Student Complaint Resolution Process
Effective Date Jan 8, 2019
Purpose
- To promote prompt resolution of perceived wrongs and/or injustices which may arise between students and faculty/staff members.
- To promote prompt resolution of other grievances, whether academic or non-academic in nature.
- To assure the rights of privacy of all parties are maintained.
- To develop a higher sense of community among all persons at Florida Tech.
Informal Complaint Resolution Process
Occasions may arise in which a student feels that he or she has a legitimate basis for complaint. It is the policy of the university to promptly resolve these complaints. Those involved should initially attempt to resolve the matter informally and without the need to establish a record. The informal process for resolution of a complaint is as follows:
- When a student feels that he or she has a complaint, it should be taken by the student directly to the other party(s) involved.
- If the student and the other party are unable to resolve the matter or if for any reason the student does not feel at ease in going to the other party, he or she should contact the academic unit head or appropriate director for assistance. Unit heads and directors are able to achieve a fair and equitable solution to most problems. If the student would rather not discuss the matter with the unit head or director, he or she may choose to go to the college dean, dean of students, vice president for online learning and/or, if deemed necessary, to the vice president of student affairs.
- Students in Education Centers may telephone the vice president of online learning at the Melbourne campus in Melbourne, Florida.
- Students in Florida Tech Online programs may contact the office of the vice president for online learning in Melbourne, Florida.
- Students in the Florida Tech Continuing Education/Professional Development courses may contract the senior director of continuing education at the Melbourne campus in Melbourne, Florida.
- Complaints involving sex discrimination or equal opportunity can be resolved by using the procedures outlined above. However, if the student is not at ease with these procedures or feels they to be ineffective, he or she may seek the aid of the Title IX Coordinator at (321) 674-7277. The Title IX coordinator is a person designated by the university to ensure it is in compliance with federal laws regarding the resolution of sex discrimination allegations. This individual has the added responsibility of ensuring compliance with all federal laws regarding equal opportunity.
Formal Complaint Resolution Process
Students have the right to submit a formal written complaint for any grievance. Melbourne campus students and extended studies students should submit the complaint to the dean of students by email to fithelp@fit.edu. Florida Tech Online students should contact the office of the vice president for online learning by email to ol-help@fit.edu.
The associate provost or vice president for online learning will determine the appropriate person in the university to handle the problem and forward the complaint to that person. All written student complaints, with their resolutions, will be documented and the records maintained by either the dean of students or the office of the associate vice president for online learning.
The Ombudsman
The ombudsman is a university employee appointed by the president to investigate reported complaints, to report findings and to help achieve equitable settlements. Students may seek the help of the ombudsman assigned to handle student-based complaints if the student feels that either the informal or formal complaint process has been ineffective. The ombudsman should only be contacted after the student has followed the established procedures described above. The ombudsman can be found in the president’s office or can be contacted by email to ombudsman@fit.edu.
Additional information
- Students can choose to drop any complaint process at any time.
- To promote prompt and equitable resolutions of student complaints, complaints should be made as soon after the incident as possible. Complaints should be filed during the term of occurrence but no later than 30 days after the date of the incident.
- Every effort will be made by all parties concerned to resolve the grievance within 90 days.
- All complaints and written resolutions will be maintained for five years from date of resolution.
State Agency Contact Information for Student Complaints
Should a student wish to contact an outside agency away from Florida Institute of Technology the following list of state contacts may be used based on the geographic location of the student.
As of October 17, 2017, Florida Tech is in the process of applying for membership in NC-SARA, the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements, through the Florida Postsecondary Reciprocal Distance Education Coordinating Council. Pending the institution’s acceptance into NC-SARA, online and distance education students who have completed the internal institutional grievance process and the applicable state grievance process, may appeal non-instructional complaints to the FL-SARA PRDEC Council. For additional information on the complaint process, visit FL-SARA Complaint Process.
Alabama
Alabama Commission on Higher Education
P. O. Box 302000
Montgomery, AL 36130-2000
http://www.accs.cc/complaintform.aspx
Alaska
Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education
P.O. Box 110505
Juneau, AK 99811-0505
customer.service@alaska.gov
Alaska Office of Attorney General
Consumer Protection Unit
1031 W. Fourth Avenue, Suite 200
Anchorage, AK 99501
attorney.general@alaska.gov
http://www.law.state.ak.us/pdf/consumer/FORM_complaint.pdf
Arizona
Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education
1400 W. Washington Street
Room 260
Phoenix, AZ 85007
http://azppse.state.az.us/student_info/compliance.asp
Arkansas
Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Arkansas Department of Higher Education
