Grievance Procedure

Grievance Procedure

The Citadel and the Student Success Center ensure that no qualified student with disability is denied the benefits of, excluded from participation in, or otherwise subject to discrimination by any Citadel personnel, program, or activity.

Any student who believes that he/she has been discriminated against by any Citadel personnel, program, or activity because of a disability has the right to seek a review of his/her grievances.

The student should present his/her grievances to the Director of Services for Students with Disabilities within 30 calendar days of the incident. If the incident involves the Director of Services for Students with Disabilities directly, the student should present his/her grievance issues to the Director of the Student Success Center. The student should provide the following with their grievance:

  • Name and Citadel Identification Number of the student submitting the grievance;
  • Contact information, including address, telephone, e-mail;
  • Name of the person(s) directly responsible for the alleged discrimination;
  • Nature of and detailed description of the alleged incident;
  • Copies of any available documents pertaining to the alleged incident;
  • Name of any witnesses to the alleged incident;
  • Actions student has taken to resolve the alleged incident;
  • Action requested to resolve the alleged incident;
  • Signature and date of filing;
  • Any other relevant information.

Procedure for Grievances Not Involving Academic Issues

The Director of the Student Success Center or the Executive Director of Academic Affairs and Academic Services, as appropriate, will investigate the grievance, or he/she may assign another individual to investigate the matter. This individual will be at the Director level or above.

At a minimum, the investigation will include interviews with the student and involved parties including the accused party, a review of any relevant written materials, and an effort to obtain information from other relevant individuals (i.e. interviews or written statements or documents). If the investigation is conducted by a designated individual, he/she will provide a written report to the Director of the Student Success Center or the Executive Director of Academic Affairs, as appropriate. The proposed resolution will be provided to the student and the other party(ies) involved in the grievance by the Director of the Student Success Center or the Executive Director for Academic Affairs, as appropriate.

A student or the other party(ies) involved in the grievance who wishes to appeal the decision of the Director of the Student Success Center or the Executive Director for Academic Affairs, as appropriate, may appeal to the Vice President to whom the party(ies) or unit involved in the grievance reports. The appeal must be filed in writing, with grounds, within 15 calendar days of the letter notifying the student of the decision of the Director of the Student Success Center or the Executive Director for Academic Affairs, as appropriate.

A decision on the appeal will be issued within 30 calendar days of receipt of the appeal; if additional time is needed, the parties will be informed. Should the student or the other party(ies) involved in the grievance wish to appeal the decision of the Vice President, the matter is referred to the Provost. This is the final level of appeal at The Citadel.

Procedures for Grievances Involving Academic Issues

The Director of the Student Success Center reviews the academic grievance presented by the student. If it is determined that the grievance may be related to the denial of documented accommodations that had been approved for the student, the Director ensures that the instructor had been properly informed of these approved accommodations and presents that perspective to the instructor with a proposed resolution.

If the instructor and the student do not reach an agreement and the student wishes to further disclose his/her disability and continue to pursue the academic grievance, the procedure for academic grievances as presented in the catalog and Faculty Manual is then followed. The Director of the Student Success Center provides in writing his/her analysis of the issues related to the student’s documented accommodations and the resolution that has been proposed to the student and instructor to the lowest appropriate level not involved in the grievance, department head, or associate dean.

If the matter remains unresolved, the student may present the grievance and the attempted solution in writing to the appropriate dean. If deemed appropriate, the dean may appoint a review committee consisting of three faculty members, with one designated as chair and a student in good standing from the same student category as the grieving student. This committee shall have the authority to interview individuals who may have information pertaining to the grievance and to request records and materials pertaining to the grievance.

In a grievance procedure, all employees and students are obligated to provide the requested information to the dean/associate dean/department head, or review committee. The committee shall forward its findings and recommendations to the convening dean who shall decide the case. The student may appeal that decision to the Provost who has the authority to settle all student grievances.

The student should be informed of the right to file a complaint with the appropriate state or federal agency. The right of a student to a prompt and equitable resolution of a complaint shall not be impaired by the student’s pursuit of other external remedies nor shall the use of this internal grievance procedure be a prerequisite to other external remedies.

Students who believe that the adjudication of their complaints was not fair may file a complaint directly with the Office of Civil Rights at the following address:

Office for Civil Rights, DC Office
US Department of Education, Customer Service Team
400 Maryland Ave., SW
Washington, D.C. 20202-1100
Phone: 800.421.3481 
Fax: 202.245.6840,
OCR@ed.gov 

Alternatively, an OCR Electronic Complaint Form may be submitted:

http://www.ed.gov./about/offices/list/ocr/complaintintro.html

It is The Citadel’s policy that no student or other member of The Citadel community will be subject to retaliation for filing a complaint or participating in an investigation of a complaint. If a member of The Citadel community engages in such retaliation, The Citadel will take appropriate disciplinary measures.

If you have questions, please contact:

Col. Robert Pickering
Director
Student Success Center
The Citadel
843-953-1820