Non-Grading Student Complaint Process
Students have the right to file a Student Complaint when they encounter or experience a problem on campus or if they feel they have been treated unfairly. Students are encouraged to first attempt to resolve the issue informally with the faculty, staff, or department directly involved prior to filing a formal complaint. If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of an informal discussion or if the student is uncomfortable discussing his/her/their complaint, then the student should proceed to a formal complaint procedure as described immediately below.
Formal Student Grievance Procedure
Students following the formal grievance procedure are required to complete a formal grievance letter within thirty (30) days of the alleged incident. Generally, the Student can file the complaint with the Vice President of Student Affairs; however, the complaint can also be filed with a Faculty member or Staff who can help the student route the complaint to the proper authority to review, investigate, and proceed with the necessary corrective actions and/or interventions. The table below describes the route for communicating different types of student complaints.
Proper Authority:
Type of Complaint Point of Contact
Student-to-Student/Vice President of Student Affairs
Student-to-Faculty/Provost
Student-to-Staff/Director of Human Resources
The formal letter must include the following information:
• The student name(s), student identification number(s), and contact information including TOCC email address(es)
• A detailed description of the nature of the grievance and citation to which College policy was violated
• Information concerning informal attempts to resolve the issue, including dates of meetings
• Supporting documents or evidence, such as a copy of the policy or procedure which the student believes was arbitrarily or unfairly applied.
• A clear description of the relief or resolution sought
• Student(s) signature(s)
• Date of grievance submission
Assessment of the Student Complaint – Proper Authority will assess the validity of student complaints and determine the following:
• Evidence and Factual Cases – The Student’s Formal Complaint demonstrates evidence to support the complaint. A Committee is selected to further review and resolve the student complaint and determine a course of action.
• Non-Evidential or Lack of Evidence Cases – The Student’s Formal Complaint does not carry or demonstrate proof of evidence or does not demonstrate violation of college policies. In such case, the complaint will be closed.
The reviewing authority for the Student Complaint must provide a written statement to the student describing the process of review completed on the student complaint, acknowledging the severity of the student complaint, summarizing the findings/outcomes of the complaint, describing next steps of the complaint procedure, and a brief description of the course of action and/or interventions to be conducted/employed (if any). It is the student’s responsibility to know the details of the review, assessment, and outcomes of their student complaint. The reviewing authority must provide his/her/their statement to the complainant within seven business days from the receipt of a student’s formal complaint. Student’s Right to Appeal – If the student is not satisfied with the outcome of the review, assessment, and/or outcomes of the complaint, then they have the right to appeal. Appeals must be made in writing to the designated reviewing body and must be made on a timely basis, i.e., within five business days after the written response from the reviewing authority. The Appeal process is completed according to the following Levels of Reviews:
Level of Appeal Reviewing Body
First Appeal Submit appeal in writing to the President’s Office.
Second Appeal Submit appeal in writing to the Board of Regents. All decisions made by the Board of Regents are final.
The President’s office shall have ten (10) business days upon receipt to reply via formal letter to the student making the appeal. Students who do not accept the response from the president’s office shall have ten (10) business days upon receipt of the reply to submit an appeal to the Board of Regents (BOR). Submissions to the BOR will be reviewed and reported back to the complainant within one month of receipt of the appeal. (Student Handbook 14-15)