www.msugf.edu | MSU-Great Falls College of Technology

Student Information - Complaint Procedures

A student who believes that a policy of the college has been violated may make a complaint following the procedures outlined in this section. When possible, a student should attempt to resolve the complaint informally, by bringing it to the attention of the individual(s) directly involved. However, when informal methods fail, the College will assist in the resolution of complaints through the formal procedures outlined on the following pages.

Types of Complaints: The college has established procedures for each of the following types of complaints. The procedures for each type of complaint are provided in this section.

~ Student Equal Opportunity Complaints
The College’s policies on equal opportunity and sexual harassment are provided in the catalog and are administered by the College’s Assistant Dean of Student Services, 2100 16th Avenue South, Great Falls, MT 59405. (Telephone: 771-4300). If a student believes that his/her right to equal opportunity has been violated, he/she should take the following steps:

Discuss the situation with the individual(s) immediately involved. If unable or unwilling to discuss the matter with this individual, discuss it with an advisor or the supervisory staff most closely associated with the individual directly involved (e.g., the teacher of the class if the individual is another student, or the department chair if the individual is a faculty member, etc.).
If an acceptable resolution cannot be reached informally, or if such a discussion is not possible, the student may take her/his complaint to the Assistant Dean of Student Services, who will discuss the nature of the complaint with the student and direct the complaint to the appropriate official. Generally, the Assistant Dean of Student Services tries first to facilitate a resolution to the complaint through informal methods. However, this step may be bypassed at the discretion of the Assistant Dean of Student Services or at the request of the student.
If all informal processes fail to produce a satisfactory resolution, the student may choose to submit a formal complaint. To expedite an accurate investigation and a fair resolution of the problem at this level, the complaint should be stated in writing and should be brought to the Assistant Dean of Student Services as quickly as possible. The written complaint should describe the specific act(s) alleged to be in violation of the College’s EEO policies, the student’s attempts, if any, to resolve the grievance informally, the names of all individuals involved in or witness to the alleged act(s), and the precise remedy sought by the student. Students may use their own format for written complaints, or they may obtain a Formal Complaint Form from the Assistant Dean of Student Services.
All communication with the Assistant Dean of Student Services will be held in confidence to the extent possible; however, the Assistant Dean of Student Services may, in certain cases, assign the investigation of the complaint to another appropriately qualified individual and provide that individual with access to all documents and witnesses, with the understanding that all communication with the investigator will be held in confidence. All reasonable attempts will be made to complete the investigation within 15 working days of the submission of the complaint. However, extensions of this time frame may be necessary in certain cases.
Once an investigation has been authorized, the College is obligated to see it through to completion. Only the Dean of the College and the Assistant Dean of Student Services has the authority to halt an investigation. When the investigation has been completed, the Assistant Dean of Student Services will evaluate the evidence gathered and submit a Report of Findings to the Dean of the College within 10 working days of receipt of the Investigation Report, unless extenuating circumstances require an extension of that deadline.
Either party may appeal the Assistant Dean of Student Services findings from the investigation by submitting a written request for review to the Dean of the College. The request for review must be submitted within ten (10) working days after the student is notified of the findings of the Assistant Dean of Student Services. The Dean will receive and review all evidence and render a written decision with recommendations as to resolution within ten (10) working days of receipt of the request for review, unless extenuating circumstances require an extension of this time frame.
At any time prior to, during, or following the completion of the internal investigation process, complainants are entitled to contact and/or submit complaints to external civil rights organizations.

~ Academic Complaints
Students who disagree with an academic decision made by an instructor or administrator, including the assignment of grades or decisions about program or degree requirements or eligibility, may file an academic complaint. The academic complaint procedures are administered by the Associate Dean of Instruction, Assessment and General Education or Associate Dean of Workforce Programs. These procedures are designed to be used when a specific action or decision of a College instructor or administrator had a specific adverse effect on the academic performance or academic record of a student or students. Complaints about the general quality of the performance of an instructor or other College employee are to be addressed through the personnel evaluation processes in place at the College. The academic action or decision, including the assignment of a grade, will be considered unfair if the decision is made:

on some basis other than performance in the course and/or compliance with course/College requirements;
by more exacting or demanding standards than were applied to other students in the same section or circumstances;
by a substantial departure from the instructor’s, department’s, or College’s announced standards as articulated in the course syllabus, catalog descriptions, policies, and/or other written materials.

