GRIEVANCES

Academic General Student Grievance Policy

The Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will be asked to respond to grievances concerning maintenance of an appropriate academic environment, such as the openness of every class to reasonable and civil expression of diverse intellectual viewpoints as they may relate to material under study, and grade related appeals.  If a student complaint cannot be resolved informally, the formal grievance appeal outlined above should be followed and submitted to the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Contact Information:

The Office of Academic Affairs, Provost and Vice President
Dalton State College
650 College Drive
Dalton, GA 30720
706.272.4420
academicaffairs@daltonstate.edu

Admissions Grievance Policy

Whenever an applicant for admission to Dalton State College shall be denied admission or shall feel that their application has not been given due consideration or whenever a student shall be expelled or suspended, such applicant or student shall have the right to appeal in accordance with the following procedure:

  1. The person aggrieved shall appeal in writing to the head of the institution within five days after the action of which he/she complains. The head of the institution shall within five days appoint a committee composed of three members of the faculty of the institution or he/she shall utilize the services of an appropriate existing committee. This committee shall review all facts and circumstances connected with the case and shall within five days make its finding and report thereon to the President. After consideration of the committee’s report, the President shall within five days make a decision which shall be final so far as the institution is concerned.

  2. Should the aggrieved person be dissatisfied with said decision, he/she may apply to the Board of Regents, without prejudice to his/her position, for a review of the decision. The application for review shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Secretary of the Board within a period of twenty days, following the decision of the President. This application for review shall state the decision complained of and the redress desired. A review by the Board is not a matter of right, but is within the sound discretion of the Board. If the application for review is granted, the Board, or a committee of the Board, shall investigate the matter thoroughly and render its decision thereon within sixty days from the filing date of the application for review or from the date of any hearing which may be held thereon. The decision of the Board shall be final and binding for all purposes. (Minutes, 1962-63, pp. 244-245; Minutes, 1967-68, pp. 750-751.

Disability Access Grievance Policy and Procedure

Disability Access desires to provide appropriate and effective services that comply with all federal, state, local, University System of Georgia, and Dalton State mandates and guidelines. Any individual who is of the opinion that our efforts to provide adequate services are non-compliant, or are discriminatory, may file a grievance to seek resolution of the concern.

For specific information please visit our website.

General Student Grievance Policy

The Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management is responsible for providing support for students by serving as a voice for student concerns within the broader campus community. The Office also serves as a primary link between students, faculty, and the administration of the College. The Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management offers a first line of response for students in addressing issues in any area of student life.  Students enrolled in the college’s distance education program who take online/hybrid courses are subject to the same grievance procedures.

Contact Information:

Dr. Jodi Johnson
Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
Dalton State College
706.272.4475
jjohnson@daltonstate.edu

Where possible, student complaints should be resolved on an informal basis without the filing of a formal grievance. A student has 10 business days from the date of the incident being grieved to resolve his/her complaint informally by approaching his/her instructor, department chair, dean, or any other staff or faculty member directly involved in the grieved incident. Where this process does not result in a resolution of the grievance, the student may proceed to the formal grievance procedure.

Where a student cannot resolve the complaint informally, the formal grievance procedure may be used. Within 15 business days of the incident being grieved, the student must file a formal grievance in the office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management (VPSAEM) with the following information:

1) Name
2) Date
3) Brief description of incident being grieved
4) Suggested remedy
5) Any informal remedy attempted by student, including outcome
6) Student signature

If the grievance is against the VPSAEM, the student shall file the grievance in the Office of the President.

The VPSAEM, or her designee, will investigate the matter and supply a written response to the student within 15 business days. If the aggrieved incident is closely related to an incident being processed through student conduct, the student conduct proceedings will take precedence and the grievance will not be processed until after the discipline hearing. The VPSAEM, or her designee, shall be granted an additional 15 business days to investigate the grievance upon notice to the grieving student.

If a student is unsatisfied with the response from the VPSAEM, the student may appeal the decision to the President. A student shall file a written appeal to the President within 5 business days of receiving the response. The appeal will be decided based entirely on documents provided by the student and the administration; therefore, the student must ensure that he/she has provided all relevant documents with his/her appeal. At the President’s sole discretion, grievance appeals at the institution may be held in one of the following two ways:

  1. The President may review the information provided by the student and administration and make the final decision; or

  2. The President may appoint a cross-functional committee comprised of three members of the faculty to make the final decision.

The decision of either the President or the cross-functional committee shall be made within 10 business days of receipt by the President of the appeal. The President shall send notification of the decision to the student in writing within five (5) business days of the final decision.

Whichever process is chosen by the President, the decision of the grievance appeal is final.

Retaliation against a student for filing a grievance is strictly prohibited.

Student grievance records are maintained in the office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.

Some student complaints have additional formal mechanisms for redress. The processes for these complaints are outlined in the corresponding sections of the Dalton State College catalog.

NC SARA GRIEVANCE POLICY  ***NON-GEORGIA RESIDENT ONLY***

The United States government and individual states mandate that institutions offering distance education (online learning) have the approval of each state to provide distance education to residents of that state. To meet these requirements, Dalton State College participates in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) and is an approved institution in Georgia.  Distance Learning students from SARA member states (not residing in Georgia) follow the Dalton State General Grievance policy.  Students who feel their complaint has not been resolved through these grievance procedures may file a complaint using the NC SARA Online Student Complaint Form.