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Grievance/Hearing Procedure

www.equity.appstate.edu

Policy

Any student having a grievance related to the determination of and/or provision of disability-related services and accommodations through the ODS at Appalachian State University is entitled to prompt and equitable resolution of her/his complaint.

Procedure

Students who believe they have been subjected to discrimination or treated unfairly must follow established procedure. There are two avenues for reporting such complaints.

1. Director of the Learning Assistance Program, D.D. Dougherty Hall

   A student may report her or his complaint to the Director of the Learning Assistance Program (LAP), D. D. Dougherty, (828) 262-2191. The Director is the immediate supervisor of the ODS. The complaint must be in writing (Grievance Form provided) and include the nature of the complaint; date(s) of alleged incident(s); information about attempts to resolve the complaint with the ODS staff; and the results of such attempts. The student will sign a release form to permit appropriate persons to review and investigate confidential information or documentation in the complaint.

   The Director of the LAP shall determine if the complaint warrants an administrative review. If the Director decides that a review is not warranted, she/he will contact all involved parties, informing them of a decision and the reasons thereof. The decision will be in writing.

   If the Director of the LAP believes a complaint requires a more comprehensive review, she/he shall convene a panel of three (3) to four (4) members to review the complaint. The panel will include relevant personnel knowledgeable about the nature of the complaint. The student may designate a faculty member or staff advocate to attend the review meeting along with the student. The review panel will convene in a timely manner and review the student's complaint. A summary of the panel's finding will be forwarded to all panel members and the student, informing them of the decision.

2. The Equity Office, I.G. Greer A student may report her or his complaint to the Equity Office, I. G. Greer, (828) 262-2144. Established procedures will be followed. Please refer to the Equity Office’s website (www.equity.appstate.edu) for detailed information, as well as to the Appal-achian State University Undergraduate General Bulletin, 2005-2007, page 24.