114 East Capitol Ave.
Little Rock, AR 72201
ADHE_Info@adhe.edu
http://www.adhe.edu/SiteCollectionDocuments/AcademicAffairsDivision/ICAC%20Rules%20and%20Regulations/APPENDIXJ.pdf
Arkansas State Board of Private Career Education
501 Woodlane, Suite 312S
Little Rock, AR 72201
sbpce@arkansas.gov
http://www.sbpce.org/complaint_process.html
California
California Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education
P.O. Box 980818
W. Sacramento, CA 95798-0818
bppe@dca.ca.gov
http://www.bppe.ca.gov/forms_pubs/complaint.pdf
Colorado
Colorado Department of Higher Education
1560 Broadway, Suite 1600
Denver, CO 80202
http://highered.colorado.gov/Academics/Complaints/default.html
Connecticut
Connecticut Department of Higher Education
61 Woodland Street
Hartford, CT 06105-2326
info@ctdhe.org
Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection
165 Capitol Avenue
Room 110
Hartford CT 06106
trade.practices@ct.gov
http://www.ct.gov/dcp/lib/dcp/pdf/forms/consumer_statementcpfr-2_rev_8-06_edited1106.pdf
Consumer Complaint Hotline: (800) 842-2649
Delaware
Delaware Higher Education Office
Carvel State Office Building, 5th Floor
820 N. French Street
Wilmington, DE 19801-3509
dheo@doe.k12.de.us
Delaware Attorney General
Consumer Protection Wilmington:
820 N. French Street 5th floor
Wilmington, DE 19801
consumer.protection@state.de.us
District of Columbia
District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Education Licensure Commission
810 First Street, NE
9th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20002
http://osse.dc.gov/seo/frames.asp?doc=/seo/lib/seo/elementary_and_secondary_education/may_2011/complaint_form_4_11.pdf
Florida
Florida Commission on Independent Education
325 W. Gaines Street
Suite 1414
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
Commissioner@fldoe.org
http://www.fldoe.org/cie/complaint.asp
Georgia
Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission
2082 E. Exchange Pl. #220
Tucker, GA 30084-5334
http://rules.sos.state.ga.us/docs/392/5/06.pdf
Hawaii
Hawaii State Board of Education
P.O. Box 2360
Honolulu, HI 96804
ocp@dcca.hawaii.gov
http://hawaii.gov/dcca/ocp/consumer_complaint
Idaho
Idaho State Board of Education
Attn: State Coordinator for Private Colleges and Proprietary Schools
650 West State Street
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720-0037
Illinois
Illinois Board of Higher Education
431 East Adams, 2nd Floor
Springfield, IL 62701-1404
info@ibhe.org
Institutional Complaint Hotline: (217) 557-7359
Illinois State Board of Education
100 N. 1st Street
Springfield, IL 62777
http://webprod1.isbe.net/contactisbe/ (email)
Illinois Attorney General
Consumer Fraud Bureau
500 South Second Street
Springfield, IL 62706
http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/about/email_consumers.jsp
http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumers/conscomp.pdf
Consumer Fraud Hotline: (800) 243-0618
Indiana
Indiana Commission on Proprietary Education
Attn: Director of Regulatory Compliance
302 W. Washington Street, Room E201
Indianapolis IN 46204
http://www.in.gov/cpe/files/sf39280-complaint.pdf
Iowa
Iowa Student Aid Commission
603 E. 12th Street
5th Floor
Des Moines, IA 50319
info@iowacollegeaid.gov
http://www.iowacollegeaid.gov/images/docs/file/forms/constituentrequestform.pdf
Kansas
Kansas Board of Regents
1000 SW Jackson Street
Suite 520
Topeka, KS 66612-1368
http://www.kansasregents.org/academic_affairs/private_out_of_state/complaint_process
Kentucky
Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
1024 Capital Center Dr. #320
Frankfort, KY 40601-7512
Kentucky Board of Proprietary Education
911 Leawood Dr.
Frankfort, KY 40601-3319
http://www.bpe.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/1BB8CA02-8F89-43A3-8957-AB01DB805389/0/ComplaintForm.doc
Office of the Attorney General
Capitol Suite 118
700 Capitol Avenue
Frankfort, KY 40601-3449
consumer.protection@ag.ky.gov
http://www.ag.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/19D2FEF3-0666-49B5-A184-38006DA45B2C/0/complaint_gen.pdf
Louisiana
Louisiana Board of Regents
P.O. Box 3677
Baton Rouge, LA 70821-3677
http://regents.louisiana.gov/assets/docs/ProprietarySchools/StudentComplaintProcedure.pdf
Maine
Maine Department of Education
Complaint Investigator
23 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0023
jonathan.braff@maine.gov
Maine Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
6 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
http://www.maine.gov/ag/consumer/complaints/complaint_form.shtml
Maryland
Maryland Higher Education Commission
839 Bestgate Road, Suite 400
Annapolis, MD 21401-3013
http://www.mhec.state.md.us/career/pcs/gripe.asp
Maryland Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
200 St. Paul Place
Baltimore, MD 21202
consumer@oag.state.md.ushttps://web.oag.state.md.us/editor/customer/onlineformhelpers/formviewer.aspx?filename=MUGeneral.htm
