Feedback & Concerns

Students may report feedback, concerns, or grievances anonymously or they may choose to self-identify. If a report is received anonymously, it may impact the school’s ability to investigate and respond fully to the report.

Students are invited to consult with an Undergraduate or Graduate Program staff member to talk through how to navigate the various options for reporting that are available to them, and what might be the best fit for their specific concern. Please call 612-624-3313 or email ugdean@umn.edu.

When documenting the concern or grievance, you may be prompted to provide a detailed account or include supporting documentation. You may also be asked to provide more details in the Immediate Response (see more below).

Our process and subsequent recommendations are informed by our Undergraduate and Graduate Guiding Principles:

We before I: Our teamwork and inclusivity increase our impact.

Each one of us is responsible for fostering an environment that supports the active inclusion of all members of our community. Together, our collective action shapes a more just world. 

Why Before How: Our curiosity and analysis lead to purposeful action.

We believe that elevating student concerns and tracking accordingly can lead to purposeful action. Continuous learning and self-examination will help us purposefully develop new programs, initiatives, policies, and services to promote a more inclusive community.

Work Before Reward: Our resilience and grit are keys to lifelong success.

While change rarely comes soon enough, this value is the foundation of a commitment to the ongoing practice of becoming better individually, institutionally, and systemically.

A core response team, composed of various CDes community representatives, will meet periodically to discuss broader trends, campus impacts, and may suggest other campus responses. 

What this team is responsible for:

• Using the data from the reporting process to identify emergent or recurring themes, determine educational strategies, programming and/or training for a targeted audience or the entire college in response to the information patterns.

• Assisting in implementation of coordinated and appropriate community responses.

• Working in partnership with University offices for appropriate lines of reporting, responses, and actions.

• Notifying college and/or campus leaders of ongoing concerns and trends. 

• Regularly ensuring a thorough process review and continuous improvement.

Your submission will be received and reviewed by the CDes Undergraduate or Graduate Program lead staff members as assigned. 

If the report is not anonymous, you can then expect the following steps:

1. You will receive a message acknowledging receipt of the report. 

2. Within 1-2 business days (meaning 48 hours that does not include weekends and holidays), leadership will review your submission and reply, including but not limited to:

• You may be provided initial support resources.

• You may be referred to appropriate University offices and/or resources that can effectively respond through investigation, educational coaching, or other means.

• You may be invited to discuss your report in more detail.

• You may be told appropriate parties have been notified and are working on a response and you will receive more information in the coming days.

3. As necessary, the college leadership will consult with other college officials (eg: Department Chairs, Human Resources, Dean, Undergraduate Program Staff, etc.) to coordinate responses and recommendations.

4. When appropriate, college leadership will follow up with a student to identify any ongoing issues.

If you submit anonymously, the Immediate Response Team will take step #3 above. Please note, if you are directed to other U of M reporting resources (like the BRRN or EOAA), they may have different response systems for anonymous reporting. 

Additionally, this Immediate Response Team is responsible for: 

• Notifying campus leaders of ongoing and urgent incidents.

• Logging all reported incidents.

Both the overall University Code of Conduct (PDF) and the Student Conduct Code (PDF) provide university-specific information. You can also view the University's Sexual Misconduct policy for definitions and procedures related to these types of misconduct.

All students agree to these terms (listed above) by accepting admission to the College of Design or accepting admission to any of the academic programs operated either solely by or jointly with the College of Design.

You always have the ability to address them with a trusted administrator and your Academic Advisor at CDes can be immensely helpful as you determine how you might want to navigate a situation. Depending on the nature of the issue, many concerns can be resolved quite easily by speaking directly with the other person involved, especially involving grading concerns or similar classroom issues. If direct contact with the other party does not resolve the situation, or it would make you uncomfortable (for example, bullying or harassment), you can seek assistance through the reporting form, and you will be guided to various channels that can help depending on the nature of your complaint. 

In addition, the University of Minnesota has an initiative called “The Dignity Project,” which aims to ensure campus academic climates are conducive to well-being, learning, and productivity.  This project equips students with tools to address and sustain civility in academics.

The University of MN’s Bias Response and Referral Network’s website addresses a number of questions you might have, such as:

• What is a bias incident?

• What is the difference between a bias incident and a hate crime?

• How do I know if I have experienced bias? 

• What about free speech and academic freedom?

Microaggressive behaviors are insults, actions, or comments that contribute to an environment or experience that is not welcoming to a person or group based on their age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religion, religious practices, or sexual orientation. Students are encouraged to report these incidences. They will be documented and will inform efforts to raise awareness and sensitivity toward creating a more inclusive and supportive University environment.

Please see more below under Terms and Definitions. Also, see Examples of Microaggressions from UMN School of Public Health

The College of Design takes all reports seriously, and a variety of approaches may be used depending on the nature of the circumstance and the individual(s) involved. An educational approach, for example, may be to help the individual realize how their actions and/or words impact others through formal or informal means. At times, this may include education on UMN policies and procedures, like accommodation requests, classroom management, or conflict resolution. Formal investigations are not typically the first step. Rather, investigations are typically only conducted if there is reason to believe it is likely that a university or college policy has been violated. If an individual is found to have violated policy or not met expectations with no evidence of improvement, annual performance reviews may be impacted, and further performance management may be necessary. Allegations of illegal behavior and/or specific violations of university policies will be referred to appropriate investigative bodies on campus, which may include EOT and/or CDes human resources, for example.

University policy states that no member of the University community may retaliate against an individual because of the individual’s good faith participation in:

• reporting or otherwise expressing opposition to, suspected or alleged misconduct;

• participating in any process designed to review or investigate suspected or alleged misconduct or non-compliance with applicable policies, rules, and laws; or

• accessing the Office for Conflict Resolution (OCR) services.

The CDes response teams involved in reviewing reports will maintain a reporting student’s confidentiality whenever possible, given the University’s responsibility for supporting a safe and nondiscriminatory working and learning environment. The response teams will also have safeguards in place for eliminating any potential conflicts of interest through the reporting.

Remember, you always have the ability to consult with a trusted individual (your academic advisor, a career coach, instructor, staff member, etc.) if you want to talk through your concerns and options prior to submitting any report. 

In all circumstances, students submitting a report non-anonymously will receive communication from the Immediate Response Team on steps taken.

In situations where individuals may be personally identified, privacy laws and confidentiality of student and employee records may prevent the college from disclosing specific details about the resolution of a report.  

Reports that are submitted ­­­­­­­­anonymously will be acted upon after consideration from the Immediate and Core response teams, although the college’s ability to respond may be severely limited by those circumstances. 

Grade disputes should start with your faculty member. If not resolved, they can be escalated in the following order: program director, associate head, department head, and associate dean of academic programs. For more information regarding grade disputes please see:  https://policy.umn.edu/education/studentcomplaints-proc02