Statement of Rationale for Judgment of Compliance

Palo Alto College has adequate procedures for addressing written student complaints and is able to demonstrate that the College follows those procedures when resolving student complaints.

The case for compliance is structured as follows:

1. Palo Alto College recognizes five categories of complaints from all student groups.
2. Policies and procedures for each of the categories are outlined.
3. Evidence in the form of a student academic grievance and general/other complaint type are included.

Palo Alto College recognizes five categories of student complaints from all student groups including those who are enrolled in distance education and dual enrollment programs: grade appeal; academic grievances; non-academic grievances; civil rights, gender discrimination, and harassment complaints; and general/other. The College Catalog[1] and Student Handbook [2]outline procedures for addressing grade appeal, academic grievance, non-academic grievance and discrimination/harassment written student complaints. General/other complaints, which are not classified into the other four categories are typically captured by the Continuous Feedback Model (CFM).

The Continuous Feedback Model (CFM) is a mechanism developed at Palo Alto College to collect feedback as a result of complaints, grievances, and concerns received from students. A report of all complaints and suggestions made through the Continuous Feedback Model is submitted quarterly to the College Leadership Team. The Spring 2017 Executive Summary[3] is provided as an example. CFM is discussed in further detail within the general or other complaints section.

Grade Appeals/Changes

Palo Alto College students have the right to request a review of a course grade and petition for a grade change up to one year after the course has ended. Grade changes require the approval of the instructor and the department chair. It is the instructor’s responsibility to determine grades and judge the quality of a student’s academic performance. If a student believes his or her final grade is incorrect, he or she can initiate the Grade Appeal process by first attempting to resolve the issues with the instructor directly before escalating the appeal to the department chair. As with other procedures affecting students, the process for a grade appeal is outlined in the Student Handbook: Making the Grade[4] and College Catalog: Academic Standards[5].

Academic Grievances

If a student feels they have been treated unfairly by a faculty member, then he or she can file an Academic Grievance. The Academic Grievance procedure allows for unresolved complaints to continue moving from student, to instructor, to department chair, to dean until consensus is reached or final decision affirming or denying the grievance is made by the appropriate dean. Palo Alto College follows Board Policy F.4.6 Academic Grievances[6] when addressing student academic grievances and the information is located on the Palo Alto College Website[7]. The process is outlined within College Procedure S 27.0 Student Academic Grievance Procedure[8] and Student Academic Grievance Form[9]. An example of an Academic Grievance[10] illustrates the process.

Non-Academic Grievances

To address student complaints that are outside the purview of academics, Palo Alto College follows Board Policy F 4.7 Non-Academic Grievance[11] and Board Procedure F.4.7.1 Non-Academic Grievance[12] and Form[12] and Palo Alto College Procedure S 28.0 Non-Academic Grievance Procedure[13], which are aligned with relevant sections in the Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC) Policy Reference Manual[14]. If a student believes he/she has been unjustly or improperly treated by a College employee, the student should complete the Student Non-Academic Grievance Form[15] and submit it to the immediate supervisor for the person or program against whom the complaint is being made. If the student believes he/she has not received a reasonable and fair response from the supervisor, then the student may appeal to the second level supervisor. The appropriate Vice President is the highest-level administrator to whom a grievance may be referred. The decision of the Vice President is final.

Civil Rights Discrimination, Gender Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation (Title IX)

The Title IX/VII/ADA/504 Deputy Coordinator is the Vice President of Student Success. Both the Deputy Coordinator and the Student Conduct Officer are certified through the Association for Title IX Administrators[16] (ATIXA) as Title IX Coordinators.The College follows Alamo Colleges District Board policies and procedures when handling discrimination, sexual harassment and/or harassment allegations; these policies and procedures are included in Section H.1.1[17] of the Board Policies. Students who wish to complain of harassment or discrimination, by students, or employees —as well as employees or other students who are aware of an alleged harassment incident— may report it to any of the following:

• The Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources or designee;
• The employee's supervisor or a Palo Alto College administrator;
• A Palo Alto College official;
• The Alamo Colleges District Title IX Coordinator or Palo Alto College Title IX Deputy Coordinator;
• The  Alamo Colleges District Ethics and Compliance Officer;
• The District Ethics Hotline[18] or the District Ethics Internet reporting site[19];
• PAC Cares Website[20] and Incident Reporting Form[21].

When an individual receives a report of alleged harassment or discrimination, he or she must notify the Palo Alto College Title IX Deputy Coordinator who will then notify the Alamo Colleges District Title IX Coordinator. Once notified of the incident, the reporter will receive assistance in preparing a written complaint. The Human Resources Department will also coordinate the investigation, which will be conducted by a team appointed by appropriate College and District officials and trained by the Alamo Colleges District Office of Legal Affairs who are employed at another College in the Alamo Colleges District. At the conclusion of the investigation, the team will submit a written report to the Title IX Deputy Coordinator who will review the report and determine what policies and procedures have been violated and what the appropriate resolution is. Depending on finding of responsibility, the Title IX Deputy Coordinator can refer the case to the Dean of Student Success or Student Conduct Officer to impose sanctions.

General or Other Complaints

Written student complaints can also be processed through the Continuous Feedback Model (CFM)[22], which is a response management and improvement system whereby students can make suggestions about College processes, facilities, and activities. These written complaints can be submitted online, in person, through phone, or via email.

Online complaints are submitted through the comment box on the Palo Alto College Website[23]. The online Palo Alto College Comment Box[24] outlines the Continuous Feedback Model and allows students to submit information about their complaint. This online comment form is routed to the student conduct officer who receives and compiles the suggestions/complaints into a log. If a suggestion/complaint requires an immediate response, it is forwarded to the appropriate vice president or dean.

Palo Alto College follows the same process when addressing walk-in, phone, and email complaints. These comments are recorded by the individual who received the complaint in the same log that is maintained by the student conduct officer. The log follows the suggestion/complaint and tracks date received, name and ID of submitter, contact information, intake method, office visited, description of complaint, referral, responsible department, resolution with date and time, who saw the student, and additional comments. A summary of all complaints and suggestions are compiled quarterly and the status of the responses are reported at a regular meeting of the College Leadership Team. An example of a general student complaint[25] that was submitted via email, recorded in the complaint log format, and then attended to demonstrates how complaints are addressed.

As articulated in Board Policy A.1.1[26], the College District is known by the assumed names of “Alamo Colleges” and “Alamo Colleges District” or the “Alamo Community College District.” References to these assumed names in the narrative and any supporting documentation are equivalent.