Grievance / Hearing Procedure

Policy

Any student having a grievance related to the determination of and/or provision of disability-related services and accommodations through the Office of Academic AccessAbility at Catawba College is entitled to a prompt and equitable resolution of their complaint.

Procedure

Students who believe they have been subjected to discrimination or treated unfairly must follow the established procedure listed below.

A student may report their complaint to the Vice Provost’s Office, Room 237A in Hedrick Administration, 704.637.4279. The complaint must be in writing and include: the nature of the complaint; date(s) of alleged incident(s); information about attempts to resolve the complaint; and the results of such attempts. The complaint must be filed within 10 class days of the incident. The student will sign a release form to permit appropriate persons to review and investigate confidential information or documentation in the complaint.

The Vice Provost shall determine the appropriate administrative review for the complaint.  When appropriate, the Vice Provost will convene a Grievance Committee. If the Vice Provost decides that a review is not warranted, they will contact all involved parties in writing, informing them of the decision and the reasons thereof.

If deemed necessary, a Grievance Committee will convene in a timely manner (within 15 class days) and review the student's complaint. Complaints will generally, but not always be resolved in this time frame. If the complaint is not resolved in this time frame, the complainant will be kept informed of when they might be resolved and the reasons for the delay. A summary of the panel's finding will be forwarded to all panel members and the student, informing them of the decision.  

Most grievances and complaints can be resolved through this process. To register complaints regarding the results of this process, students may contact the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights. More information regarding this process can be found on the OCR Website or through How To File a Discrimination Complaint.