Grievance Policy (Medical School)
A grievance is a complaint arising out of any alleged unauthorized or unjustified act or decision by an individual (student, faculty, staff), which in any way adversely affects the status, rights, or privileges of a member of the student body. The burden of proof shall rest with the complainant.
This policy does not supersede policies and procedures concerning students’ rights, responsibilities, and appeals of the Medical School as outlined in the Student Handbook, Policies and Procedures Concerning Rights, Responsibilities and Appeals section. Moreover, nothing in the policy supplants actions/decisions of the Committee on Student Promotions and Academic Achievement. A students’ dissatisfaction with an examination or course grade is not grounds for a grievance against the faculty member who assigned the grade.
Medical student complaints or grievances should initially be addressed, if possible, by the student discussing the problem with the individual (student, faculty, staff) most closely related to the area of the grievance. Following that, students should informally contact a senior associate dean in the Office of Student Affairs. If the problem is not resolved informally, the student may file a formal written grievance statement with the dean (senior vice president and dean of Medical Education).
The written statement should be as specific as possible regarding the action that precipitated the grievance: date, place, people involved, including witnesses, a summary of the incident; efforts made to settle the matter informally; and the remedy sought. The submission of a written complaint in good faith will not affect the student’s status, rights or privileges.
Within one week of receiving the statement, respondents, or individuals whose actions or inactions are the subject of the grievance, will receive a copy from the dean and have an opportunity to respond in writing.
The dean will meet with all concerned parties within two weeks of receiving the statement. The dean may request both oral and written presentations and may make independent inquiries in order to arrive at a decision regarding the grievance. Within one week after such a meeting, the dean will make a decision as to the merits of the statement and present an appropriate resolution of the grievance. Copies of this decision will be sent to the student, the respondents, and the president of the College.
If dissatisfied with the decision of the dean, the student may appeal to the president of the College. The president shall then appoint an ad hoc grievance appeal committee that will be composed of a faculty member, a staff member, a resident and a medical student. The grievance committee shall make a recommendation to the president as to the merits of the appeal and an appropriate resolution of the grievance within two weeks of the formation of the committee. The president shall then render a decision to the student. The decision of the president is final. Copies of the decision will be sent to the student, the respondents, and the respective deans.
A record of all formal grievances will be kept on file in the Office of the President. The deans and the grievance committee are encouraged to view these files and look for patterns of misconduct.