{"id":58,"date":"2014-03-17T07:43:55","date_gmt":"2014-03-17T07:43:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/studentadvocateofficemockup.wordpress.com\/?p=58"},"modified":"2014-03-17T07:43:55","modified_gmt":"2014-03-17T07:43:55","slug":"how-to-complete-a-formal-grievance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advocate.wp.ocfhosted.com\/?p=58","title":{"rendered":"How To: Complete A Formal Grievance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you have exhausted all attempts at an informal grievance and were unable to reach a resolution, you can file a formal grievance. This post will explain\u00a0<strong>How To File<\/strong>, the\u00a0<strong>Timeline<\/strong> for a formal grievance and (if necessary) an appeal, and\u00a0the process of the\u00a0<strong>Complaint Resolution Officer&#8217;s Investigation<\/strong>. At the bottom, you will find some\u00a0<strong>Tips from SAO<\/strong> and\u00a0<strong>Resources<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How To File:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The grievance form can be found here:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/students.berkeley.edu\/uga\/grievance.stm\" target=\"_blank\"> Student Grievance Procedure website<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Your grievance must be\u00a0<strong>written<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>and signed<\/strong> by you or your designated representative*<\/li>\n<li>Your grievance\u00a0<strong>must contain<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>your address<\/li>\n<li>your phone number<\/li>\n<li>a\u00a0<strong>detailed statement<\/strong> of the\u00a0<strong>specific action being grieved<\/strong>,<\/li>\n<li>the approximate\u00a0<strong>date<\/strong> when the action took place,<\/li>\n<li>the resulting\u00a0<strong>injury\u00a0<\/strong>or\u00a0<strong>harm<\/strong>,<\/li>\n<li>the <strong>specific law, policy, or rule alleged to have been violated<\/strong> (if known),<\/li>\n<li>a <strong>description<\/strong> of the <strong>evidence<\/strong> supporting the grievance,<\/li>\n<li>whether <strong>informal procedures<\/strong> were <strong>available<\/strong> and <strong>completed<\/strong>, and<\/li>\n<li>the <strong>remedy<\/strong> or <strong>relief requested<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>*Representative\/Advisor: <\/strong>If you will assisted by an <strong>advisor<\/strong>, you must <strong>submit his or her\u00a0name\u00a0<\/strong>and <strong>indicate whether he or she is a lawyer<\/strong>. You must also submit a <strong>signed statement authorizing your advisor to receive copies of relevant student records and correspondence regarding the grievance<\/strong> and to <strong>accompany you to any meetings<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Please note:\u00a0<\/strong>The Student Advocate&#8217;s Office has many caseworkers available to represent you in informal and formal grievance procedures. Click <a href=\"http:\/\/advocate.studentorg.berkeley.edu\/2005\/general.php\" target=\"_blank\">HERE<\/a> for more information.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Timeline:\u00a0<\/strong>You must file the formal grievance (see instructions above) within\u00a0<strong style=\"font-style: normal;\">60 days<\/strong>\u00a0of&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<ul>\n<li>the <strong>occurrence<\/strong> of the grievance<\/li>\n<li>or of <strong>when you became aware<\/strong> of the grievance. (For example, if Joe is discriminated against on January 10 but does not become aware of this until January 17, he has 60 days from January 17 to file a formal grievance.)<\/li>\n<li><strong style=\"font-style: normal;\">Or,<\/strong> if you attempted to resolve the grievance through a department&#8217;s specific procedure, you have\u00a0<strong style=\"font-style: normal;\">1<\/strong><strong>0 days after the outcome of said procedure<\/strong><em>\u00a0<\/em>to file a formal grievance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<li>Within\u00a0<strong>20 days<\/strong>, a Complaint Resolution Officer (CRO) will review your grievance and respond as to whether it is\u00a0<strong>complete<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>timely<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>within the Student Grievance Procedure&#8217;s jurisdiction<\/strong>, and constitutes a\u00a0<strong>violation of a law or a University policy<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li>If the grievance is\u00a0<strong>incomplete<\/strong>, you have\u00a0<strong>10 days<\/strong> (after the CRO&#8217;s response) to complete it.<em><br \/>\n<\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong>Your grievance will be dismissed if 1) you fail to complete it within 10 days or 2) it is untimely, outside the Student Grievance Procedure&#8217;s Jurisdiction, or does not have sufficient factual evidence.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>If your grievance raises\u00a0<strong>multiple issues<\/strong>, the CRO will treat each one\u00a0<strong>separately<\/strong> using the steps described above. As such, the CRO may investigate some issues and dismiss others.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>If the CRO <strong>dismisses your grievance<\/strong>, he\/she will provide you,\u00a0<strong>in writing<\/strong>, an\u00a0<strong>explanation<\/strong> for the dismissal.\u00a0<b><br \/>\n<\/b><\/li>\n<li>You have\u00a0<strong>10 days<\/strong> to <strong>appeal<\/strong> such a dismissal to the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs or the Dean of the Graduate Division, as appropriate.\n<ul>\n<li>The Vice Chancellor or Dean will respond to you within\u00a0<strong>20 days<\/strong>. If your dismissal is\u00a0<strong>upheld<\/strong>, the decision is\u00a0<strong>final<\/strong>. If the dismissal is\u00a0<strong>overturned<\/strong>, the grievance will be sent back to the CRO.