Student Complaint Procedures

Purpose


Albany State University is committed to treating all members of the University community fairly in regard to their personal and professional concerns. Any Albany State University student who believes they have not been treated fairly may make use of the student complaint guidelines. The primary objective of the student complaint guidelines is to ensure that concerns are promptly dealt with and resolutions reached in a fair and just manner. The Office of Student Affairs keeps electronic record of all student complaints received. Student complaints are received through an online reporting form which is secure. These records are kept in a secure database which allows for complaints to be pulled into a spreadsheet and then reviewed individually as needed to discern any patterns in complaints received.    

Institutional Complaint Process


Any Albany State University student who believes that they have not been treated fairly may make use of the student complaint process. All student complaints are referred to the Office of Student Affairs. Complaints are referred in writing either through Albany State email or through the Student Complaint Form on the Vice President of Student Affairs (VPSA) website. The VPSA does not make decisions outside the scope of their area of authority; however, the VPSA or their designee serves as an advisor to the student through this entire process. Students are provided an opportunity to meet and discuss the student complaint process prior to the complaint moving forward. Anonymous complaints follow the same process and are documented in the same way.

The student must file a complete written statement of the alleged complaint to the Student Affairs Office electronically. The statement should include the name of the potential source and the remedy sought. Once the student has submitted the complaint and any supporting documentation: 

  • The VPSA or designee will send it forward to the potential source for review and response.  
  • If the student is not satisfied with the response from the potential source, they may request the complaint be sent forward, along with any additional information, to the next level supervisor. For example, if the potential source is a faculty member, the next level supervisor would be the department chair.  
  • If the issue is not resolved at this level, the complaint process will follow the chain of command of the department in question until resolution is found.  
  • The highest level of complaint at Albany State University is the Office of the President. Once a decision is rendered by the Office of the President, the decision is considered final at the institutional level.  

Student Complaints are distributed through Albany State University email. This allows for students at any location to have their complaint distributed for review and response by the appropriate party via the same method. This also allows for documentation of information sent forward and responses to complaints to be recorded via the official communication method for students, university email.  

These guidelines are reviewed annually by the VPSA or designee and any necessary revisions are reviewed by the Office of Legal Affairs prior to implementation.

Appeals

After completing the guidelines described above, if a student feels that their situation has not been resolved at the institutional level, the student may appeal outside of the institution. Please see the information about to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia here.

Protection from Retaliation 

Regardless of the decision concerning the complaint, no member of the University community may harass or retaliate against a student who has filed a complaint under the university complaint guidelines. Such actions of harassment or retaliation are explicitly forbidden by the university.