A student who wishes to make an academic complaint must follow these steps and may request assistance through the Assistant Dean of Student Services:

Informal Meeting. The student should attempt to resolve the matter directly with the instructor or administrator through a personal conference as soon as possible after the academic decision is known.
Department Chair/Director Review. If the student and instructor/administrator cannot reach a mutually satisfactory resolution to the problem, the student may file a formal grievance. The grievance must be presented in writing to the instructor’s/administrator’s Department Chair within ten (10) working days after the student became aware of the academic action/decision. In the case of adjunct faculty, the Director of Instruction should be included. The student must describe the grievance by explaining the specific adverse effect of a specific act(s) or decision of the instructor/administrator, why the student believes the act/decision was unfair, the student’s attempts to resolve the grievance informally, and the precise relief sought by the student. The student may attach copies of any relevant documents to the formal grievance.
If a student requests assistance, the Assistant Dean of Student Services Department will assist with any remaining steps of the formal procedure that the student considers.
The student will send a copy of the grievance to the instructor/administrator, who will have ten (10) working days to respond after receipt of the grievance.
The Department Chair will receive and review all evidence, interview each party, if possible, and render a written decision to the student, instructor, and Assistant Dean of Student Services with recommendations as to resolution within ten (10) working days of receipt of the instructor’s response. If the grievance is not concluded within this time, the student may carry it forward to the appropriate Associate Dean.
Associate Dean’s Review. Either party may appeal the department chair’s/Director’s decision in writing to the Associate Dean, with copies to the instructor, student, department chair/director, and the Assistant Dean of Student Services. Such appeal will be filed within five (5) working days of receipt of the department chair’s determination. The Associate Dean will submit a written decision to the student, instructor, Department Chair, and the Assistant Dean of Student Services within ten (10) working days of receipt of the appeal. The decision of the Associate Dean may be appealed to the Dean/CEO of the College.

~ Student Conduct Complaint Procedures
Below is an abbreviated version of MSU—Great Falls College of Technology’s Student Conduct Complaint Procedures, including the Student Conduct Code and how to file a complaint. For a complete copy of the procedures, please see the office of the Assistant Dean of Student Services (771-5133) or the web page (www.msugf.edu).

Student Conduct Code
Montana State University - Great Falls College of Technology expects all students to conduct themselves as honest, responsible, and law-abiding members of the academic community and to respect the rights of other students, members of the faculty and staff, and the public to use the College’s facilities and participate in the College’s programs. Student conduct that disrupts, invades, or violates the personal, educational, or property rights of others is prohibited and may be subject to disciplinary action, including dismissal and/or referral for prosecution.
Jurisdiction of Student Conduct Complaints
Conduct violations which occur on College property or at college-sponsored events are subject to the College’s disciplinary jurisdiction. The College may also apply this code to student conduct, regardless of where it occurs, which adversely impacts or affects the overall mission, programs, and functions of the College or the health and safety of members of the college community.

Students who commit offenses against the laws of the city, state or United States are subject to prosecution by those authorities and may be subject to disciplinary action under this code if the offenses are also violations of this code. The College’s disciplinary proceedings may precede, follow, or take place simultaneously with criminal proceedings and will not be subject to challenge on the ground that criminal charges involving the same incident have been dismissed or reduced.

The College’s Student Conduct Review Board responds to cases involving alleged violations of the Student Conduct Code. The Board is a standing committee presided over by the Assistant Dean of Student Services. Its members are appointed annually by the Dean and include at least two professional staff, three faculty, two classified/support staff, and two students.
Student Conduct Complaint Procedures
If informal attempts to resolve a student conduct complaint fail, any student, faculty, or staff member of the College may file a formal complaint through the Assistant Dean of Student Services. The formal complaint must be in writing and must contain at least the following information:
- the name and address (if known) of the student alleged to have
  violated the Student Conduct Code;
- the date(s) the incident(s) occurred;
- the location where the incident(s) occurred;
- a description of the incident which sets forth sufficient details to establish a possible violation of the Student Conduct Code.

The Assistant Dean of Student Services will complete an initial investigation to determine what, if any, sanctions are warranted. If all parties involved – the Assistant Dean of Student Services, the complainant and the student against whom the complaint has been filed – agree on an appropriate course of action, the process is complete. If any of the parties are not in agreement, the process moves into a hearing phase. A Hearing Committee is selected from the Student Conduct Review Board, and the Hearing Procedures delineated in the Student Conduct Complaint Procedures are followed. The decision made by the Hearing Committee may be appealed to the Dean of the College. A final appeal within the Montana University System may be made to the President of MSU Bozeman.