Complaint Resolution Process

Behavioral Intervention Team
The College may respond to student misconduct issues through a standing Behavioral Intervention Team. The purpose of this team is to review behavior of identified individuals to determine if a nature of concern is warranted and to respond to the misconduct issue. The team initially responds with non-disciplinary measures to include behavioral expectations and support plans which promote student health, well-being and a successful academic experience. Behaviors exhibited on campus that appear to violate the Student Code of Conduct may be reported by supervisory personnel to the Behavior Intervention Team. If, after a determination that a student has violated the Student Code of Conduct and disciplinary action must be implemented, then the student will be referred to the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee. The Officer or his/her designee may impose one or more of the sanctions outlined by the Student Code of Conduct.

The team is available to monitor situations that could be approaching crisis status. Crisis might be defined as a situation where: there is a potential threat of harm being done to someone or to groups of people; there is a potential for a person doing harm to him/herself; there are signals that a person exhibits lack of connection with reality; and there are occasions where criminal behavior has occurred or may occur. The goal would be to strategize and manage ways of habitually and effectively responding to those issues in a uniform and equitable manner.

Written Complaints
Students, faculty members, and staff should make every effort to resolve situations as they arise. When that is not the case, a Complaint Form should be completed and submitted to the Dean of Students for Campus Operations. The written complaint should be specific and should list the nature of the complaint along with any possible solution. The Dean of Students for Campus Operations will review the concern or complaint and direct it to the appropriate office for further review and resolution. A routing form will be utilized to direct complaints/issues to the appropriate office. Complaints will be addressed and processed in the following ways:

• Issues with the potential to become very serious matters will be discussed with the appropriate Vice President.
• Complaints involving instructional or academic concerns, including matters involving academic freedom, will be directed to the appropriate division chair and/or associate dean over the academic area. If the issue is not resolved at that level, subsequent steps would include the dean and ultimately the Vice President for Academic Affairs. (Grade appeals are covered in the Academics section of the catalog.)
• Complaints involving fees, requests for refunds, and course placements will be handled by the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and/or the Executive Director of Student Financial Services.
• Financial aid issues will be directed to the Executive Director of Student Financial Services.
• Facilities, maintenance, security, and parking concerns will be directed to the Vice President for Facilities.
• Continuing education and /or economic development concerns will be directed to the Vice President for Economic Development.
• All other concerns will be reviewed by the Dean of Students for Campus Operations, who will investigate the situation directly or call on additional parties as necessary to make an informed determination of the case.

Administrative/staff members may seek assistance and/or consultation from other CTC personnel in resolution and response to these items. The administrator handling the case should contact pertinent parties via telephone, direct contact, or e-mail to start the investigation and resolution process.

After review and resolution, the appropriate office will respond to the complainant within a reasonable time from receipt of the written complaint. The response may include what action was taken, future steps to be taken, further referral, and/or final disposition of the matter. This will be done in writing. The appropriate office may keep any necessary documents on file.

The responding office will complete a routing form along with any necessary documentation, including action and/or response, and submit the materials to the Dean of Students for Campus Operations. These documents will then be maintained on file according to the college Record Retention policy.

These procedures do not override any procedures for addressing written complaints concerning academic grievances, grade appeals, discrimination, or the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that may be listed in the college catalog or other official publications.

Student Code of Conduct Complaints: Investigation and Decision
Within five business days after a complaint is filed, the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee shall complete a preliminary investigation of the incident and schedule a meeting with the student against whom the complaint was filed in order to discuss the incident and the allegations. In the event that additional time is necessary, the student will be notified. After discussing the complaint with the student, the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee shall determine whether the student committed the alleged conduct, and whether the alleged conduct constitutes a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.

The student shall have five business days from the date contacted by the Student Disciplinary Officer to schedule the meeting. This initial meeting may only be rescheduled one time. If the Student fails to respond to the Student Disciplinary Officer within 5 business days to schedule the meeting, reschedules the meeting more than once, or fails to appear at the meeting, the Student Disciplinary Officer will consider the available evidence without student input and make a determination.

In the event that a complaint alleges violations of the Student Code of Conduct by more than one student, each student’s disciplinary proceeding, as well as any appeals relating to that proceeding, shall be conducted individually.

If the Student Disciplinary Officer determines that the alleged conduct did not occur, or that the conduct was not a violation of the Student Code of Conduct, he/she shall not impose any disciplinary sanctions on the student and the investigation shall be closed. If the Student Disciplinary Officer determines that the student has violated the Student Code of Conduct, he/she shall impose one or more of the following disciplinary sanctions.

Based on the severity of the incident, the Student Disciplinary Officer may take one of two actions:

1.     After a determination that a student has violated the Student Code of Conduct, the Student Disciplinary Officer may impose, without referral to the Hearing Body, one or more of the following sanctions. Notification shall be sent to the student and the person(s) who initially filed the complaint.

Restitution: A student who has committed an offense against property may be required to reimburse the College or other owner for damage to or misappropriation of such property. Any such payment in restitution shall be limited to the actual cost of repair or replacement.

Reprimand: A written reprimand may be given any student. Such a reprimand does not restrict the student in any way, but it signifies to the student that he/she is, in effect, being given another chance to conduct himself/herself as a proper member of the College community, and that any further violation may result in more serious sanctions.

