Student Academic Complaints
Carolina University seeks to provide an excellent educational experience for all students. If a student wishes to make a complaint of an academic nature, in the first instance, they should seek to resolve the matter by informal discussion with the faculty member or their supervisor.
If the informal discussions do not resolve the complaint, a student is entitled to file a formal complaint. No student shall suffer retaliation or other punitive action by the sole reason of filing a complaint or participating in a related process. A student must be enrolled at the institution in order to file a complaint under this policy.
A student may file a complaint about a matter related to teaching, learning, assessment, grading, or student performance in a course.
A student must complete and submit the Student Academic Complaint Form to the Registrar's Office no later than 7 days after the events that are alleged to have caused the complaint. Any supporting evidence must be attached with the form. A complaint that is vague, stating unsupported allegations, obvious falsehoods, based on differences of opinion about academic content or faculty expertise, or is unrelated to academic matters is liable to be dismissed summarily.
The Registrar's Office will conduct an initial assessment of the form.
If the Student Academic Complaint Form and supporting evidence demonstrate a prima facie case, the Provost or delegate shall constitute a Student Academic Appeal Committee with no fewer than three full-time faculty members who shall be unrelated to the respondent in the complaint. The committee shall elect a chair and decisions shall be by majority voting.
The Student Academic Appeal Committee shall present the allegations to the respondent no later than 21 days after it receives the complaint and seek a response within a 14 day period. Upon receipt of the respondent's response, the committee may afford an opportunity for both sides to make oral presentations and examine any witnesses. Any such oral hearings shall be confidential and attorneys are not entitled to represent either party to the complaint. As far as possible, the committee shall seek to conduct matters in a non-adversarial manner, maintain confidentiality, and make decisions based on facts. It shall make every attempt to achieve reconciliation and harmony.
After completing its assessment of the evidence, the committee shall submit its recommendations in writing to the Provost no later than 60 days after receiving the complaint. The Provost may accept the recommendations in full or in part and communicate his decision to the student and the respondent. Any grade changes or disciplinary sanctions shall be implemented by the Registrar's Office and other relevant departments.
The student or respondent may request a reconsideration of the decision by writing to the Provost within 7 days of receipt of the decision. The decision rendered by the Provost after such reconsideration shall be final.