In recognition of the fact that people are fallible, this policy is announced for resolving any grievance a student might have while attending CCR. If a student is having a problem in a class, disagrees with a teacher, or is upset over something related to their studies at CCR, there are a number of professionally accepted ways to deal with the situation.
By definition, a grievance is a circumstance or condition thought to be unjust and the basis for complaint or resentment. This complaint/grievance policy is to establish a method of processing complaints involving the criteria or policies and procedures of CCR, NCRA, NRVA, the Indiana Board for Proprietary Education, and DEAC.
CCR will not knowingly tolerate the unjust treatment of any student. With this in mind, any student having a grievance should promptly bring the matter to a faculty member, if appropriate, so the grievance might be resolved. If the student feels that it is inappropriate to take the matter to a faculty member or, if the faculty member does not resolve the matter to the student’s satisfaction, the student may take the grievance to the president, if appropriate.
See the end of this Catalog for forms and procedures to file a grievance.
Distance education students residing in other states may contact the Indiana Commission for Higher Education concerning complaints after having completed the institution’s student complaint process.
The Indiana Commission for Higher Education - Student Complaints
The Commission for Higher Education is responsible for responding to formal complaints against public, independent non-profit and proprietary institutions of higher education in Indiana. While the Commission has limited authority over colleges and universities, and cannot offer legal advice or initiate civil court cases, Commission staff will review submitted complaints, including those dealing with alleged violations of their ADA, and work with student complainants and institutions. Complaints dealing with the following topics should be handled by other state agencies or Commision staff:
- Financial Aid: If a student has been denied state of Indiana financial aid, they may file an appeal or direct any questions to the Student Support Center by calling 1 (888) 528-4719.
- Institutional Decision Appeal: If a student at or employee of a public college or university disagrees with a final institutional decision about faculty engaging in prohibited activity concerning free inquiry, free expression, or intellectual diversity, the student or employee may submit an online petition to the Commission if certain criteria are met.
- Law Violations: If a student believes that a college or university has violated state or federal law, they may wish to contact the Office of the Indiana Attorney General at (317) 232-6201.
- Discrimination: If a student believes that an institution has acted in a discriminatory manner, they may wish to contact the Indiana Civil Rights Commission (ICRC) using the ICRC’s complaint form or call them at (800) 628-2909.
After filing a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office or ICRC without resolution, the student may still hire an attorney and adjudicate the complaint through the court system.
Process for Filing Complaints
Within two years of the incident about which the student is complaining, they must contact the Commission for Higher Education using our complaint form.
Please note that the Commission cannot, by law, review complaints related to course grades, academic sanctions, or discipline/conduct matters. In other areas, such as transferring credits between public institutions, the Commission has greater statutory authority.
Please follow the steps outlined below to submit a complaint:
STEP 1
If a student has concerns related to classroom situations or administrative actions, they should contact the faculty or staff member(s) with whom they have a conflict. It may be possible to resolve the concerns without the need for formal institutional action. However, if the student’s complaint is not resolved satisfactorily, or if the complaint cannot be resolved by contacting the faculty or staff member(s), the student should proceed to STEP 2.
STEP 2
The student should file a complaint through their institution of higher education’s established complaint process. Information on the process can usually be found in the institution’s academic catalog, student handbook, or website. If the student is unable to resolve the complaint in this manner, they should proceed to STEP 3.
STEP 3
After receiving a complaint through our complaint form, Commission staff will review the submitted materials and contact the submitter for any required additional information or clarifications. The Commission will then send a copy of the complaint to the institution against which the complaint has been filed and ask for a response within three weeks. After receiving the college or university’s response, Commission staff will determine whether the institution’s student complaint process has been followed and exhausted and what additional steps or follow-up may be taken. The Commission will inform both parties involved in the complaint.
If you have additional questions about the complaint process, or want to clarify that your individual complaint is reviewable by the Commission, please feel free to contact complaints@che.in.gov.
ADA/Section 504 Coordinator
The ADA/Section 504 Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the efforts of the Commission to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The ADA/504 Coordinator is also responsible for investigating any complaints regarding the ADA and Section 504.
The Commission’s ADA/Section 504 Coordinator is Caitlin Mahoney, Director of the Financial Aid Support Center and can be contacted at cmahoney@che.in.gov or (317) 232-1962.
Individuals wishing to file an ADA/Section 504 complaint or grievance may use the process above or contact the Coordinator directly.
Distance Education Accrediting Commission
Note that DEAC will only process complaints which involve DEAC standards and policies and, therefore, are within the scope of the accrediting agency.
In the event that a student has exercised the institution’s formal student complaint procedure, and the problem(s) have not been resolved, the student has the right and is encouraged to take the following steps found at:
https://www.deac.org/student-center/complaint-process/
DEAC’s goal is to permit a fair and timely investigation of complaints against DEAC-accredited institutions or active DEAC applicants concerning non-compliance with DEAC standards and policies. DEAC’s accreditation standards and policies can be found in Part two, Section XXII of the DEAC Accreditation Handbook.
