Complaint and Grievance Procedures

Eastern Florida State College in compliance with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) recognizes the value of information provided by students, employees, and others in determining whether the College’s performance is consistent with accreditation standards.

The College ensures that the grievance and written complaint procedures and standards are appropriate and fair and are applied appropriately and consistently. They are also well published in both the online Student Handbook in the EFSC Catalog and here on the College website. The Eastern Florida State College, Board of Trustees Governance Manual section 400.3 addresses student rights and responsibilities. The process is outlined in the EFSC Procedure Manual section 201.

Review the processes and related contacts below.

Informal Process

The College encourages individuals to discuss issues and attempt to work out differences in a non-confrontational manner. This informal process is defined as the verbal discussion between the student and the staff or faculty member most closely associated with the concern. The informal process is intended to encourage a satisfactory resolution to a complaint at the earliest possible time; however, the informal process is not a mandatory step in order to access the formal process.

The Associate Dean of Student Success and Support is the designated college-wide ombudsman. The ombudsman is not directly involved in any formal complaint or grievance process, but will be available to inform the student on his rights and College processes for informal or formal complaint and grievance procedure. The Equity Officer is the designated ombudsman for staff, faculty and adjuncts.

Written Student Complaints

Eastern Florida State College provides a process whereby a student can submit a complaint or a concern, in writing, to be addressed by the appropriate college official. The procedure broadly defines the kinds of issues that can be addressed using the process and details the steps leading to a resolution.

Students have the right to seek resolution on academic, administrative, or student services related concerns through formal and informal processes. To file a written complaint, students must complete the EFSC Student Complaint form.

The form can be submitted through the Student Document Dropbox found inside the myEFSC Portal to the appropriate Collegewide Chair or Dean. (See form for additional directions).

1. The informal process for written student complaints is a direct review and resolution by the College representative with the best knowledge of the situation. Students are encouraged to resolve their academic concerns directly with their faculty member, their administrative concerns with the appropriate Collegewide Chair or Dean; student services related concerns with the Dean of Students; Campus Admissions and Records concerns with the Dean of Enrollment Management; and financial aid concerns with the Financial Aid Office.
2. Concerns related to potential discrimination or equity are first addressed by the equity officer. Procedure 200 addresses equity and discrimination concerns.
3. A log of written student concerns is filed electronically with the specifics of the concern and the resolution. This log is used for periodic assessment of processes and measures of institutional effectiveness. Examples of potential student concerns include but are not limited to: academic issues, financial issues, administrative issues, and discipline related to the student code of conduct.
4. Students are encouraged to consult with the Associate Dean of Student Success and Support (who is the also the ombudsman) to determine student rights and College processes that may assist the students in the resolution of their concerns.