Grievance Policy

Suggestions concerning the College, constructive criticism of the College’s policies, or reporting violations of College policies by employees and students are encouraged.  However, individuals wishing to express concerns or criticisms shall be required to follow the State Technical College Grievance Procedure to ensure their concern is heard by the appropriate party.  It shall be the policy of the Board of Regents that concerns shall be initially communicated to persons at the lowest level of authority at which effective action can take place.  If there is dissatisfaction on action taken at any level, the concern may automatically be communicated to the next higher level of authority until the grievance is resolved or final disposition has been adjudicated.

 

Procedure

Members of the State Tech community, students and employees are encouraged to report discrimination or complaints associated with violations of State Tech policy.  Employees and students are encouraged to resolve complaints informally using current procedures for students and supervisory channels for employees.  Formal grievances are completed on the State Tech website Ready to Report or by contacting the Chief of Staff or Title IX Coordinator. Complaints falling under the jurisdiction of Title IX are referred to the Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX Coordinator will initiate the Formal Grievance Process Under Title IX Regulations. If necessary, live hearings required under Title IX will be held in accordance with State Tech’s Sexual Harassment Hearing Procedures.  

Complaints not falling under the jurisdiction of Title IX do not require a live hearing and will be referred as follows:

1. Regardless of complainant, where a student is accused of a policy violation, the complaint will be referred to the Vice President of Student Affairs.
2. Regardless of complainant, where an employee of the college is accused of a policy violation and the complaint is discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, the complaint will be referred to the Chief of Staff.
3. When the complainant is a student and the grievance is academic in nature the complaint will be referred to the Department Dean.
4. When the complainant is a student and the compliant is associated with State Tech policies or procedure and no one is accused of a policy violation, the grievance will be referred to the Vice President of Student Affairs.
5. When the complainant is an employee and complaint is associated with a State Tech policy, procedure, dispute, or other circumstance not already covered, the grievance will be referred to the Chief of Staff.

State Tech reserves the right to adjust referrals of complaints in circumstances where normal referrals would result in a conflict of interest for the parties involved. Complaints referred are processed under the following guidelines:

 

When a student is accused of a policy violation . In cases where a student is accused of a violation and the complaint does not fall under the jurisdiction of Title IX, the Student Code of Conduct will be used to process the complaint.

 

When an employee is accused of a policy violation. In cases where an employee is accused of a policy violation and the complaint does not fall under the jurisdiction of Title IX but includes discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, the following process will be used:

 

The Chief of Staff or a designee will initiate an initial consultation with the complainant.  During the initial consultation, the Chief of Staff or designee will review the complaint with the complainant and all available evidence bought to the initial consultation.  Upon the conclusion the Chief of Staff or designee will determine if there is reasonable suspicion that discrimination, harassment, or retaliation occurred and if the complaint should be further investigated.

Within 10 days of the initial consultation, the Chief of Staff or designee will notify the complainant of the outcome and the individual(s) accused if an investigation is initiated. The Chief of Staff or designee will assign an investigative officer.  The investigating officer will conduct the investigation and render a finding to the Chief of Staff or designee. During the investigation, the investigating officer will gather evidence, interview the complainant, the individual(s) accused, and available witnesses that can provide credible testimony.

 

At the conclusion of the investigation, the investigator shall prepare a report of findings, for the Chief of Staff, which will include: a description of the alleged violations, a summary of evidence collected, an evaluation of the pertinent evidence, and a finding of responsible or not responsible, based on the preponderance of the evidence, to whether the conduct constitutes discrimination, harassment and/or retaliation and a recommended corrective actions if applicable. Potential violations of college policies and procedures that are discovered during the investigation, but fall outside of the formal complaint, will be referred to the appropriate college office or department for resolution.

 

Upon receipt of the report of findings, the Chief of Staff reviews the report and comes to one of three conclusions:

• The Chief of Staff accepts the report and recommendations as submitted.
• The Chief of Staff accepts the report and adjusts the recommendations.
• The Chief of Staff rejects the report and directs further investigation.

 

The report of findings will be issued within 60 business days after the initial consultation and provided to the parties involved. Findings accepted by the Chief of Staff and distributed to the parties involved may not be appealed. The parties involved will be advised of options outside of the college should they wish to challenge the findings elsewhere.

 

When a student has an academic grievance. See Academic Grievance Policy located in Chapter 3, Academic Policies.

 

When a student has a policy grievance. In cases when a student is the complainant and the complaint is associated with a State Tech policy other than Title IX, discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, the case will be processed at the discretion of the Vice President of Student Affairs.

