General Student Complaints Policy

Young Harris College provides students with an opportunity to address general student complaints, grievances, and concerns through a comprehensive set of policies, programs, and procedures. The College has identified processes for resolving specific types of concerns.

Jurisdiction for resolving many types of concerns is covered by the policies and accompanying processes listed below.

General Student Complaints

The General Student Complaint Policy is for complaints not covered by another institutional policy and process. All students have the right and the responsibility to address an issue that is unjust, causes harm, or creates the potential of harm. The process for addressing a General Student Complaint is outlined below.

Step One
Identify the issue. Identify potential solutions. Is the concern that a policy or process is unfair or not being applied equally? Is the issue a single incident or an on-going problem? Identify credible and relevant information.
 

Step Two
Have a conversation with the individual who is closest to the concern. Describe the issue and discuss potential solutions. It is possible that the person is unaware of the problem, and you may be able to provide a perspective. It is also possible that you do not have all the information relevant to the issue. If you are upset about a decision that was made, meet with the person who can assist you.
 

Step Three
If the matter is not resolved after discussing the concern with the person at the closest possible level, make an appointment with that person’s supervisor and talk with that person about the concern. Perhaps the person can assist in coming up with reasonable solutions.
 

Step Four
This step moves the process from informal to formal. After utilizing the first three steps listed above in the process, if a student does not think the matter has been resolved reasonably, the student may submit a written student complaint on the COMPLAINT FORM. The complaint must:

1. Identify the problem,
2. Provide relevant information, and
3. Describe the steps the student has taken to resolve the matter, including names of individuals with whom the student has discussed the matter.
    

Step Five
Once the COMPLAINT FORM is received, the student will receive an acknowledgement of the written student complaint and the complaint will be routed to the appropriate administrator to investigate. (Please note: Complaints regarding budget and personnel decisions such as hiring, discipline, or termination of employees are confidential and private matters. While a student may complain about a budget or personnel decision, the student will only receive acknowledgement of receipt of the complaint.)
 

Step Six
The administrator will investigate the complaint or assign investigators to the complaint. The investigation will conclude within 30 Business Days, or the administrator will provide an update to the person who made the complaint, including:

1. A reason that the investigation is taking longer than expected and
2. A timeline for when the complainant will receive a response regarding the matter.
    

Step Seven
The complainant receives a response regarding the issue. If the complainant is not satisfied with the response, the complainant may appeal to the Provost or designee, unless the complaint is about the Provost. Appeals of the original response must be based on one of the following criteria:

1. The process was not followed. The complainant must state what part of the process was not followed.
2. There is new information not previously known or available. The Complainant must provide the new information and date it became known.
3. There is evidence of bias by the individual responding to the written complaint. The Complainant must provide evidence of the bias.

In cases in which the Provost is the subject of the complaint, the Vice President for Finance and Operations will serve as the appellate.

Step Eight
The Provost (or the Vice President for Finance and Operations) will provide a response to the appeal within 15 business days of receiving the appeal. The response to the appeal is final and binding and concludes the on-campus complaint process.
 

Step Nine
Young Harris students who have exhausted the complaint process offered by the College may file a complaint with the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission. Further information on the Commission’s Complaint Procedure may be found at gnpec.georgia.gov/student-resources/complaints-against-institution.