The University of Arizona Global Campus community benefits from informal, formal, and academic advocacy-related processes. The Resolution Center encourages prompt and equitable resolution of informal and formal complaints that students may have about the implementation of policies and procedures that govern the institution. Additionally, the UAGC community also benefits from other support services and advocacy-related processes, such as the Academic Resolution process, which works to connect students with appropriate outcomes and resources for their needs.
Who May File A Complaint: The Resolution Center addresses complaints filed by an individual student, alumnus, former student, prospective applicant, or applicant. The terms “student” and “complainant” are used interchangeably.
No Reprisal: Students will not be subjected to reprisal or retaliation for using or participating in Resolution Center processes.
Issues Eligible for Review: Students or Complainants may submit concerns about existing University policies and procedures. In addition, complaints can be filed regarding topics including, but not limited to, instructors, grading, billing, transcripts, financial aid, and other finance options, such as employer-related benefits, course drop or scheduling concerns, personal hardship matters, student account balances, military benefits, disability-related matters, and advising issues.
Please note: any academic-related complaints requesting to grade or re-grade an assignment will not be considered until the course has concluded and a final grade has been posted.
In addition, any discrimination complaints based on a protected classification, including race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin (including shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics), age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetic information, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws excluding behavior that falls under the Title IX Nondiscrimination Policy, may be eligible for review.
Students are encouraged to begin the resolution process within thirty (30) calendar days of the incident prompting the complaint or from the date of knowledge of the incident prompting the complaint. However, complaints should generally be filed within five (5) years of the incident or five (5) years from a student’s last date of recorded attendance at the University. Complaints received after this time may not be considered for review.
How to File a Complaint
An individual may file a complaint with the Resolution Center by completing the Resolution Center Submission form or by emailing resolution@uagc.edu.
Upon receipt of the complaint, the Resolution Center will review the complaint to determine if the complaint can be informally resolved or appropriately addressed by an established University process, including Resolution Center processes.
Step I: Informal (Departmental Resolution)
Students should address the complaint or concern at the departmental level with the individual involved in the complaint, such as faculty and staff. If satisfactory resolution is not reached after discussion with the individual or if it is impracticable to address the problem or complaint with the individual, the student should proceed with filing a complaint with the Resolution Center.
If the required information has not been submitted with the complaint form, a Resolution Specialist will inform the Complainant in writing of the additional information that is needed. The Complainant will be provided with a reasonable amount of time to submit the missing information for the complaint. If the Complainant does not submit the additional required information, the complaint will not be processed.
Once the complaint is deemed eligible for review by the Resolution Center and all required information has been received, the complaint will be assigned to a Resolution Specialist. The specialist will determine if the complaint can be informally resolved within three (3) business days, which may include referring the student to an established University process, or if the complaint should be referred to a Resolution Center process. If the complaint is not eligible for review by the Resolution Center (see above for “Issues Eligible for Review”), the Complainant will be notified by the Resolution Center.
Step II: Resolution Center Processes
If a complaint cannot be resolved informally, the complaint will be referred to the Academic Resolution process or the Formal Grievance process. If the complaint is academic in nature, it will be referred to the Academic Resolution process. For all other eligible issues, the complaint will be referred to the Formal Grievance process.
Academic Resolution Process
If a student has a concern about an instructor or their course and/or would like to formally request a revised letter grade, they must provide documentation and communication to demonstrate that Step I occurred. If the student and instructor are not able to resolve the matter, the student may be referred to the Academic Resolution process.
A request for a revised letter grade may be considered if one or more of the following conditions exist:
- An error was made in the calculation of the course grade.
- The instructor was incorrect with respect to an objective fact within the discipline, and this error affected the student’s final grade.
- The student experienced an obstacle outside of the classroom that impacted their ability to engage in the course and is now requesting to have assignments graded.
- A violation of a posted policy occurred, which impacted the student’s final letter grade for the course.
Please note that the Academic Resolution process is not eligible for Step III, as this process is considered an appeal request for the above-noted reasons.