 

When an employee has a policy or other grievance. In cases when an employee is the complainant and the complaint is associated with a State Tech policy other than Title IX, discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, the case will be processed as follows:

 

Employee complaints are first addressed through supervisor channels beginning at the lowest level of supervision. Complaints should be addressed in a timely manner.  Generally, for a complaint to be addressed and resolved in a timely manner, the complaint should be expressed within 10 working days of the event or circumstance.

 

Faculty employees should address their concerns first with the Department Chair of the program followed by the program Dean and the Vice President of Academic Affairs.  Staff should address their concerns with their immediate supervisor, followed by the second level supervisor and Vice President level of the department.

 

The supervisor receiving the initial complaint will have 10 working days to inform the employee, in writing, of their decision pertaining to the complaint. In cases where the complaint involves the employee’s immediate supervisor, the employee should address their concerns in the same manner, but with the next supervisory level. This process will be followed at each supervisory level until the complaint cannot be resolved at the Vice-Presidential level within 10 working days.

 

Once the supervisory channels have been exhausted, the grievance will be forwarded to the Chief of Staff.  The Chief of Staff will set up an initial consultation with the complainant to discuss the complaint.  Within 10 days of the initial consultation, the Chief of Staff will render a final disposition or assign an investigative officer. The investigating officer will conduct the investigation. At the conclusion of the investigation, the investigator shall prepare a report of findings, for the Chief of Staff, which will include: a description of the complaint, a summary of evidence collected, an evaluation of the pertinent evidence, a finding and a recommendation of action.

 

Upon receipt of the report of findings, the Chief of Staff reviews the report and comes to one of three conclusions:

• The Chief of Staff accepts the report and recommendations as submitted.
• The Chief of Staff accepts the report and adjusts the recommendations.
• The Chief of Staff rejects the report and directs further investigation.

 

The report of findings will be issued within 60 business days after the initial consultation and provided to the parties involved. Findings accepted by the Chief of Staff and distributed to the parties involved may not be appealed. The parties involved will be advised of options outside of the college should they wish to challenge the findings elsewhere.

 

Additional Information

If you have questions or complaints related to compliance with non-discrimination policy, the Americans with Disabilities Act, or this grievance procedure for employment related issues, please contact the Chief of Staff, One Technology Drive, Linn, MO 65101, 573-897-5201 or email at HR@statetechmo.edu.

 

The Vice President of Student Affairs is responsible for coordinating the institution’s efforts to comply with the regulations implementing Title VI, Title IX, Section 504, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.  If you have questions or complaints related to compliance with this policy for student related issues, please contact Title IX Coordinator, One Technology Drive, Linn, MO 65051, (573) 897-5201, title9coordinator@statetechmo.edu.  Questions concerning ADA accessibility/Section 504 can be addressed at the State Tech Disability Accommodations website or students email counselingservices@statetechmo.edu, telephone at 573-897-5000.

 

A student may also file a complaint of illegal discrimination with the Office of Civil Rights, The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Washington, DC, or the Missouri Commission on Human Rights, at the same time the State Technical College of Missouri grievance process if filed: or without using the State Technical College of Missouri grievance process.

 

Any person may contact the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education regarding the institution’s compliance with the regulations implementing Title VI, Title IX or Section 504.

 

The Kansas City Office for Civil Rights may be reached at

U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, One Petticoat Lane, 1010 Walnut Street, Suite 320, Kansas City, MO 64106. The telephone number is (816) 268-0550 and fax number is (816) 268-0599, TDD: 800-877-8339 or email at OCR.Kansascity@ed.gov. The College’s full Nondiscrimination Policy can be found on the College website at statetechmo.edu.

 

If a student files a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights, he/she must file it in writing no later than 180 days after the occurrence of the possible discrimination.  For assistance, see the Counseling Services Staff or Vice President of Student Affairs. The Counseling Services Staff or Vice President of Student Affairs will supply the current Office of Civil Rights Address.

 

If a complaint is filed with State Technical College of Missouri, the student will have a year to file paperwork. Although the above-mentioned policy does not explicitly apply to external partners, it is our expectation that alumni and employer partners uphold these principles during recruitment activities and any and all professional experiences that involve students.

 

LINE OF AUTHORITY

Responsible Office: President’s Office

Contact person in that office: Executive Assistant to the President

EFFECTIVE DATE: 12 September 2023

Presidential approval: 12 September 2023