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The CRO will complete an\u00a0<strong>investigation<\/strong>\u00a0and produce a <strong>report<\/strong>\u00a0(see below)\u00a0within\u00a0<strong>75 days<\/strong> of the <strong>initial<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>receipt<\/strong> of your grievance. This report will be sent to the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs or Dean of the Graduate Division, as appropriate, who will then determine the\u00a0<strong>outcome<\/strong> and take necessary\u00a0<strong>corrective action<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Written notice<\/strong> of the\u00a0<strong>determination<\/strong>, including a description of the\u00a0<strong>basis for the decision<\/strong>, will be sent to you and the respondent within\u00a0<strong>15 days<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>If you would like to\u00a0<strong>appeal the determination<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>You have\u00a0<strong>10 days<\/strong> within receiving notice of the determination to do so.<\/li>\n<li>You must submit a <strong>written request for reconsideration<\/strong>\u00a0to the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs or Dean of the Graduate Division, as appropriate.<\/li>\n<li>Your request must meet at least one of the following\u00a0<strong>grounds<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>There is <strong>evidence<\/strong> that the\u00a0<strong>Student Grievance Procedure<\/strong> was not followed, and this <strong>resulted in an\u00a0<\/strong><strong>outcome adverse to<\/strong> <strong>you<\/strong>, OR<\/li>\n<li>There is\u00a0<strong>evidence<\/strong> that the\u00a0<strong>CRO<\/strong> made an\u00a0<strong>obvious error\u00a0<\/strong><strong>in interpretation<\/strong>\u00a0of evidence or law\/University policy, and this error <strong>resulted in an outcome adverse to you<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs of the Dean of the Graduate Division, as appropriate, will respond <strong>in writing<\/strong>\u00a0within <strong>30 days<\/strong>. This determination will be\u00a0<strong>final<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Complaint Resolution Officer&#8217;s Investigation:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Complaint Resolution Officer (CRO) has\u00a0<strong>75 days<\/strong> to\u00a0<strong>conduct, complete, <\/strong>and<strong> report the findings of<\/strong> an investigation of your grievance.<\/li>\n<li>The CRO will <strong>send a copy of the written grievance<\/strong> and <strong>any supporting documentation<\/strong> to the <strong>head of the department or unit<\/strong> in which the <strong>violation allegedly occurred<\/strong> and <strong>ask for a written response<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>respondent<\/strong> will\n<ul>\n<li><strong>confirm<\/strong> or <strong>deny<\/strong> <strong>each fact alleged<\/strong> in the grievance;<\/li>\n<li><strong>indicate<\/strong> the <strong>extent<\/strong> to which the <strong>grievance has merit;<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>indicate<\/strong> <strong>acceptance<\/strong> or <strong>rejection<\/strong> of any <strong>remedy<\/strong> <strong>requested<\/strong> by the grievant OR <strong>outline<\/strong> an <strong>alternative<\/strong> <strong>proposal<\/strong> for <strong>remedy<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>grievant<\/strong> will <strong>receive<\/strong> <strong>a copy of the department\u2019s or unit\u2019s response<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>CRO may try to negotiate<\/strong> a <strong>resolution<\/strong> or <strong>administrative settlement<\/strong> of the grievance. <strong>If such a resolution satisfies both the grievant and the respondent, the CRO will notify both parties of the voluntary resolution in writing, and the grievance will be dismissed<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Tips from SAO<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Remember that the Student Grievance Procedure\u00a0<strong>cannot<\/strong> be used for the following:\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"http:\/\/grad.berkeley.edu\/policies\/pdf\/gradappeal.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Graduate Appeals Procedure<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dsp.berkeley.edu\/accommodationpolicy.html\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeley Campus Policy for Accommodating the Academic Needs of Students with Disabilities<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"http:\/\/campuspol.chance.berkeley.edu\/policies\/studentrecdisclosure.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeley Campus Policy Governing Disclosure of Information from Student Records<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"http:\/\/academic-senate.berkeley.edu\/committees\/coci\/procedures-grade-appeals-based-alleged-use-non-academic-criteria\" target=\"_blank\">Grade Appeals<\/a> (Regulation A207 of the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ucop.edu\/academic-personnel\/_files\/apm\/apm-140.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Non-Senate Academic Employee Grievance Procedure &#8211; Academic Personnel Manual Section 140<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.law.berkeley.edu\/184.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Academic Rules: University of California at Berkeley School of Law<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">University of California at Berkeley Police Department General Order 0-6 and <a href=\"http:\/\/police.berkeley.edu\/forms\/CitizenComplaint.