Student Complaints

Overview

Per Santa Fe College Procedure 7.36P, the college allows students to submit formal complaints.

If you, as a student, believe that a college policy, applicable law, or college procedure was not followed or applied fairly, then you may follow the complaint resolution processes outlined below for issues that are not otherwise addressed by College Rules 2.8 (Prohibition Against Discrimination and Harassment), 4.2 (Grading System), 7.22 (College Petitions Committee) or 7.23 (Student Conduct Code).

You are expected to follow the chain of command within the complaint process. This allows for the most timely and efficient resolution of a complaint. Even so, nothing within the complaints process stops you from seeking counsel from an adviser of your choice. Please feel free to contact the Counseling and Wellness Center and/or the College’s Ombudsperson for assistance, advocacy or support at any point within this process.

Informal Complaint Resolution

If you are comfortable doing so, you should discuss the complaint directly with the employee who is alleged to have not followed or fairly applied a college policy, applicable law, or college procedure within 10 business days of the incident. The employee is then expected to use best efforts to seek to resolve the issue within 10 business days of your complaint.

If the complaint does not involve a specific college employee, then you shall contact the College Ombudsperson for guidance within 10 business days of the incident.

If you are uncomfortable discussing the complaint directly with the employee or you are not satisfied with the resolution obtained through the Informal Complaint Process, then you may proceed to the Formal Complaint Process. This should be done within 10 days of the conclusion of the Informal Complaint Resolution.

Formal Complaint Resolution

If you decide to lodge a formal complaint, then you must submit the Formal Student Complaint Form within 10 business days from the conclusion of the Informal Complaint Resolution or within 10 business days of the actual incident. Formal complaints must be factual and specific, and must include:

  1. A brief description of the complaint,
  2. An overview of the actions that you took to resolve the complaint, and
  3. A clear statement of the resolution that you are requesting.

Supporting documents may be attached to the formal complaint.

A supervisor will address the complaint and attempt to resolve the issue with you within ten (10) business days of receiving your submission. Additionally, the supervisor will also provide a written response to you to detail the outcome of the complaint. That response will include the name and contact information for the responder’s supervisor.

First Appeal (Final if VP or President)

If you are not satisfied with the resolution of your complaint, then you may appeal to the supervisor of the person who responded to your Formal Complaint within 10 business days of the completion of the Formal Complaint process. You appeal by sending an email from your Santa Fe College email to the responder’s supervisor stating that you are not satisfied with the outcome then outlining the reasons for your dissatisfaction. This supervisor may engage in fact-finding, including requesting additional information from you, and shall use best efforts to make a decision within 10 business days and to provide a written response to you. This response will include the name and contact information for the Vice President who oversees the First Appeal responder.

Final Appeal

If you are not satisfied with the resolution from the First Appeal, you may submit a Final Appeal to the Vice President who oversees the individual who responded to the First Appeal. The Final Appeal notification must be made within 10 business days of the completion of the Appeal Resolution process. You appeal, once again, by sending an email from your Santa Fe College email to the Vice President stating that you are not satisfied with the outcome and then outlining the reasons for your dissatisfaction. The Vice President may engage in fact-finding, including requesting additional information from you, and shall use best efforts to make a decision within 10 business days and to provide a written response to you. The decision of the Vice President constitutes the final position of the College, unless the subject of the complaint is a direct report to the President, in which case the President’s response will constitute the final position of the College.

All written student complaints will be retained by the college. The Vice President for Student Affairs will review complaints, on a regular basis, to identify trends or patterns, and to make continuous improvements.

Florida Department of Education

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the complaint process after all avenues within the College have been addressed, you may contact the Florida Department of Education.

Distance Education Students

If you are a Distance Education student and you have completed the internal institutional complaint process and the applicable state grievance process, you may appeal non-instructional complaints to the FL-SARA PRDEC Council. For additional information on this, please visit the FL-SARA Complaint Process page at https://www.fldoe.org/sara/student-concerns.stml.