Report to Substantive Change Committee, February 2008
Federal Requirement 4.5: Student Complaints
The institution has adequate procedures for addressing written student complaints and
is responsible for demonstrating that it follows those procedures when resolving student
complaints.
Judgment of Compliance
Southeastern is in compliance with Federal Requirement 4.5.
Rationale for Judgment of Compliance
Students at Southeastern Louisiana University have numerous rights which correspond
with certain responsibilities and conduct. The specific procedures used to implement
policies which deal with student complaints or the appeal of a decision depend on
whether the complaint/appeal concerns academic matters or matters of student conduct
in non-academic areas.
Complaints of an academic nature are typically handled in the form of an appeal.
Appeals are considered for academic matters such as admissions, change of grade,
and academic suspension. Theses appeal processes are clearly outlined in the
Admission Criteria and Academic Regulations section of the General Catalogue.
Most non-academic policies that guide student conduct explicitly outline the procedure
for filing a complaint or grievance. For example, the Racial/Sexual Harassment Policy in
the Student Handbook explains the complaint procedure in detail:
Any University employee, student, or other member of the University community
who believes he or she has been a victim of harassment while working at the
University or in class or in any other setting (whether by subordinates, peers,
superiors, or other persons), should bring this matter to the immediate attention
of any of the following: his or her supervisor, Human Resource Director, Equal
Employment Opportunity Compliance Officer, Director of Student Health Center,
Assistant Dean of Students, Department Head; call Information (985) 549-2000
for specific phone numbers. Any official receiving a complaint should notify the
EEO Coordinator to make certain that follow-up action is coordinated. The EEO
Coordinator will serve as a clearinghouse for all related actions. If satisfaction is
Southeastern Louisiana University – Federal Requirement 4.5: Student Complaints, Page1
not adequate at initial levels, any affected individual should feel free to bring the
matter to the attention of the Vice Presidents, the Provost, or the President.
Confidential assistance is also available through the University Counseling
Center.
Action will be taken to examine impartially and resolve promptly any complaint.
Complaints that cannot be resolved by informal means, through help of officials
and services listed above, may be resolved through the University’s formal
student, staff or faculty grievance procedures.
In all cases involving complaints against the University, students may institute
complaints informally or formally to the personnel involved in the procedure or action
that yielded the complaint. Instructional matters are typically handled first by the
instructor of record, and then progressively by the department head, the dean of the
college, and the Dean of Enrollment Management if needed. On rare occasions,
complaints that are not resolved may be addressed at the Provost’s level. Noninstructional complaints would first be fielded to the personnel involved in the procedure
or action that yielded the complaint, then to the director of the unit, and finally to the vice
president of the division if needed.
As required, complaints against a student are typically handled through the Judicial
Affairs office. The student’s rights, proscribed conduct, disciplinary procedures, and
rights to appeal are described in detail in the Student Code of Conduct.
Student Complaints in the Doctoral Program
Procedures are in place and are consistently reviewed to handle candidate concerns.
Candidates may request waivers for a variety of program requirements including
transfer credits, residency requirements, age limit on courses transferred into the
program, and years needed to complete the degree from the date of admission to
candidacy. The Consortium Council is the final authority on all requests for waivers.
The grade appeals procedure is currently being revised due to the nature of the
Consortium in which a candidate from one campus may appeal the grade of an
instructor on the other campus. This due process is being revised by the Graduate
Deans and the College Deans. These processes are contained in the respective
university catalogues and the Doctoral Candidate Handbook as well as explained in
consultation between the doctoral candidate and the Coordinator of the Doctoral
Program.
Documentation
Document
Location
General Catalogue 20072008, Admission Criteria and
Academic Regulations
http://www.selu.edu/admin/rec_reg/university_catalogue/current/general/pdf/admissi
on_criteria.pdf
Southeastern Louisiana University – Federal Requirement 4.5: Student Complaints, Page2
Student Handbook 2007,
Sexual/Racial Harassment
Policies, Grievance
Procedures
http://www2.selu.edu/documents/policies/empl/p2_harass.pdf
Office of Judicial Affairs
http://www.selu.edu/admin/jud_affairs/index.html
Student Handbook 2007,
Student Code of Conduct
http://www.selu.edu/admin/stu_affairs/handbook/2007/2007_files/2007_74_127.pdf
Southeastern Louisiana University – Federal Requirement 4.5: Student Complaints, Page3