Scope and Limitation

A student may seek to resolve any grievance if he or she believes that a member of the University community has offended and/or violated his or her rights. This person filing the grievance must be the alleged victim of unfair treatment; a grievance cannot be filed on behalf of another person.

The Director for Student Welfare (DSW) serves as the receiver and facilitator of complaints and grievances from students. He/She has neither recommendatory nor disciplinary authority, but undertakes follow-ups on complaints and grievances referred to it. The office screens and studies the complaints and determines whether they are valid or not before they are forwarded to the office concerned for appropriate actions. If there is a possibility of mediation, the office may make representations with the office concerned in order to settle amicably the complainant or grievance.

If the complaint is directed against the DSW the student may directly report to the Dean of Students who shall then take the appropriate action.

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Informal Resolution

Prior to invoking the formal procedures in resolving a grievance, the student is strongly encouraged, but is not required, to discuss his or her grievance with the person alleged to have caused the grievance. The discussion should be held as soon as the student becomes aware of the act or condition that is the basis of the grievance.

The student may express his/her grievance in writing addressed directly to the person alleged to have caused the grievance. The person alleged to have caused the grievance must respond to the student promptly either through a dialogue or through a written response.

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Formal Procedure for Complaint Processing

A complaint is brought before the DSW either by the Student Government of the student alleging misconduct or infraction, abuse of authority, poor instruction or service, or any valid cause for complaint against a fellow student, a member of the faculty, a staff, or the administration and in cases when a student' grievance was not satisfied nor fairly responded by an informal resolution.

• The DSW studies the validity of the complaint
• If the complaint is valid, the DSW shall make representations with the office concerned and endorse the complaint to the said office for appropriate action.
• Once the complaint is brought to the proper office, the DSW makes a series of follow-ups to ensure that the action is done
• If no action is taken by the office concerned, the DSW may bring up the matter to the higher office, this time, with an added complaint of inaction by the office concerned
• If the same inaction is present in said higher office, the DSW brings up the matter to even higher offices with added complaints of inaction until the same reaches the University President