During the college experience, students may find that they have concerns related to their student life or academic experience. Students are encouraged to use the following avenues to resolve conflict.
Residential or Community Life Related Concerns
Students are encouraged to resolve residential life issues directly or with the help of the RA and/or RD. Off-campus students can contact the vice president of student life directly with any community life concerns.
Escalated concerns must be submitted to the vice president of student life within two weeks of the date the concern occurred. The complaint should be in writing and contain information such as the student’s name, address, phone number, email address and specific details regarding the complaint. Alternative means of filing complaints that are available to Hesston College, such as a personal interview, large print or a recording, will be made available if requested. Failure to provide relevant details into the complaint may result in closing the concern due to insufficient information.
The vice president of student life shall conduct an investigation of the complaint. This investigation may be informal but it must be thorough, affording all interested persons an opportunity to submit evidence relevant to the complaint. The vice president of student life will issue a written decision on the complaint no later than 30 days after its filing.
If the situation involves an employee of the college, Human Resources may collaborate with Student Life in investigating and resolving the issue.
If the problem remains unresolved, the student should file a written complaint with the president of Hesston College. The president or assigned designee will have 30 days to review the complaint and will respond in writing. This is the last and final step of the complaint process.
Academic Related Concerns
Students should follow the course catalog information as it relates to grade-specific concerns. If there are specific concerns related to an instructor, students are encouraged to resolve academic issues directly with that instructor or with the help of their academic advisor.
Appeal Procedure:
A student is guaranteed the right to appeal decisions regarding their academic record or status if
- the decision was unreasonably disproportionate to the infraction,
- policies and procedures that affect the student’s right to receive a fair decision were not followed,
- the decision was not supported by evidence,
- new evidence has become available.
Concerns about grades or other course related issues should be discussed first with the instructor or department involved. If unresolved, a formal appeal may then be submitted in writing to the academic dean. An appeal of a final grade must be submitted no later than 30 days after the final grade has been submitted.
If the situation involves an employee of the college, human resources may collaborate with academics in investigating and resolving the issue.
If the problem remains unresolved, the student should file a written complaint with the vice president of academics. The vice president of academics will have 30 days to review the complaint and will respond in writing. This is the last and final step of the complaint process.
Complaints about Online Courses
Unresolved student concerns regarding online classes in programs authorized through the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement are referred to the state portal entity. If you are a student in an online class who worked through the complaint process explained above and the issue remains unresolved, section 4.5 of the SARA Policy Manual (kansasregents.org/academic_affairs/sara ) provides guidance on how to proceed with your complaint. Complaint form
Handbook 2024-25