DEAC’s Online Complaint System enables individuals to file a complaint directly using the DEAC website. The complaint form is located at the bottom of their webpage. Written complaints will also be accepted by mail or other form of effective delivery to DEAC, provided they include (1) the complainant’s name and contact information; (2) the basis of any allegation of noncompliance with DEAC standards and procedures; (3) all relevant names and dates and a brief description of the actions forming the basis of the complaint; (4) copies of any available documents or materials that support the allegations; and (5) a release authorizing DEAC to forward a copy of the complaint, including identification of the complainant(s) to the institution. Written complaints may be submitted to:
Executive Director
DEAC
1101 17th Street NW, Suite 808
Washington, DC 20036
ATTN: COMPLAINTS
The Distance Education Accrediting Commission expects complainants and institutions to demonstrate genuine effort in resolving disputes directly using the institution’s internal grievance procedures. Where issues or educational services, student services, or tuition are concerned, a student complainant must have exhausted all efforts to resolve a complaint with the institution before filing a complaint with DEAC. The complainant must demonstrate that appropriate procedures have been followed to resolve the complaint with the institution (which may include claim numbers, grievance files and emails) prior to filing a claim with DEAC.
Where issues of educational quality or compliance with DEAC standards or policies are not central to the complaint, DEAC will refer the complainant to the appropriate federal or state agency or private entity with jurisdiction over the subject matter of the complaint.
DEAC will not intervene on behalf of individuals in cases of a personnel action, nor will it review an institution’s internal administrative decisions in such matters as admissions decisions, academic honesty, assignment of grades and similar matters unless the context of an allegation suggests a violation of DEAC standards or policies or if the context of an allegation suggests that unethical or unprofessional conduct or action may have occurred that might call into question the institution’s compliance with a DEAC standard or policy.
Further, DEAC will not intervene on behalf of individuals in cases where the situation giving rise to the complaint had occurred so long ago that investigating and ascertaining the facts might prove to be problematic.
In cases where written anonymous complaints are received, DEAC will consider how to proceed and whether the anonymous complaint sets forth reasonable and credible information that an institution may be in violation of the Commission’s standards.
DEAC Complaint Procedure
- After receipt of the complaint, DEAC staff will send a letter or e-mail to the complainant acknowledging receipt of the complaint.
- DEAC will complete an initial review of the complaint within fifteen business days following its receipt to determine whether it sets forth information or allegations that reasonably suggest that an institution may not be in compliance with DEAC’s standards and procedures. If additional information or clarification is required, before DEAC believes it can pursue a further investigation of the complaint, DEAC will so notify the complainant and request the complainant provide the additional information. Failure of the complainant to provide such additional information may result in DEAC determining that the complaint cannot be effectively investigated.
- If DEAC determines after the initial review of the complaint that the information or allegations do not reasonably demonstrate that an institution is out of compliance with DEAC standards or procedures or that the complainant has not provided sufficient information on which DEAC can evaluate it, the complaint will not be further investigated by DEAC and the complainant will be notified of such a disposition and the reasons.
- If DEAC determines after the initial review of the complaint that the information or allegations reasonably suggest that an institution may not be in compliance with DEAC standards and procedures, DEAC will provide a copy of the original complaint to the institution and direct the institution to provide a response to the complaint within 30 days following such notice with the following exceptions:
- In cases of advertising violations, when DEAC staff forwards a copy of the advertisement at issue to the institution, citing the standard that might have been violated, the institution is required to respond within 15 days of receiving such notice.
- If a news article or media broadcast carries a negative report on a DEAC accredited institution, or any of its owners, senior management, or executives, the institution is required to respond to the statement(s) within 15 days.
- In cases when the complaints are from students concerning administrative services, student services, educational services, or tuition, the institution will be required to respond directly to the student within 15 days to address their concerns. The institution must also respond to DEAC within 15 days; such response must include, at minimum, a copy of the response sent to the student.
- The failure of the institution to provide either a response to the complaint or any additional information as requested by the executive director within the specified time frames will be considered a violation of DEAC’s policy on complaints and will be referred to the Commission for consideration and action. The complainant will be notified when a request for a response from the institution has been delivered by DEAC. The Executive Director will review the complaint and the institution’s response for compliance with the accrediting standards, policies, and procedures.
- If, following review of the institutional response to the complaint, DEAC concludes that the allegations in the complaint have been rebutted or resolved by the institution, the complainant and the institution will be notified of such resolution.
- If DEAC concludes following review of the institution’s first response to the complaint, that the allegations may establish that there has been a violation of DEAC standards and/or procedures, DEAC may take additional action. See the DEAC Accreditation Handbook for more information.
Please access DEAC’s Complaint Submission Form by clicking here.
This page is not intended to fully cover all areas of DEAC’s complaint policy or procedure. For the complete details, please refer to the DEAC Accreditation Handbook.
The DEAC Online Complaint Form is not intended to be used to submit general inquiries or questions. These should be sent to the DEAC via email.
In summary, any student who feels a grievance is not sufficiently resolved by CCR may contact the following agencies and associations:
- The Indiana Board for Proprietary Education (BPE)/Indiana Commission for Higher Education (CHE), 101 West Ohio Street, Suite 300, Indianapolis, IN 46204, (317) 464-4400;
- Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), 1101 17th Street NW, Suite 808, Washington, D.C. 20036, (202) 234.5100;
- National Verbatim Reporters Association (NVRA), 629 North Main Street, Hattiesburg, MS 39401, (601) 582-4345; or
- National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), 12355 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 610, Reston, VA 20191, (800) 272-NCRA.
NCRA Complaint Procedure
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