Student Complaints Process

Clark College desires to resolve student grievances, complaints and concerns in an expeditious, fair and amicable manner. Students should follow the Colleges internal protocol first for resolving complaints. Student grievance procedures can be found in the Clark College, Administrative Procedures Manual 735.000.

If a grievance cannot be resolved internally, students may file a complaint with their State agency as listed in Student Grievance Contact Information for Individual States.

Clark College is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and Public Disclosure information

Policy Statement (735.000)

Any student with a complaint who feels they have been treated unfairly will have the right to be heard fairly and promptly. The college recognizes that disputes may sometimes arise and requires the parties involved to resolve the conflict informally whenever possible. If resolution cannot be reached, a formal complaint process will be provided in order to assure impartial and equitable resolution for those conflicts.

The student complaint process may not be invoked for matters that have independent appeal processes established. Examples of these include, but are not limited to Academic Appeals, Academic Standards, Code of Student Conduct, FERPA, Financial Aid, Grades, Title IX, Discrimination and Harassment, and Safety/Parking. Matters which are not grievable at the student complaints level include the following:

1. Federal and State laws

2. Administrative Procedures Act (Chapter 34.05 RCW)

3. Employment and personnel decisions

4. Policies of the Board of Trustees

5. Rules and procedures adopted by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges or the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction

6. All applicable collective bargaining agreements 

Process for Filing a Complaint

The Complaint Process is divided into an informal and formal process.  This process is initiated by the student who will receive support and information during each of the three steps that may be involved.  A complaint may be resolved at various stages of the process.  Complaints should be filed as soon as possible and no more than 90 days after the incident occurs. 

Step One - Informal Complaint:

Clark College requires that you first make every effort to informally resolve a complaint or concern. It is important that you talk directly with the staff, faculty or administrator with whom you have a complaint in order for them to have an opportunity to hear your concerns and work with you to resolve the issue. As a professional courtesy, you are advised to:

• Contact college employees by phone or email to schedule an appointment
• Be clear about what your concern is and how you would like the issue resolved

If your complaint or concern has not been resolved to your satisfaction, you may move into the Formal Complaint process listed below.

If you have questions or would like assistance with this process, please contact: studentcomplaints@clark.edu.

Step Two - Formal Complaint:

You may utilize the formal complaint process after exhausting the informal complaint process directly with the person with whom you have a complaint or concern.  To submit a formal complaint, you must use the Clark College Student Complaint Form.  This form can be submitted online using the provided link or it can be printed and completed in writing; if you choose to print the form please submit it to the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs in Gaiser Hall Room 204 (GHL 204).

After your Student Formal Complaint Form has been submitted, you will receive notification via your Clark College email account that it has been received; this notification will occur within five (5) business days.  You will be provided information regarding next steps in the process and may be asked for additional information, if necessary.

Within this step of the process, complaints involve the faculty or staff member’s Division Chair or Staff Supervisor.

If your complaint or concern has not been resolved to your satisfaction, you may appeal the decision made by the Division Chair or Staff Supervisor by continuing the complaint process into Step Three listed below.  Questions can be directed to: studentcomplaints@clark.edu.

Step Three - Appeal:

To appeal a decision made by the Division Chair or Staff Supervisor with whom you worked to resolve your complaint or concern, you need to submit an email to: studentcomplaints@clark.edu stating your desire to appeal the current decision and providing the following information:

• Brief outline of steps you have taken toward resolving the issue
• Decision given by the Division Chair or Staff Supervisor
• Reason for appealing this decision
• Possible solution(s) you see to the issue
• Contact information (phone, email, etc.)

After your email requesting an appeal has been submitted, you will receive notification via your Clark College email account that it has been received; this notification will occur within five (5) business days. You will be notified of the next steps in the process and be given information as to who will contact you in the near future.

Within this step of the process, complaints involve the faculty or staff member’s Dean.  Decisions of the Dean are final and cannot be appealed.

If you have any questions or would like assistance with any portion of this process, please contact studentcomplaints@clark.edu