Student Grievances

All students in the Valley Forge Military College community have the right to express a grievance when they allege they have been treated in a manner not consistent with the community standards at the college. A grievance may involve a violation of college policy or procedure or improper, unfair, or arbitrary treatment. Students wishing to file a grievance against a faculty member, staff member, or administrator should seek counsel from the Grievance Officer.

VFMC NON-ACADEMIC GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

Statement of Policy:

The grievance procedure may be used to resolve any student complaint except those that are covered by a specific college procedure (e.g. College Code of Conduct Process, Student Academic Grievance Procedures, Harassment Policy, etc.)

No disciplinary or other unfavorable action may be taken against any student or anyone who may represent a student using the grievance procedures.

Scope of Policy:

The Grievance Reporting Form is intended for use by any student wishing to make a formal complaint about a person, policy or university process. If a student feels that there has been a violation of the Valley Forge Military College Code of Conduct, then the appropriate form to use is the Student Grievance Form, which is available online at https://www.vfmac.edu/student-grievance-form/

A. At VFMC, there are two grievance procedures through which students can raise and seek redress for what they believe to be unfair, improper or discriminatory decisions, actions, or treatment:

      1. If the matter involves an academic decision, the Academic Grievance Procedure may be the applicable procedure.
      2. If the matter involves a non-academic decision, the Non-Academic Grievance Procedure may be the applicable procedure.

B. The purpose of the Non-Academic Grievance Procedure is to provide a process for students to seek resolution of disputes and grievances that may not fall within the scope of one of the Academic Grievance processes.

    1. The Associate Associate Dean of Students is responsible for administering this Non-Academic Grievance Procedure.
    2. The Associate Dean of Students may be contacted at:
  • 610-989-1467

Informal Resolution

    1. As a general proposition (and although particular circumstances may warrant an exception), the student should first discuss the problem and seek a solution with the individual(s) most directly involved.
    2. If no resolution results (or if circumstances make discussion inappropriate with the person most directly involved), the student should then consult with the individual at the next (higher) administrative level in the department, school, residence or College administrative unit. Serious efforts should be made to resolve the issue locally at an informal level without resort to a formal grievance; such efforts may continue even after the formal process is underway.

Formal Grievance

    1. If informal means of resolution prove inadequate, the student should set forth in writing with the Non-Academic Grievance Report Form, the substance of the complaint, the grounds for it and the evidence on which it is based, and the efforts taken to date to resolve the matter. It is at this stage that the complaint becomes a formal grievance.
    2. The grievance document should be submitted to the Associate Dean of Students, who will review the case and, if any VFMC staff or faculty are involved, consider it a formal grievance. A grievance should be filed in a timely fashion, i.e., within five (5) days of the event in which the action that is the subject of the grievance occurred. Except in extraordinary circumstances, delay in filing a grievance will be grounds for rejection of that grievance.
    3. The Associate Dean of Students will promptly initiate a review, which should normally be completed within seven (7) days. The Associate Dean of Students may attempt to resolve the matter informally and may refer the matter (or any part of it) to a designee, who will look into and/or address the matter as the Associate Dean of Students directs. The Associate Dean of Students may also, in appropriate cases, remand the matter to the appropriate administrator (including to the administrative level at which the grievance arose) for further consideration.
    4. In undertaking this review, either the Associate Dean of Students or his or her designee may request a response to the issues raised in the grievance from any individuals believed to have information the reviewer considers relevant, including faculty, staff, and students.
    5. The Associate Dean of Students (or his or her designee) will issue his or her decision in writing and take steps to initiate such corrective action as is called for (if any). Conduct meriting discipline will be brought to the attention of the appropriate disciplinary process.

Appeal

    1. If the student is dissatisfied with the resolution by the Associate Dean of Students (or his or her designee), he or she may appeal to the Associate Dean of Academics. The appeal should be filed in writing with the Associate Dean of Academics within ten days of the issuance of the decision by the Associate Dean of Students (or his or her designee); a delay in filing the appeal may be grounds for rejection of that appeal.
    2. The Associate Dean of Academics may attempt to resolve the matter informally. The Associate Dean of Academics may also, in appropriate cases, remand the matter to the appropriate administrator (including to the administrative level at which the grievance arose) for further consideration.
    3. The Associate Dean of Academics should normally complete his or her review of the appeal and issue his or her decision in writing within fourteen (14) days. That decision is final.

