Student Complaints Policy

Policy Number: #

Responsible Executive(s):

  • Provost and Chief of Staff

Responsible Office(s):

  • Provost and Chief of Staff

Date Adopted: 01-15-2016

Date Revised: 05-01-2020

Regis University is a Jesuit Catholic University committed to excellence in its programs and services; it exists for the purposes of teaching and learning. It is accountable to its students, other constituents, and its institutional accrediting body to ensure that students have access to appropriate procedures for registering complaints regarding actions, decisions, and/or processes so their complaints may be deliberated and acted upon by appropriate University officials.   

This policy applies to all Regis University students regardless of department, division, school, college, status, classification, type, or location. No retaliation shall be taken against a student who articulates a complaint. 

Regis University designates its individual departments and operational units as responsible for receiving, investigating and potentially resolving student complaints. Depending upon the nature of the complaint, there are specific policies and procedures, as detailed below.

    • Violations of the Student Code of Conduct or the Nondiscrimination and Sexual Misconduct Policy
      The Regis University Student Handbook describes in detail information regarding judicial affairs, student grievances, conduct hearings, appeals and related procedures.

      In accordance with the University’s Nondiscrimination and Sexual Misconduct Policy any complaint or grievance pertaining to discrimination against persons of a protected class or pertaining to sexual misconduct will be referred to the University’s Equal Opportunity & Title IX Coordinator for investigation. The Equal Opportunity & Title IX Coordinator shall maintain records of the appeals and of the disposition thereof.
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    • Complaints Regarding Non-Academic Services
      Students with a complaint regarding non-academic services must notify the person or head of the office responsible for the service to seek to resolve the situation by discussing the concern directly with the party involved within 30 calendar days of the incident and otherwise follow the procedures for appealing a decision within the unit. For example, concerns or appeals related to disability services, financial aid, parking or residence life must be addressed through the processes set up by those departments. For further information please call:
      • Disability Services: 303.458.4941 or disability@regis.edu
      • Financial aid or tuition and fees: 303.458.4126 or 800.568.8932 or studentservices@regis.edu
      • Residence Life: 303.964.3628 or reslife@regis.edu
      • Parking tickets: 303-458-4391 or ruparking@regis.edu
      • Bookstore: 303.458.4150 or regisuniversity@bkstr.com
      • Cafeteria (Harvest Table): 303.458.4196
      If there is not a formal procedure to appeal a particular decision, most concerns can be resolved by speaking directly with the individual. Therefore, a student with a grievance must first notify the person or office responsible to seek a resolution. Such notification should be in writing and should be submitted within 30 days of becoming aware of the grievance.

    In limited circumstances, a student may file a formal complaint using the policy identified below. The formal complaint must be filed within 14 days of the student receiving a unit-level decision or appeal decision, whichever is final. Alternatively, if a student does not receive a reply from the unit, the student may file a formal complaint within 30 days of the initial written notification of a grievance to the unit. The only basis for a formal complaint is that the applicable policy or procedure has not been followed or applied.

    FORMAL COMPLAINTS

    Formal Instructional Complaints: Appeals of academic issues (other than grades or progression) beyond a college’s academic dean may be made in writing to the Office of the Provost within 14 calendar days of the decision of the unit’s dean or director, using the process described below. The Office of the Provost will make the final decision and will notify the student of the decision within 14 calendar days of receipt of the complaint, as described below.

    Complete records of such formal academic complaints (other than grades or progression), and records of their disposition, are maintained by the Office of the Provost.

    Formal Non-Instructional Complaints: Appeals of a non-academic decision beyond a unit’s dean or director may be made in writing to the Office of the Vice President of Mission and Chief of Staff within 14 calendar days of the head of the unit’s decision using the process described below. The Vice President of Mission and Chief of Staff will make the final decision and will notify the student of the decision within 14 days of receipt of the complaint, as described below.

    Complete records of such formal non-academic complaints, and records of their disposition, are maintained by the Office of the Vice President of Mission and Chief of Staff.

    Formal Complaint Process:

    A formal complaint must be made in writing, and must include the following information:

    1. Student’s name, Regis I.D. number, mailing address, email address, and telephone number.
    2. A detailed description of the specific actions that constitute the basis for the complaint and the names and titles of those involved.
    3. The date(s) of the alleged actions.
    4. A list of witnesses, if any, including their contact information and the facts known by each.
    5. Documentation that supports the complaint.
    6. Evidence that the student has already attempted to resolve the concern through the informal dialogue and unit-level resolution, as described above.

    Upon receipt of a formal complaint, the Office of the Provost or the Office of the Vice President for Mission and Chief of Staff , as appropriate, will acknowledge receipt of the complaint within seven (7) working days. Normally, complaints will be investigated and resolved within 14 calendar days.

    The administrator in receipt of the complaint will advise the complainant if that timeline will not be met. The office in receipt of the complaint will issue a written determination of the complaint which will be provided to the student and the affected unit or other individual.

    If it is evident the complaint has not been previously addressed by the appropriate college/school/division/unit for investigation and proposed resolution, the complaint may be referred to the correct level for a decision. The office that receives the complaint may overturn, modify, or uphold the previous decision made by the head of the unit.

    The decision of the Office of the Provost or the Office of the Vice President for Mission and Chief of Staff shall be final.

    It is the expectation of Regis University that students will find a fair and equitable resolution to complaints when following the complaint process as outlined above; however, if a student desires to take further action and in accordance with federal law (see 34 C.F.R 668.43 (b)), information for filing complaints with our accreditor and with each State agency that governs educational activity is found below.

    Regis University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC), one of six regional higher education institutional accreditors in the United States. Web: https://www.hlcommission.org Mail: 230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500 Chicago, IL 60604 Phone: 800.621.7440
    HLC Complaint Process: www.hlcommission.org/HLC-Institutions/complaints.html.

    Students may file complaints with the appropriate U.S. state governing board or commission that governs University educational activity. A list of appropriate state boards/commissions, as well as contact information and links to pertinent websites, is provided below. For questions regarding the appropriate state agency, please email stateauthorization@regis.edu for more information.