LAST REVISED: July 2022
REFER QUESTIONS TO: Vice President of Student Affairs
SCOPE: This policy applies to administration, faculty or resident in all programs of Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU).
Related Policy: Grievance Policy referenced in the Student Catalog and Student Policies Manuals
Purpose of Policy
This policy governs the procedures by which the administration and faculty log any student related complaint and how the Student Complaint Log is maintained.
It is not intended to override the published grievance policy for students to formally report a complaint.
Definitions
A Complaint is defined as any grievance regarding any department, service or person that arises during a student’s time at PHSU. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:
- A student complaint against another student, faculty, resident, department, or service
- A complaint from PHSU administration, faculty or resident against any student
An Informal Complaint is a complaint expressed either verbally or in writing to a relevant administrator or faculty, which is not dealt with through a formal process of the University. It may involve a discussion with relevant parties in order to receive information and explore options on resolving the matter. It does not involve a formal investigation or the determination of evidence.
A Formal Complaint is defined as a concern which has not been resolved informally, and which is then set out in writing, and forwarded to the Vice President of Student Affairs per the University’s Grievance Policy.
Policy and Process
All administration, faculty and residents are required to log any informal or formal complaints via email to studentcomplaints@psm.edu and copy to the appropriate Dean within 5 business days of receiving the complaint.
Informal complaints should be recorded within the body of the email and contain the following information:
- Name of Student
- Date the complaint was expressed
- Nature of the complaint (e.g., person, department or service that the complaint is about and the circumstances and/or situation surrounding the complaint)
- Steps taken to resolve the complaint, the person that responded, and all documentation associated with those steps
- Date and final resolution, action or explanation regarding the complaint, including referral to the appropriate Dean if the complaint was not resolved and/or recommendation to the student to formally submit a written complaint following the University’s documented Grievance Policy.
All formal written complaints should be recorded in the Student Complaint Log by the Vice President of Student Affairs and contain the following information:
- Name of Student
- Date the complaint was expressed
- Nature of the complaint (e.g., person, department or service that the complaint is about and the circumstances and/or situation surrounding the complaint)
- Steps taken to resolve the complaint, the person that responded, and all documentation associated with those steps
- Date and final resolution, action or explanation regarding the complaint.
The Vice President of Student Affairs is responsible for:
- Maintaining a log of all formal and informal student complaints in the Office of Student Affairs
- Ensures that the complaints are resolved by the appropriate Dean within 10-business days of receipt of informal complaints. Formal complaints follow the established guidelines of the Grievance Policy
- That the resolution is reported back to the Vice President of Student Affairs
- The Vice President of Student Affairs Office ensures that the resolution is recorded in the Student Complaint Log.
PHSU provides published policies on Grade Appeals and Grade Appeals are NOT considered as complaints that are to be included in the Student Complaints Log.
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