant Provost of Student Life‘s office within fifteen (15) business days of the date the complaint is filed. If there are circumstances requiring an extension of this deadline, the staff member assigned to the complaint will notify the parties involved.

If the student is not satisfied with the outcome of the complaint, a Student Complaint Committee (“Committee”) will be appointed to review the information and render a final decision. The Committee will consist of three faculty and staff representatives appointed by the Assistant Provost for Student Life with the consent of the RBC President and two student members appointed by the Student Assembly President. The Committee’s decision will be final.

Note: Nothing in this procedure or in this Student Handbook is intended to circumscribe or modify the existing right of any department to do the following, provided, however, that none of these rights may be exercised in an arbitrary or capricious manner:
a. Supervise the education of students or the work of employees;
b. Maintain the efficiency of departmental operations;
c. Remove students from educational programs or employees from duties for legitimate reasons;
d. Take actions as necessary to carry out the duties of the department;
e. Determine the methods, means, and personnel by which departmental operations are to be conducted.

This process does not apply to complaints regarding discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct. For complaints involving student or employee discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct pursuant to Title IX, please refer to the RBC website at http://www.rbc.edu/why-rbc/faculty-staff/policy-manual/ and https://www.rbc.edu/my-rbc/title-ix/title-ix-college-policy/ for applicable policies and procedures.