General Provisions

    1. Time Guidelines—The time frames set forth herein are guidelines. They may be extended by the Associate Dean of Students or Associate Dean of Academics as applicable, in his or her discretion for good cause (including for reasons relating to breaks in the academic calendar), and will nearly always be extended during summers and the winter closure.
    2. Advisers—A student initiating or participating in a grievance under this procedure may be accompanied by an adviser in any discussion with the Associate Dean of Students, the Associate Dean of Academics or their designees, any adviser must be a current VFMC faculty, staff member or student.
    3. Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault—For information and resources concerning Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Exploitation, Stalking, Dating Violence, and Domestic Violence, students should refer to the Title IX Information page of the VFMC website:

https://www.vfmac.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Notification-of-Title-IX-Grievance-Procedures_9.20.18.pdf

    1. No retaliation—VFMC prohibits retaliation or reprisals against individuals based on their pursuit in good faith of a grievance under this procedure, or their participation in good faith in the grievance process.
    2. Standards for Review—If the grievance involves a decision that is being challenged, the review by the Associate Dean of Students, as well as the review by the Provost on appeal, usually will be limited to the following considerations:
      1. The Associate Dean of Students exhibited unfair bias which influenced the decision rendered.
      2. the discovery of new evidence which (i) was unavailable at the time of the decision being appealed, and (ii) could substantially alter the decision rendered.
      3. substantial error in the conduct of the investigation which may have denied fundamental fairness to the appealing party
      4. the sanctions recommended or imposed substantially and materially depart from the standards of VFMC for the type of offense involved.

Appeals Process for Student Conduct

The Complainant or Accused student or organization has the right to appeal decisions of the Student Conduct Board in writing to the Dean of Valley Forge Military College within three business days of the outcome notification of the hearing. The Dean of Valley Forge Military College will review the appeal and notify the student or organization via email of his/her decision. This is the final appeal at Valley Forge Military College, and, if applicable, all imposed sanctions take effect after the Dean of Valley Forge Military College issues his/her decision.

Appeals must be based on one of the following circumstances and should be addressed in written appeal:

1. Procedural errors – when the published procedures of the conduct process were not followed and the errors violated the student’s or organization’s rights.

2. Substantive errors – when the evidence presented at the hearing was not sufficient to justify the decision reached or if the sanction(s) imposed is (are) unreasonably harsh based upon the circumstances of the case and the prior record of the student or organization.

3. New evidence – when information, existing at the time of the hearing, was not available or known at the time of the hearing.

Written appeals will be reviewed along with the record of the original proceedings.

A student who is appealing has the right to attend classes and VFMC functions until he/she is notified of the appeal decision. Exceptions would be made when the student’s presence would create a clear and present danger of material interference with the normal operation of VFMC. In such cases, VFMC may impose temporary protective measures, including an interim suspension, pending a hearing.

Grade Appeal

All grades are considered final at the official posting of the grades, as determined by the Office of the Registrar. Students may only appeal final course grades which they can clearly demonstrate were awarded arbitrarily, capriciously and/or because of prejudice or clerical error by the professor/instructor of the course. No other reason for a grade change will be accepted. The process for appealing a grade is as follows:

  • Student meets with the professor or instructor and attempts to settle any disputes within one (1) week after the posting of the final grade. If the professor or instructor agrees, he/she submits a Grade Change Form to the College Registrar.
  • If the meeting with the professor or instructor does not result in a grade change, the student may submit the Grade Appeal Request to the Associate Dean of Academics within one (1) week of the meeting with the professor or instructor. The written letter of appeal must contain the following information:
    1. Reason for grade change request.
    2. Evidence to support claim re: the professor or instructor error.
  • The Dean will review the appeal request and will make a determination after reviewing the student’s claim and the professor/instructors grade appeal response. The Dean will sanction the grade change if evidence is shown to support one of the four reasons listed above; if evidence is not submitted or another reason is presented, the request will be denied.