GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES

The college aims to ensure that all members of the college community, including students, faculty, and staff, feel heard, respected, and supported. To accomplish this, the institution intends to have accessible procedures in place to address concerns and resolve conflicts. While these grievance procedures are available to the entire community, particular emphasis is placed on ensuring that students have a safe and effective way to voice complaints when they believe policies or standards have not been upheld. The following sections provide an overview of our grievance processes.

Filing a Complaint

Any member of the College community may file a complaint against a student, alleging a violation of the Student Code of Conduct. The complaint should be submitted in a timely manner in order to avoid unnecessary delays in the judicial process. Complaints must be submitted to the campus judicial officer or designee within a reasonable time following an alleged incident, not to exceed 10 College business days. A copy of all reported complaints and violations must be given to the campus judicial officer.

Palestine, Terrell, THSC, and Online Students

In cases where violations of the Student Code of Conduct occur on the Kaufman, Palestine, Terrell, or Terrell Health Science Center (THSC) campuses, the senior administrator of that campus will serve as the first step of the judicial process. Complaints on these campuses must be submitted within a reasonable time following an alleged incident, not to exceed 10 College business days. The complaint will be forwarded to the campus provost/director, and that individual will communicate details of the complaint to the judicial officer who will administer the judicial process.

In cases of violations of the Student Code of Conduct in an online class, the director of distance learning will serve as the first step in the judicial process. Complaints from online students must be submitted within a reasonable time, not to exceed 10 College business days, following the alleged incident. The complaint will be forwarded to the director, and the director will communicate details of the complaint to the judicial officer, who will continue to administer the judicial process.