Respect Graduate School (RGS) encourages the promotion and informal resolution of grievances as they arise and provides recourse to orderly procedures for the satisfactory resolution of complaints. A grievance can include, but is not limited to, a complaint, misinterpretation, or inequitable application of stated or implied policies, regulations, or expectations.

A grievance procedure shall be as follows: If a student has a grievance against another person, she or he should first speak directly to that person and then, if the matter is not resolved, he/she may refer the matter to that person’s immediate superior and, if necessary, to proceed through the chain of responsibility all the way up to the Dean of Students’ office.

If it is necessary to file a written complaint and to process a grievance through the formal chain of responsibility, the process shall be as follows:

The student shall prepare and submit a formal grievance to the Dean of Students (See  grievance reporting form below). The Dean of Students shall meet with the individual(s) involved and shall make a ruling on the complaint. Once the ruling has been rendered, it will be given to the student orally, and later in written form. If the student ascertains that satisfactory resolution was not made, the Dean of Students shall appoint and convene an ad hoc committee composed of the Dean of Academic Affairs and two faculty members (a faculty member involved in the complaint will not be appointed to the committee). This committee shall conduct its hearings and report its actions within 60 days of the initial report of the grievance.

Once the committee is appointed, the members will be given a copy of the student’s written. complaint and a summary of the meeting(s) convened by the Dean of the Students in order to resolve the complaint satisfactorily.

Once the committee members have had an opportunity to review the materials provided in step three, a meeting shall be arranged with the individual(s) involved. The Dean is to arrange and chair the meeting(s). At the meeting, the student may present evidence supporting his or her grievance. It is the responsibility of the committee members to ask the students and the other persons involved in the complaint questions to clarify the information provided in the written complaint and/or the summary of the previous meeting(s). Once all the evidence has been reviewed, the committee, using a simple majority vote, will make a ruling on the complaint. If the grievance involves a grade rendered by a faculty member, the committee cannot rule on a grade change without agreement by the faculty member involved.

Decisions made by the committee will be given to the student orally and, later, in written form. If the student perceives that a satisfactory resolution of the complaint has still not been resolved, a complaint may be filed with the President of the Institution. The President can involve any appropriate school personnel in the process to resolve the complaint. The decision of the President and/or the assigned designees is final. The final resolution is to be filed with the Dean of Students’ office.