Admin Regulation | Stu/Stu Pers Servs | AR5551

Grievance Procedures For Students - AR5551

January 1, 1997

Students may file a grievance when they believe they have been deprived of a right granted to students by the Board of Trustees in any of the policies or regulations of the Rancho Santiago Community College District.

The purpose of these grievance procedures is to resolve differences as fairly and expeditiously as possible while preserving the rights of students and staff members.

DEFINITIONS

Days - Number of days refers to the days when the district offices are open

Committee - Student Grievance Panel*

PROCEDURE

  1. Students shall first confer with the person who took the action or made the ruling to which they object no later than 10 days following the event which prompted the grievance. The Dean of Student Affairs at the Santa Ana Campus or the Dean of Student Services at the Orange Campus will assist the student in arranging an appointment between the student and the staff member.
  2. If the difference is not satisfactorily resolved, the student shall confer with the person's supervisor. The appropriate Dean of Students will assist the student in arranging an appointment between the student and the staff member's supervisor.
  3. If the grievance is still unresolved, the student may file a written statement setting forth the nature of the grievance on the prescribed form with the Executive Dean of Student Services at the Santa Ana Campus or the Vice Chancellor at the Orange Campus no later than 10 days after conferring with the person's supervisor.
  4. The grievance form shall be completed in full and shall include a full description of the grievance, times, dates and pertinent facts, and the remedy sought by the student. a. A Student Grievance Staff Response form will be sent to both the staff member and a supervisor for completion.
  5. The Executive Dean of Student Services or the Vice Chancellor, shall select a Student Grievance Panel. The responsible administrator then shall forward the completed forms to the panel chair for review and recommendation. The panel shall have the power to make an appropriate investigation of the grievance and shall state the findings and make a recommendation.
  6. If the grievance is sustained by the panel, it will recommend appropriate action for relief of the grievance and communicate this in writing to the person(s) to whom the grievance was directed. If the findings of the panel do not sustain the grievance, the panel shall communicate the finding in writing to the student who filed the grievance. The ruling of the Student Grievance Panel is final.

* Stude ​nt Grievance Panel Structure

- one non-voting chair (except in situations of a tie vote)

- one student representative

- one classified representative

- one faculty representative

- one administrative representative

Legal reference:  N/A

Responsible Manager:  Dean of Student Affairs