Non-Academic Grievance Procedure
The procedure outlined in this document shall be used to address an undergraduate student’s non-academic grievance relating to interpersonal conflict and/or a department decision where there is no appeal procedure established.
Policies and procedures related to discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct may be found in the Nondiscrimination Policies; a report may be filed online. The Bias Incident Policy details procedures regarding a bias incident; a report may be filed online.
Requests to use the Non-Academic Grievance Procedure that are made later than three weeks prior to the end of the term may not be considered until the start of the subsequent academic term.
A student who desires to use the Non-Academic Grievance Procedure must meet with the Dean of Student Wellness (student.wellness@wheaton.edu) to explore if the Non-Academic Grievance Procedure is the most appropriate pathway to address the situation. The Dean of Student Wellness will inform the student about the grievance process and decide whether this is the appropriate process to address the student’s concerns.
If it is determined this is the appropriate process, the Dean of Student Wellness will then introduce the student to the Ombudsperson resources. Students are not authorized to enact the Non-Academic Grievance Procedure without the assistance of a faculty or staff Ombudsperson. The student with a grievance may also request additional support from a student Ombudsperson.
Faculty and staff Ombudspersons serve as neutral parties to help the student compose a clearly written account of her/his concerns for use in the Non-Academic Grievance Procedure. Ombudspersons also are a resource to help parties in conflict communicate with each other. Faculty ombudspersons are designated on an annual basis by the Provost; staff and student ombudspersons are designated by the Vice President for Student Development. The Ombudspersons will only discuss the grievance with those parties immediately involved in the matter.
Grievance Procedure
Should a student choose to address a conflict with a staff member through the Non-Academic Grievance Procedure:
- The Dean of Student Wellness will notify and provide a copy of the Non-Academic Grievance Procedure to the relevant staff member(s).
- The student will compose a written account of his/her grievance and will share this draft with the Dean of Student Wellness and his/her Ombudsperson. The Ombudsperson will meet with the student to review the written account. The student will then share his/her final written account with the Dean of Student Wellness and the Ombudsperson. Student Wellness will share the final written account with the staff member with whom the student has a grievance.
- The staff member will review the student’s written account and meet with the student and the Ombudsperson(s) in the spirit of the guidance found in Matthew 18:15–20 to seek to understand the position of the student and the desired outcome. Once finalized by the ombudsperson, the student must not deviate from the written account during the face-to-face meeting with the staff member.
- The student is encouraged to ask follow-up questions to seek to understand the staff member’s decision.
- Following the meeting, the staff member is expected to communicate a written outcome within a reasonable amount of time to the student and to the Dean of Student Wellness.
- If after receiving the staff member’s written response, the student does not experience resolution, the student may notify the Dean of Student Wellness that they would like the decision reviewed by the staff member’s direct supervisor. This notification must take place via email to student.wellness@wheaton.edu within three business days of receiving the staff member’s response.
- The Dean of Student Wellness will follow the same procedural steps outlined above while being guided by the notes below.
Notes
- The supervisory hierarchy starts with a staff member, who may report to a director, who may report to a dean, who may report to a Vice President or a Chief Officer.
- A student may have a grievance with a staff member who is also a director or a dean.
- All grievances will follow the relevant supervisory hierarchy; the Dean of Student Wellness will determine the appropriate grievance pathway.
- If a student cancels enrollment or withdraws from the College, takes a Leave of Absence, graduates, or otherwise ceases to be a currently enrolled undergraduate student before the Non-Academic Grievance Procedure is completed, the grievance will be considered withdrawn and closed. A student who subsequently returns to enrollment may initiate a new grievance only if the circumstances giving rise to the grievance remain appropriate for review and the Dean of Student Wellness determines that the matter can be addressed through the Non-Academic Grievance Procedure.
- The decision of the Vice President or the Chief Officer will be final.
- The Student Wellness office will provide administrative support to schedule all meetings.
Closure of Grievance due to Student's Lack of Response
A student’s failure, refusal, or inability to participate in the Non-Academic Grievance Procedure may result in the closure of the grievance. If a student or other party involved in the grievance becomes unresponsive for seven calendar days after receiving a request for participation or information necessary to continue the process, the Dean of Student Wellness may notify the parties that the grievance will be considered closed.
Before closing a grievance due to non-response, the Dean of Student Wellness will make a reasonable effort to contact the unresponsive party and provide notice that failure to respond may result in closure.
A student may request review of an involuntary closure by submitting a written request to the Dean of Student Wellness within seven calendar days of the closure notice. The request must explain the circumstances that prevented participation and provide any relevant information supporting the request. The Dean of Student Wellness will determine whether the grievance should be reopened based on the circumstances presented, the length of the delay, the availability of relevant information, and whether reopening the grievance would allow for a fair and meaningful review. The Dean’s determination regarding whether to reopen the grievance is final.