Complaints

Campus Student Grievance Policy and Procedure

Arizona Christian University wants traditional students to have a positive experience in which their grievances can be expressed openly and honestly. The University is committed to promptly addressing student grievances, both academic (Academic Dean) and non-academic (Dean of Students). Student grievance is taken seriously and will be responded to by the University in a timely manner. Prior to reporting a complaint or grievance, the University encourages the individual to attempt to resolve the issue on their own first. If the issue cannot be resolved, the University encourages individuals to submit a formal complaint.

To register a grievance, the student should write a formal letter detailing the issue and address the grievance to the Dean of Students and/or Academic Dean. The grievance may be difficult to resolve without enough detail to allow the University to understand and respond to the grievance adequately. A grievance may be signed or anonymous. However, if a grievance is submitted anonymously, it will not be possible to contact or work directly with the student. Therefore, students are encouraged to provide their names.

The grievance will be reviewed by the Dean of Students and/or Academic Dean, who will acknowledge receipt of the grievance and establish a file for the grievance within ten (10) business days. The file will be kept separate from student academic records. The Dean of Students and/or Academic Dean (or designee/s) may schedule a meeting with the student to discuss the grievance. The Dean of Students and/or Academic Dean (or designee/s) will help the student in resolving the grievance. If unable to address the grievance immediately because of policy or procedural requirements, the Dean of Students and/or Academic Dean (or designee/s) will assist the student in directing the grievance to the appropriate University official or office better able to address the matter. Records of grievances and their resolutions are maintained by the Dean of Students and/or Academic Dean.

All additional concerns can be sent to [email protected]

Grievance Procedure

1. Student submits a grievance by writing a formal letter detailing the issue.
2. The grievance is acknowledged within ten (10) business days and reviewed by the Dean of Students and/or Academic Dean.
3. The Dean of Students and/or the Academic Dean (or designee/s) will help the student in resolving the grievance.
4. Reasonable resolutions to grievances shall be decided by the Dean of Students or the appropriate University officials or department within 30 days.
5. The Dean of Students will communicate the resolution to the student at the time of the decision.
6. Resolutions decided by the Dean of Students or other University official are considered final.

If a student or non student has exhausted the institutions’ internal complaint process, he or she can submit an external complaint to the Arizona State Board for Private Post Secondary Education or the student or non student may submit an external complaint to the Arizona SARA (State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement) Council.

Arizona Christian University is approved by the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) as a SARA member institution (http://nc-sara.org). The University has reciprocity with other SARA states for its distance education programs. Please visit the NC-SARA website for the most current list of states that participate in SARA. Online students residing in a SARA state may appeal a complaint to the Arizona SARA Council (AZ SARA) for review after exhausting the institution’s internal complaint process. SARA complaints must first be submitted internally for resolution through the University’s Academic Center. The Arizona SARA Council will not review complaints regarding student grades or student code of conduct violations. For more information visit the AZ SARA Council website (https://azsara.arizona.edu/complaints).

To file a complaint against an Arizona SARA Council-approved institution, you must meet the following requirements:

• File within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made.
• Complete the institutional complaint process prior to submission with the Council.
• The complaint must be a formal assertion in writing that the terms of SARA, or of laws, standards or regulations incorporated by SARA, are being violated by a person, institution, state, agency or other organization or entity operating under the terms of SARA.
• You are a student of an Arizona SARA Council-approved institution.
• You are not a student, but have a concern about any of the above.

To start the process, select the institution from the drop down list and fill out the form. All Arizona SARA approved schools are available in the list. Your information will be filed with the Arizona SARA Council. If your institution is not listed, the Arizona SARA Council does not have jurisdiction. Please refer to your institution’s complaint process.

About the Filing Process

The Arizona SARA Council has jurisdiction over Arizona SARA-approved institutions in relation to non-instructional complaints. Instructional complaints, such as grade grievances, are not reviewed by the Council and should not be submitted for review. Prior to registering a non-instructional complaint with the Arizona SARA Council, the student/complainant must complete the institution’s and other applicable regulatory body’s official complaint process.