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Citizen Complaint Resolution Procedures<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sa.berkeley.edu\/code-of-conduct\" target=\"_blank\">Berkeley Campus Code of Student Conduct<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>Guidelines Relating to Misconduct in Science<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>When submitting a grievance, try to focus on the facts and evidence, as well as the grievance&#8217;s impact on you. Avoid inflammatory or defamatory language. It is certainly understandable that the issue at hand is incredibly difficult for you, but <strong>please try to keep your formal grievance free of emotionally charged language<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Remember the procedure&#8217;s definition of <strong>Time<\/strong>:\u00a0All time periods referred to in this procedure refer to <strong>calendar days<\/strong>, <strong>excluding summer term and inter-semester recesses<\/strong>. <strong>If the designated time period ends on a Saturday, Sunday <\/strong>or<strong> campus holiday<\/strong>, the <strong>time period will be extended<\/strong> to the<strong> following working day<\/strong>. The <strong>time periods<\/strong> designated in this procedure <strong>may be extended<\/strong> only where there is <strong>good cause<\/strong> and <strong>notice of the extension is provided to all parties<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The <a href=\"http:\/\/advocate.studentorg.berkeley.edu\"><strong>ASUC Student Advocate&#8217;s Office<\/strong><\/a> is a great starting point for someone wishing to file a grievance. We provide free, confidential support, advice, and representation. Our Grievance Division has many caseworkers available to help you through the grievance procedure, whether you pursue informal or formal resolution.\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Contact:\u00a0<\/strong>Visit us at\u00a0<strong>114B Hearst Gym<\/strong> between <strong>10am-5pm<\/strong>, <strong>Monday through Friday<\/strong>. Email us at\u00a0<strong><a href=\"mailto:help@berkeleysao.org\">help@berkeleysao.org<\/a><\/strong> or give us a call at (510)-642-6912<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/sa.berkeley.edu\/ombuds\" target=\"_blank\">The Office of the Ombudsperson for Students<\/a> may be able to provide information and assistance with regard to informal resolution of student grievances.\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Contact:<\/strong>\u00a0(510)-642-5754.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/ophd.berkeley.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination<\/a>\u00a0may be able to provide information and assistance with regard to grievances alleging sexual and\/or racial harassment; concerns of sexual or transgender orientation.\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Contact for Title IX Officer:<\/strong>\u00a0Email <a href=\"mailto:ask_ophd@berkeley.edu\">ask_ophd@berkeley.edu<\/a><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>or call (510)-643-7985.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Contact for Compliance Education Coordinator: <\/strong>Email\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:mlucerop@berkeley.edu\">mlucerop@berkeley.edu<\/a>\u00a0or call (510)-643-9707<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/dsp.berkeley.edu\/accommodationpolicy.html\" target=\"_blank\">The ADA\/504 Disability Complaint <\/a>Resolution Officer may be able to provide information and assistance with regard to grievances alleging discrimination on the basis of disability or failure to provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities.\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Contact:<\/strong> Email\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:hippolitus@berkeley.edu\">hippolitus@berkeley.edu<\/a>\u00a0or call\u00a0(510)-642-0518<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The Age Discrimination Act Coordinator may be able to provide information and assistance with grievances alleging discrimination on the basis of age.\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Contact:<\/strong> Equity Standards &amp; Compliance at (510)-642-2795.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/sa.berkeley.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs<\/a> may be able to provide information and assistance with regard to grievances alleging discrimination on the basis of veteran status, medical condition, ancestry, marital status, or citizenship.\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Contact:<\/strong>\u00a0Email <a href=\"mailto:studentaffairs@berkeley.edu\">studentaffairs@berkeley.edu<\/a>\u00a0or call (510)-642-6727.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The student may elect to bring complaints alleging violations of federal civil rights laws with the <a href=\"http:\/\/www2.ed.gov\/about\/offices\/list\/ocr\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights<\/a>. As provided in state law, civil law remedies, including injunctions, restraining or other court orders, and monetary damages also may be available to complainants.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you have exhausted all attempts at an informal grievance and were unable to reach a resolution, you can file a formal grievance. This post will explain\u00a0How To File, the\u00a0Timeline for a formal grievance and (if necessary) an appeal, and\u00a0the process of the\u00a0Complaint Resolution Officer&#8217;s Investigation. At the bottom, you will find some\u00a0Tips from SAO [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advocate.wp.ocfhosted.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advocate.wp.ocfhosted.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advocate.wp.ocfhosted.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advocate.wp.ocfhosted.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advocate.wp.ocfhosted.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=58"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/advocate.wp.ocfhosted.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advocate.wp.ocfhosted.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=58"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advocate.wp.ocfhosted.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=58"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advocate.wp.ocfhosted.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=58"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}