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Complaint Process

WSC provides an opportunity for enrolled students and the public in general to submit non-academic complaints. The policy, process, and procedures for submitting complaints is outlined in the Student Complaint/Grievance Procedures section in the student handbook. These procedures are listed below for easy reference.

Student Complaint/Grievance Procedures
(excerpt from Wayne State College Student Handbook, 2022-23)

Section 1
The grievance procedure set forth herein is designed to provide a method for a student to resolve a request or complaint with the college. Timelines should be adhered to unless modifications are agreed to by the parties to the grievance.

Section 2
A grievance is defined to be a request or complaint by a student not covered under faculty or staff grievance procedures. Issues involving academic dishonesty; grade appeals; failure to pay a financial obligation; or, academic performance and achievement, probation or suspension for which the College has established appeal procedures are not eligible for grievance under this policy. Issues of student misconduct for which appeal procedures are available pursuant to Board Policy 3200 are not eligible for the grievance procedure under this policy.

Section 3
In reducing a grievance to writing, it should include the exact nature of the grievance, the act(s) of commission or omission, the date(s) of the act(s), the identity of the grievant, the identity of the party(ies) alleged to have caused the grievance, provisions of any agreement, bylaws, rules, policies or practices that are alleged to have been violated, and the remedy that is sought.

Section 4
The grievant shall, at his/her expense, have the right to assistance by a person of his/her own choosing from the College community, or to legal counsel in any step of the grievance procedure.

Procedure

Step 1
The grievant shall first discuss the grievance with the appropriate College administrator, faculty or professional staff member or with the person at the first level in the chain of command within 10 working days of the occurrence giving rise to the grievance in an attempt to settle the grievance.

The College administrator, faculty or professional staff member or the person at the first level in the chain of command shall then have 10 working days in which to respond and give a written answer to the grievant.

Step 2
A grievance not settled in Step 1 may be filed in writing with the appropriate person in the next level higher in the chain of command in accordance with Section 3 above to discuss and attempt to settle the grievance. If the grievance is with the school dean or department chair, the grievant shall discuss the matter with the Vice President responsible for Academic Affairs.

Step 3
A grievance which has not been settled in Steps 1 and 2 and which the grievant wishes to pursue shall be appealed to the Vice President responsible for Student Affairs, within ten (10) working days of the receipt of the response given in Step 2. The appeal shall include the written grievance and all responses given in the first two steps.

The Vice President responsible for Student Affairs may conduct a conference with the grievant.

Within 10 working days of receipt of the grievance the Vice President responsible for Student Affairs shall render his/her written decision. If such findings and recommendations are not submitted within that time or if the grievance is not satisfied, then the grievant may proceed to the next step within 10 working days.

Step 4
Should all prior steps fail to resolve the grievance, and the grievant wishes to pursue the grievance, the grievant may appeal to the President, within 10 working days of the receipt of the response in Step 3, by filing the grievance and all prior responses with the President.

Step 5
Should all prior steps fail to resolve the grievance, and the grievant wishes to pursue the grievance, the grievant may appeal to the Chancellor, within 30 working days of the receipt of the response in Step 4, by filing the grievance and all prior responses with the Chancellor. The Chancellor will only consider whether basic procedural fairness was offered. The Chancellor may request additional information from the grievant and the College in order to render a decision. The Chancellor will issue a written decision within 20 working days after receipt of the appeal.

Step 6
If the grievant is not satisfied with the decision made by the Chancellor, the grievant may seek relief under applicable State and Federal laws. See Board of Trustees Policy 3210 Grievance Procedures - Students

Individuals may also submit complaints to Nebraska's Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education (CCPE), the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) portal agency. The complaint process is described on the CCPE website.

Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education
P.O. Box 95005
Lincoln, NE 68509-5005
402-471-0030