DSU is committed to providing high-quality educational and related services to students. DSU encourages students to notify the institution when there is cause for concern in academic and non-academic matters.
Dunlap-Stone University will not subject students to unfair or retaliatory action as a result of initiating a grievance. If informal grievance procedures such as making a good faith effort to resolve the grievance with the individual(s) involved are not satisfactory, the student may initiate formal grievance procedures by contacting info@dunlap-stone.edu or (602) 648-5750. All complaints must be in writing, as verbal grievances will not be considered formal complaints. When the complaint concerns a faculty member or administrator, DSU ensures that the faculty member or administrator has sufficient opportunity to provide a response to the complaint.
Informal Academic Complaint: Within 5 business days of the specific incident, the student should provide their advisor with the specific policy, syllabus item, and/or rubric information that has allegedly been violated. The complaint will be reviewed and the student will be provided a response within 5 business days. If the complaint is related to lack of response from a faculty member, the student should contact their advisor.
Formal Academic Grievance: To challenge a final course grade, students submit an academic grievance application within 60 days of the end of a class. The grievance process is an autonomous procedure of a serious nature that aims to protect and support students, faculty, and staff by investigating such allegations. A final grade grievance is defined as a student complaint regarding an academic action taken by instructional personnel in assigning a final grade for a course, qualifying exam, or comprehensive exam. For an academic complaint to be considered, the complaint must be based on one or more of the following grounds:
Capricious grading constitutes any of the following: (a) the assignment of a grade to a particular student on some basis other than their performance in the course; (b) the assignment of a grade to a particular student using more exacting or demanding standards than were applied to other students in that course.
This procedure may not be used to complain about an instructor’s grading policy, assignments, the difficulty of a course, or other comparable matters unless the complaint falls under one of the areas described above.
Finally, students may not file a grievance about a final course grade that was assigned as the result of an academic misconduct procedure. Complaints about such processes should be referred to the administrator from whom the academic misconduct notice was received for such an appeal.
All grievances must use the college’s grade grievance form. The committee typically resolves student academic grievances within 30 days of receipt of the grievance materials. Any appeals should be submitted in writing within 30 days of receipt of notice.
DSU acknowledges that students have a right to seek a remedy for a dispute or disagreement through a comprehensive complaint process. The purpose of the Non-Academic Complaint and Grievance Policy is to provide a pathway to complaint review and resolution. A non-academic complaint stems from the student’s feeling that a published policy, procedure or agreement has been violated. These include, but are not limited to, financial decisions, refunds, honors status, discrimination, etc. Please note that Satisfactory Academic Progress is reviewed under a separate process.
Informal Non-Academic Complaints: Within 5 business days of the specific occurrence, the student should provide their advisor a clearly identified complaint. It should include the specific policy that has been violated and their desired resolution. DSU will provide a written decision to the student within 5 business days.
Formal Non-Academic Grievance: If the resolution remains unsatisfactory upon receipt of the response, within 10 business days, the student may submit a formal letter to the DSU outlining the dates and documentation surrounding their complaint. The items will be investigated and reviewed. The student may be interviewed to provide more information, and the institution will provide a response to the student within 10 business days.
Grievance Appeals: If the resolution remains unsatisfactory, the student may request a review of the Non-Academic Appeals committee within 10 business days. The committee will review the materials and may contact the student or other parties for additional information. They will provide a written decision within 15 business days. The decision of the committee is final.
Students are encouraged to proceed through the institution’s complaint process before filing an external complaint. If a student complaint cannot be resolved after exhausting the institution’s grievance procedure, including the appeals process, the student may file a complaint with external agencies.
Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education
1740 W. Adams Street, Phoenix, AZ 85007
Tel: 602-542-5709, Web: www.ppse.az.gov
The Arizona SARA Council has jurisdiction over Arizona SARA-approved institutions including Dunlap-Stone University 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 Dunlap-Stone University’s and the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education’s complaint process, as listed above.
Distance education students who have completed the internal institutional grievance process and the applicable state grievance process may appeal complaints to the AZ SARA Council. Complaints must be submitted within two years of the incident. Complaints regarding student grades or student conduct violations may not be appealed to the AZ SARA Council. For additional information on the complaint process, please visit the AZ SARA complaint page: https://azsara.arizona.edu/complaints
California residents are advised that: A student or any member of the public may file a complaint about this institution with the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education by calling 888-370-7589 or by completing a complaint form, which can be obtained on the bureau’s internet web site: www.bppe.ca.gov.
Students may also contact the Distance Education Accrediting Commission if a complaint cannot be resolved using the school’s grievance procedure including the appeals process by using the DEAC Online Complaint Form or submitting a written complaint to the following address: Distance Education Accreditation Council, 1101 17th Street NW, Suite 808, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 234-5100, http://www.DEAC.org/
Employees and contracted labor such as instructors should refer to their handbooks for additional grievance policies and procedures. Forms are available in ADM.
Give us a call: (602) 648-5750