Student Conduct and Complaint

Woodmont College is a religious institution. Students behaving in a manner that offends other students and their religious beliefs may be disciplined or expelled. Unprofessional conduct that might discredit the school will be subject to termination of any student. The school reserves the right to terminate any student for one or more of the following:

• Any student who has a grievance with the school or an instructor should first discuss the problem with the instructor or Dean of Students.
• If a resolution is not reached, the student should make a written complaint and submit it to the school director asking for a written response.
• When a satisfactory resolution of the problem is not obtained, the student may contact
   

  Commission for Independent Education 325 West Gaines Street, Suite 1414
  Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400
  Telephone: (888) 224-6684

• Out‐of‐State Distance Education students, who have completed the internal institutional grievance process and the applicable state grievance process, may appeal non‐instructional complaints to the FL‐SARAPRDEC Council. For additional information on the complaint process, please visit the FL‐SARA Complaint Process page: http://www.fldoe.org/sara/complaint-process.stml

• Students may also contact the New England Commission of Higher Education(NECHE), regarding their complaint:

  New England Commission of Higher Education
  3 Burlington Woods Drive, Suite 100, Burlington, MA 01803-4514
  (781) 425 7785
  E-Mail: info@neche.org

• See this page from the Florida Board of Education that contains additional addresses to be contacted if a student or employee has a complaint that has not been addressed by the institution.

Woodmont College aims to provide a high quality service to all students. The student complaint procedure consists of a straightforward and informal method of resolving student concerns, with an option of a more formal, written procedure in cases where all efforts for resolutions have been attempted. 

The following procedure is intended for complaints about service, support, or assistance provided by academic, administrative or support departments. Complaints can be of academic matters such as instruction methodology or supervision arrangements or nonacademic matters such as IT support, university services, policies etc. 

Complaints and appeals relating to the appeal process for policies and violations and academic appeals will not be considered under this procedure. In such instances, the student should refer to the appeals process as outlined in this catalog. The complaints procedure depends upon the ability to collect appropriate information from all parties involved, therefore anonymous complaints are not normally considered. All information submitted to Woodmont College while a student complaint is under investigation shall be treated as confidential and will only be available to the appropriate/involved parties. It is equally important that the student also respect the need for confidentiality throughout the complaint process. Students who submit a complaint should be aware that complete confidentiality cannot always be guaranteed if effective action is to be taken. Where a complaint is in reference to a specific individual, the complaint cannot be investigated if the student does not wish the allegation to be made known to that individual. 

Informal Student Complaint Procedure 

1. A student should initially discuss concern(s) with those directly responsible. If the student is not comfortable or willing to approach that person, the student’s Faculty Advisor or appropriate staff member may be approached. When possible, student complaints should be resolved during this initial and informal stage without the need to resort to formal proceedings. 
2. If the complaint is in reference to an issue relating to a specific staff or faculty member, the student should raise the concern with that person either orally or in writing. 
3. If a student is dissatisfied with an issue that relates to a specific staff member or a policy that the student is not willing to raise with that person, the student should present his/her concerns orally or in writing to any staff member. At this stage, student complaints will be responded to within five (5) business days. 
4. If the student completes the above procedure and believes that the complaint was not resolved to the standard which could reasonably be expected from the College, he/she may opt to proceed to the formal student complaint procedure which is outlined below. 

Formal Student Complaint Procedure When a student believes that the complaint has not been resolved to his/her satisfaction, or if the student wishes to present the complaint formally, the student is encouraged to submit the complaint on the Official Student Complaint Form to the School Director. 

1. The student complaint form is available online through the website, or by contacting the Student Services Department at student.services@woodmontcollege.edu. 
2. The School Director will either personally investigate the complaint or formally appoint a designee with no prior involvement in the matter to undertake the investigation. 
3. The School Director or designee will undertake the investigation with the intention of arriving at a solution that is acceptable to all parties involved. He/she may consult with the student or other persons as appropriate. The student will be advised in writing within 30 days of the receipt of the Student Complaint Form of the outcome of their complaint and of any consequential action to be taken. This will include a summary of the reasons for the decision. 
4. A copy of the letter to the student will be kept in a confidential student complaint file to be securely maintained at the College. 
5. When a satisfactory resolution of the problem is not obtained, the student may contact Commission for Independent Education 325 West Gaines Street, Suite 1414 Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400 Telephone: (888) 224-6684. For more information:   https://www.fldoe.org/policy/cie/student-concerns.stml
6. Out‐of‐State Distance Education students, who have completed the internal institutional grievance process and the applicable state grievance process, may appeal non‐instructional complaints to the FL‐SARAPRDEC Council. For additional information on the complaint process, please visit the FL‐SARA Complaint Process page: http://www.fldoe.org/sara/ complaint-process.stml 
7. Students may also contact the New England Commission of Higher Education(NECHE), regarding their complaint:

New England Commission of Higher Education
3 Burlington Woods Drive, Suite 100, Burlington, MA 01803-4514
(781) 425 7785
E-Mail: info@neche.org