Student Complaints

Students who have grievances with actions, decisions, and/or processes at the College are entitled to register those complaints formally and have their complaints deliberated upon and resolved by appropriate College officials. Formally made complaints that are addressed to an institutional officer with the responsibility to handle the complaint will be tracked. Information pertaining to student complaints includes date complaint received, student name and LVC ID, nature of the complaint, summary of action taken by the recipient, resolution or outcome, and notations of any subsequent changes to College policy or procedure as a result of the complaint. 

Information about student complaints will be available to regulatory bodies and accrediting agencies, including the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. 

Details on specific types of complaints and related complaint policies and procedures are provided below.

 

Grade Appeals and Related Academic Grievances, including an Appeal of an Academic Suspension

Students who have a grievance against a faculty member regarding an evaluation of their academic work or who have a complaint related to an academic policy or procedure, including but not limited to registration, tuition and fees, or academic status, can participate in a formal appeal process. The process for filing a complaint about a grade or appealing an academic suspension may be found in the College Catalog. 

A student may also file a grievance for other academic matters unrelated to grades. If a student believes he or she has not received fair treatment with respect to services, policies or procedures, the following procedure should be followed: 

• A student with a complaint should first notify the person or office responsible to seek a resolution. Notification should be in writing and submitted within ten business days of the offense.
• If the student does not receive a satisfactory response within a reasonable amount of time not to exceed three weeks, he or she should contact the head of the department and file a formal written complaint.
• The head of the department will conduct a meeting with the student and the individual against whom the complaint was made in an effort to mediate the problem and achieve resolution.
• If the complaint remains unresolved following mediation, the student should contact in writing the associate dean of academic affairs (ADAA) and request a formal hearing.
• The ADAA will assemble a review board to evaluate the evidence and reach a decision. The review board is the final arbiter of the problem.

 

Complaints related to academic matters are tracked and maintained by the associate dean for academic affairs.

 

Grievances Related to Accommodations for Disabilities

Students with disabilities who believe they have been denied rightful and reasonable accommodations may file a formal grievance.

 

Grievances and Complaints involving the Student Conduct Code

College judicial/student conduct jurisdiction applies to conduct that occurs on College premises or which, if it occurs off the College premises, adversely affects the College community or the pursuit of its objectives. 

Any member of the campus community may file a charge by completing an incident report and judicial/student conduct complaint form and submitting them to the vice president of student affairs and dean of students or designee. Information related to filing judicial/student conduct charges, investigation and adjudication of alleged policy violations, and implication of substantiated policy violations may be accessed through the LVC Student Handbook.

Complaints related to violations of student conduct code are tracked and maintained by the Office of Student Affairs.

 

Registering a complaint with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Lebanon Valley College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Complaints about the College may be filed with the Middle States Commission. Information about the complaint process may be found at the following link: www.msche.org.

 

Registering a complaint with the Pennsylvania Department of Education

Complaints about the College, including those considered misrepresentation, may also be filed with the Pennsylvania Department of Education.