Formal Grievance Process
During the Formal Grievance process in Step II, the Resolution Specialist will adequately, reliably, and impartially investigate the complaint. The specialist will evaluate the findings and issue a written response detailing the outcome of the investigation, based on the preponderance of the evidence standard (more likely than not).
Investigation
During the investigation phase, the specialist will contact the student and others, including all witnesses* identified by either Complainant or Respondent who are likely to have knowledge relevant to the allegation or may be able to discuss the student’s concerns. The student’s participation in the process is essential, and the resolution specialist may speak with the student several times during the investigation stage. Students should be prepared to speak with the resolution specialist and to provide any additional relevant information the specialist might request. Failure to provide the requested information may delay or preclude a thorough investigation.
*The specialist will document all efforts to contact relevant witnesses. If the resolution specialist is unable to contact a relevant witness, the attempts to contact the witness and the reasons such attempts were unsuccessful must be documented by the resolution specialist.
Evaluation and Response
Following the completion of the investigation, Step II Formal Grievances are evaluated through a collaborative process that may involve leadership of the various functional areas within the University. These representatives have decision-making authority in regards to formal grievances. The Resolution Specialist will present the investigation findings and the student’s requested resolution to those designated with decision-making authority. Complaints alleging discrimination or bias must be concluded within fifteen (15) days following the completion of the investigation.
The Step II process will be completed within thirty (30) business days following the referral to the formal grievance process. If additional time is needed for the investigation, evaluation, or response, the student will be notified. The response will be issued to the student and/or their representative via email.
Per Step III below, a student may request to appeal the outcome of the Step II Formal Grievance process. Unless a student articulates a permissible ground for appeal, the response at Step II is final.
Step III: Executive Committee Appeal Request (for Formal Grievance Process)
Timeline for Filing an Appeal
The student should file the appeal within ten (10) business days of the date of the University’s written response, should any of the following grounds be met:
- To consider new evidence that was unavailable during the original investigation that could be outcome-determinative.
- To assess whether a material deviation from written procedures impacted the fairness of the process in a way that could be outcome-determinative.
- To challenge if the findings of the investigation do not accord with the preponderance of the evidence.
- To assess whether bias of the investigator deprived the process of impartiality in a way that could be outcome-determinative.
How to File an Appeal
The student must set forth in writing and identify at least one of the above grounds for appeal, accompanied by information that supports the ground(s) for appeal. The written appeal shall be sent to GrievanceAppeal@uagc.edu.
Appeal Process
Phase One: Review and Evaluation
Within three (3) business days of receipt of the request, the Resolution Center will review the appeal to ensure that:
- It states one or more of the four (4) grounds for appeal; and
- It is accompanied by any relevant newly available information or evidence that was not available during the formal grievance process.
If the request does not state a ground for appeal and does not include new information or evidence to evaluate, the Complainant will be notified in writing that the appeal is ineligible for processing and that no action will be taken on the request. The Complainant will have three (3) business days to amend and cure the appeal. The amended request should be sent to GrievanceAppeal@uagc.edu. If the amended appeal meets the threshold, it will proceed to Phase Two.
Phase Two: Evaluation and Determination
The Executive Committee will render a written decision on the appeal within ten (10) business days from the date the appeal was accepted for processing. The Executive Committee will use the preponderance of the evidence standard (more likely than not) of review to make a determination on the appeal of the formal grievance outcome. The Executive Committee’s determination shall be final.
The terms “student” and “complainant” are used interchangeably and refer to an individual student, alumnus, former student, prospective applicant, or applicant.
Business day is defined to mean normal operating hours, Monday through Friday, excluding recognized University holidays and closures.
Complaints to States and Accrediting Bodies
Students may file a complaint with the University’s institutional accrediting body by contacting WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), 1080 Marina Village Parkway, Suite 500, Alameda, CA 94501, 510-748-9001, www.wscuc.org.
Students may file a complaint with the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE) via email (iacbe@iacbe.org) or by regular mail to 11960 Quivira Road, Suite 300, Overland Park, Kansas 66213, USA.
Please refer to the SARA Complaint Process and Complaints to States sections in the Introduction section of this Catalog and here for the SARA complaint process and information on complaints to states and accrediting bodies.