Learners are encouraged to resolve disputes informally with the relevant party with a direct conversation, email, or other form of communication.  If this step is completed and the issue remains unresolved, a grievance may be filed. A grievance is a claim raised by a learner that a policy was unfairly applied. 

View Grievance Policy

Filing a Grievance
Grievances are submitted via an online form found on the learning management system (LMS). Once received, a designated investigator from Nursing Education, General Education, or another function will investigate the grievance. Then, the Grievance Committee, comprised of managers from Nursing Education, General Education, and other functions, will meet and make a determination on the grievance. The grievance determination will be sent to the learner via email within ten (10) business days. 

File Grievance Form

Filing an Appeal
Grievance determinations may be appealed for review if one of the following conditions is true: (1) the learner has new information that was undiscovered or unknown in the original grievance; (2) substantial procedural or investigative error(s) were present; or (3) improper bias influenced the investigation outcome.

A request for an appeal must be submitted via a form that is emailed to the learner in the grievance determination. The appeal must be submitted within three (3) business days from receipt of the determination. An appeals committee made up of three (3) directors will conduct a thorough review and render a written final determination within three to five (3-5) business days. The determination will be emailed to the learner. The final decision may no longer be appealed within the College.

The College makes every reasonable effort to resolve grievances promptly. The learner may file a complaint with the corresponding state higher education authority at any time during the grievance process. As a last resort, a learner who feels that the concern has not been resolved through the grievance process may submit the concern, in writing, to the College's accrediting and approval agencies whose contact information is provided in the Approval, Affiliations, Accreditation section of this Catalog. The decision of the Appeals Committee is final and may not be appealed within the College.

Exception Request Policy
Exception Requests may be submitted by learners who believe that their extenuating or unpredictable circumstance should excuse them from the enforcement of a policy within two weeks of the inciting incident or relevant assignment deadline. Examples of extenuating or unpredictable circumstances include, but are not limited to, documented:  
 

• Death of an immediate family member or close relative; 
• Debilitating illness, medical condition, accident, or injury. 

Learners submitting Exception Requests are required to provide evidence of the extenuating or unpredictable circumstance and explain how it will negatively impact their program progression or completion. 

Exception Requests are submitted via an online form. Once received, the Exception Request will be reviewed to determine if the extenuating or unpredictable circumstances warrant the granting of the request.  

The learner will receive a determination via email within ten (10) business days. 

Exception request determinations are considered final and not eligible for appeal.

Academic Remedies
When a learner is in jeopardy of failing a course, the Academic Success Plan will be initiated. Learners may refer to the Academic Success Plan section of this Catalog.

At the discretion of faculty and the designated academic manager, learners may be counseled and placed on academic probation when other performance criteria are not met, even when the learner is meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). For more information, learners may refer to the SAP section of this Catalog.

Learners must participate in advising with the assigned Learner Support Services (LSS) strategist and meet predetermined terms of probation for the duration of the probationary period. Once the stated terms are met, the probation may be lifted. If the terms are not met, the learner may fail the course and/or be withdrawn from the College.

Adjudication
In academic matters, the decision of the program director is considered final. The decision issued by the program director may not be appealed further.  Neither the Office of the College President nor any of the College’s officers are authorized to override faculty’s academic decisions unless violations of the College’s non-discrimination policies have occurred.