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.
Conduct Guidelines and Grievance Procedures for Students
Full policy can be found at: http://www.msugf.edu/about/PoliciesProcedures/300/300_STUDENT_CONDUCT_AND_GRIEVANCE_002.pdf