Restriction: A restriction upon a student’s privileges for a period of time may be imposed. This restriction may include, but is not limited to, denial of the right to represent the College in any way, denial of use of facilities, alteration or revocation of parking privileges, or restrictions from participating in extracurricular activities.

Disciplinary Probation: Continued enrollment of a student on disciplinary probation may be conditioned upon adherence to specified terms. Any student placed on disciplinary probation will be notified of the terms and length of probation in writing. Any conduct determined after due process to be in violation of these terms while on disciplinary probation may result in the imposition of more serious disciplinary sanctions, as specified by the terms of probation.

Failing or lowered grade: In cases of academic misconduct, the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee will make a recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs or his/her designee who may authorize the instructor to award a failing or lowered grade in the course, a loss of credit on the assignment or examination, and may impose other additional sanctions including suspension or dismissal from the College.

2.     After a determination that a student has violated the Student Code of conduct, the Student Disciplinary Officer may recommend the imposition of one of the following sanctions if appropriate. The Student Disciplinary Officer’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Hearing Body, which may impose one or more of the following sanctions, as well as those described in section 1. above, following a hearing. A copy of the written recommendation shall be provided to the student and the person filing the complaint.

Disciplinary Suspension: If a student is suspended, he/she is separated from the Technical College for a stated period of time. Conditions of reinstatement, if any, must be stated in the notice of disciplinary suspension.

Disciplinary Expulsion: Expulsion is a removal and exclusion from the College, College controlled facilities, programs, events, and activities. A record of the reason for the student’s dismissal is maintained by the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee. Students who have been dismissed from the College for any reason may apply in writing to the Vice President for Student Affairs for reinstatement twelve (12) months following the expulsion. If approval for reinstatement is granted, the student will be placed on disciplinary probation for a specified term. The probationary status may be removed at the end of the specified term at the discretion of the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee.

NOTES ON DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS

System-Wide Expulsion

Where a student has been expelled or suspended three times from the same or different colleges in the Technical College System of Georgia in the past seven years, the student will not be permitted to register at any college in the Technical College System of Georgia for a period of ten years after the most recent expulsion/suspension.

Interim Disciplinary Suspension

As a general rule, the status of a student accused of violations of the Student Code of Conduct should not be altered until a final determination is made regarding the charges against him/her. However, interim suspension may be imposed upon a finding by the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee that the continued presence of the accused student on campus constitutes a potential or immediate threat to the safety and well-being of the accused student or any other member of the College community or its guests, or that the continued presence of the student on campus creates a risk of substantial disruption of classroom or other College-related activities. If an interim disciplinary suspension is imposed, the matter must be referred as soon as possible to the Hearing Body. The student need not request an appeal.

Conditions of Disciplinary Suspension and Expulsion

A student who has been suspended or expelled from the College shall be denied all privileges afforded a student and shall be required to vacate College premises at a time determined by the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee.

In addition, after vacating the College Premises, a suspended or expelled student may not enter upon the College premises at any time, for any purpose, in the absence of written permission from the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee. A suspended or expelled student must contact the Student Disciplinary Officer or his/her designee for permission to enter the College premises for a limited, specified purpose.

If the student seeks to submit a signed Disciplinary Sanction Appeal Form, the Student Disciplinary Officer must accept the form by mail or fax if he/she refuses the Student's request to enter the College premises for that specified purpose.

A scheduled appeal hearing before the Hearing Body shall be understood as expressed permission from the Student Disciplinary Officer for a student to enter the technical college premises for the duration of that hearing.

Administrative Withdrawal of Students

A student may be administratively withdrawn from the institution when, in the judgment of the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the personal physician (if any), it is determined that the student suffers from a physical, mental, emotional, or psychological health condition which: (1) poses a significant danger or threat of physical harm to the student or to the person or property of others, (2) causes the student to interfere with the rights of other members of the school or with the exercise of any proper activities or functions of the school or its personnel, or (3) causes the student to be unable to meet institutional requirements for admission and continued enrollment.

Students who are administratively withdrawn from CTC will be subject to the standard refund period as established by the Technical College System of Georgia.

Violation of Federal, State, or Local Law

If a student is convicted or pleads Nolo Contendere to an off-campus violation of federal, state, or local law, but not with any other violation of the Student Code of Conduct, disciplinary action may be taken and sanctions imposed for misconduct that is detrimental to the Technical College’s vital interests and stated mission and purpose.

Disciplinary proceedings may be instituted against a student charged with violation of a law that is also a violation of the Student Code of Conduct if both violations result from the same factual situation, without regard to criminal arrest and/or prosecution. Proceedings under this Student Code of Conduct may be carried out prior to, simultaneously with, or following criminal proceedings.

When a student is charged by federal, state, or local authorities with a violation of law, the Technical College will not request or agree to special consideration for that individual because of his/her status as a student. The Technical College will cooperate fully with law enforcement and other agencies in the enforcement of criminal law on campus and in the conditions imposed by criminal courts for the rehabilitation of student violators. Individual students, acting in their personal capacities, remain free to interact with governmental representatives as they deem appropriate.