Student Complaints

(Consumer Information Disclosure)

Student Complaint Policy

IECC is committed to providing students with an avenue to voice concerns or grievances. The purpose of this policy is to provide for the prompt and equitable resolution of student complaints. It is not applicable to, nor does it supplant, complaints that are governed by other IECC policies and procedures*.

Students are encouraged to seek resolution, as soon as possible, through informal communication with the appropriate individual(s). When a resolution is not resolved informally, a formal written complaint may be filed in the following manner.

Student Complaint Procedure

Filing a Complaint with IECC

Students shall follow the steps defined below for complaints not governed by other IECC policy and procedure (e.g. sexual harassment, grade appeals, Student Code of Conduct, and readmission petitions*).

Step 1:   Within ten days of the incident causing the complaint, the student shall attempt to resolve the matter informally. The student should meet with his/her instructor or service provider. If the matter is not resolved within ten days from the date of the meeting, the student  may file a formal written complaint. A student may not file a formal written complaint without completing Step 1.

Step 2:   Within five days from the expiration of days under Step 1,the student (complainant) may file a formal written complaint by submitting a Student Complaint/Complaint Appeal form to the appropriate personnel identified in the table that follows. The form must be filled out completely, incomplete forms will not be processed. If the complaint is against the administrative officer defined in any Step, the complainant shall advance to the next Step. A written response shall be provided to the complainant within ten days of receipt of the complaint. If the matter is not resolved, then Step 3 shall apply.

Step 3:   Within five days of receipt of the response under Step 2,the complainant may file a formal written appeal by submitting a Student Complaint/Complaint Appeal form to the appropriate Vice-Chancellor identified in the table above. The Vice Chancellor will have 10 days to meet with the student and provide a written decision to the student.  If the matter is not resolved, then Step 4 shall apply.

Step 4:   Within five days of receipt of the response under Step 3, the complainant may file a formal written appeal with the Chancellor. Upon review, the Chancellor may dismiss the complaint with or without meeting with the complainant. Alternately, the Chancellor may arrange a meeting with the complainant. All decisions of the Chancellor are final.

Legal Counsel   
Students are entitled to due process and have the right to their own legal counsel at any time.

Retaliation    
Participants in this process shall not be subjected to reprisals or retaliation because of participation in the complaint process.

Time Limits   
Days are defined as days in which the district office and the campuses are normally open to conduct business. The time limits prescribed for each step shall be adhered to unless there has been mutual agreement between the complainant and the administrator to extend the time limits. Failure by the administration at any step of the process to communicate the decision on a complaint within the specified time limit shall permit the complainant to proceed to the next step. Failure on the part of the complainant to appeal the decision to the next step within the specified time limits shall be deemed to be an abandonment of the complaint.

Withdrawal   
The student may withdraw his/her complaint at any time.

Records   
A log of formal complaints and the resulting records will be retained for a minimum of five (5) years in the office of the Chancellor.  

Administrative Review   
Student complaints are reviewed annually to determine trends and to ensure complaints are addressed in a timely manner and in accordance with this procedure.

Additional resources and contact information related to filing a complaint:

Filing a Complaint with ICCB   

Students who are not satisfied with the results of an appeal may file a complaint with the Illinois Community College Board.

Filing a Complaint with HLC

IECC's accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission, will receive complaints for matters related to potential substantive noncompliance with the Criteria for Accreditation or other HLC requirements.  

Students in Distance Education

Complaints from students attending IECC via distance delivery are governed in the same manner as outlined above.

As a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA), IECC also abides by NC-SARA's complaint policy. If a distance education student believes their complaint has not been satisfactorily resolved by IECC--and the complaint is unelated to grades or student conduct--they may forward it to the SARA State Portal Entity for further review. For community colleges in Illinois, this entity is the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB). Click here for ICCB contact information and their complaint process.  

When an appealed complaint is received from an out-of-state student, ICCB will notify the student’s SARA State Portal Entity. However, ICCB, through its SARA resolution process, will provide a final resolution.

Additional information can be found here: NC-SARA Student Complaint Information 

*Refer to these policies and procedures for alternate guidelines for registering complaints and/or appealing administrative decisions:   
 FERPA   
Grade Appeals       
Nondiscrimination Policy
Preventing Sexual Misconduct Policy         
Readmission by Petition
Student Code of Conduct