Kettering College Student Academic Grievance Policy

updated 3/2/10

Click here for the printable version of the formal academic grievance complaint form.

Academic assessment is a key process in the function of a college.  Important judgments must be rendered regarding students’ mastery of course didactic and clinical outcomes.  It is the goal of the Kettering College faculty to render such evaluations in a fair and dispassionate manner based upon the best available data.  Such judgments primarily involve the assignment of grades, determinations regarding student progression, or issues of academic integrity.  When students feel that they have been the recipient of an unfair, unethical, or discriminatory academic decision they may choose to use the following due process to address their concerns.

1. The student should request a meeting with the relevant individual instructor to present their concern for review. It is expected that this request will be made within two weeks of the event in question.
2. If this first meeting does not result in a satisfactory resolution then the student should contact the department/division chair for a follow-up meeting in which the instructor can be included. 
3. After following this informal process, if the student desires further review, the next step is for the student to contact a college ombudsperson.  The ombudsperson is a member of the KCMA faculty or staff whose responsibility is to act as an impartial advisor to the student and to assist the student in understanding and facilitating the arbitration process.  The current ombudspersons are Bev Ervin, Learning Commons Director, and Clive Wilson, Campus Chaplain.
4. After meeting with an ombudsperson, a student wishing to file a formal request to convene an arbitration panel should do so in writing on the form which is provided on this page.  The completed form should be given to the ombudsperson, who will then deliver it on behalf of the student to the Arbitration Panel Coordinator (APC). It is important for the student to file this request in a timely manner in order to minimize issues related to academic progression.
5. The APC, after consulting with the Dean for Academic Affairs, will contact the student regarding the composition of an Arbitration Panel. The APC will select two panel members, who are not directly involved in the student situation, from among the current full-time KCMA faculty and will solicit the student’s input regarding the selection of a third faculty member. The ombudsperson’s role will not allow them to serve as a member of an arbitration panel.  The APC will facilitate these contacts on behalf of the student until the panel is assembled.  The APC will then orient the panel to the arbitration process.
6. The Arbitration Panel will meet to consider the student’s grievance statement, review relevant information, deliberate and reach a decision. The decision of the panel will be conveyed to the APC, who will notify the Dean for Academic Affairs. The Dean will contact the student regarding the Arbitration Panel decision.  Decisions of the Arbitration Panel are final.