Consumer Protection Hotline: (410) 528-8662
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Board of Higher Education
One Ashburton Place
Room 1401
Boston, MA 02108
http://www.mass.edu/forstudents/complaints/complaintprocess.asp
Michigan
Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth
Office of Postsecondary Services
Proprietary School Unit Staff
201 N. Washington Sq.
Lansing, MI 48913
http://www.michiganps.net/complaint.aspx
Minnesota
Minnesota Office of Higher Education
1450 Energy Park Drive, Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55108-5227
http://www.ohe.state.mn.us/oheContactForm.cfm (email)
Minnesota Attorney General’s Office
1400 Bremer Tower
445 Minnesota Street
St. Paul, MN 55101
http://www.ag.state.mn.us/ElectronicForms/ComplaintForm.pdf
Mississippi
Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation
3825 Ridgewood Road
Jackson, MS 39211-6453
Mississippi Commission of Proprietary Schools and College Registration
3825 Ridgewood Road
Jackson, MS 39211-6453
Consumer Protection Division
Office of the Attorney General
State of Mississippi
P.O. Box 22947
Jackson, MS 39225-2947
http://www.ago.state.ms.us/index.php/contact (email)
http://www.ago.state.ms.us/images/uploads/forms/MSAGO_Complaint_Form.pdf
Missouri
Missouri Department of Higher Education
205 Jefferson Street
P.O. Box 1469
Jefferson City, MO 65102-1469
info@dhe.mo.gov
Montana
Montana Board of Regents
Office of Commissioner of Higher Education
Montana University System
2500 Broadway Street
P.O. Box 203201
Helena, MT 59620-3201
Montana Office of Consumer Protection
2225 11th Avenue
P.O. Box 200151
Helena, MT 59620-0151
contactocp@mt.gov
http://www.doj.mt.gov/consumer/consumer/consumercomplaint/complaintform.pdf
Nebraska
Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education
P.O. Box 95005
Lincoln, NE 68509-5005
Nebraska Department of Education
Investigations Office
301 Centennial Mall South
P.O. Box 98987
Lincoln, NE 68509-4987
http://www.education.ne.gov/PPCS/PDF%20Folders/PDF%20Documents/PPCS%20Forms/Complaint-form.pdf
Nebraska Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
2115 State Capitol
Lincoln, NE 68509
http://www.ago.state.ne.us/consumer/emailforms/consumer_complaint.htm
Consumer Protection Hotline: (800) 727-6432
Nevada
Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education
3663 East Sunset Road
Suite 202
Las Vegas, NV 89120
http://www.cpe.state.nv.us/CPE%20Complaint%20Info.htm
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Postsecondary Education Commission
3 Barrell Court #300
Concord, NH 03301-8531
http://www.nh.gov/postsecondary/complaints
New Jersey
New Jersey Commission on Higher Education
PO Box 542
Trenton, NJ 08625
nj_che@che.state.nj.us
New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development
1 John Fitch Plaza
P.O. Box 110
Trenton, NJ 08625-0110
schoolapprovalunit@dol.state.nj.us
http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/forms_pdfs/edtrain/Conflict%20Resolution%20Questionnaire.pdf
New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs
124 Halsey Street
Newark, NJ 07102
http://www.nj.gov/oag/ca/complaint/ocp.pdf
New Mexico
New Mexico Higher Education Department
2048 Galisteo
Santa Fe, NM 87505
http://www.hed.state.nm.us/uploads/FileLinks/b23fc959f37c44bb8e3caae612e0dba7/PPS%20Complaint%20Form.pdf
New York
New York Office of College and University Evaluation
New York State Education Department
5 North Mezzanine
Albany, NY 12234
ocueinfo@mail.nysed.gov
http://www.highered.nysed.gov/ocue/spr/COMPLAINTFORMINFO.html
New York Bureau of Proprietary School Supervision
New York State Education Department
99 Washington Avenue, Room 1613 OCP
Albany, NY 12234
New York State Department of State
Division of Consumer Protection
Consumer Assistance Unit
5 Empire State Plaza – Suite 2101
Albany, NY 12223-1556
https://www1.consumer.state.ny.us/cpb/CauComplaintForm.html
North Carolina
North Carolina Community College System Office of Proprietary Schools
200 West Jones St.
Raleigh, NC 27603
http://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/Proprietary_Schools/docs/PDFFiles/StdtCompltForm.pdf
North Carolina Consumer Protection
Attorney General's Office
Mail Service Center 9001
Raleigh, NC 27699-9001
http://www.ncdoj.gov/getdoc/59be4357-41f3-4377-b10f-3e8bd532da5f/Complaint-Form.aspx
North Dakota
North Dakota Department of Career and Technical Education
State Capitol – 15th Floor
600 E. Boulevard Ave. Dept. 270
Bismarck, ND 58505-0610
cte@nd.gov
North Dakota Consumer Protection Division
Office of Attorney General
Gateway Professional Center
1050 E Interstate Ave. Suite 200
Bismarck, ND 58503-5574
http://www.ag.state.nd.us/cpat/PDFFiles/SFN7418.pdf
Ohio
Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools
35 East Gay Street, Suite 403
Columbus, OH 43215-3138
http://scr.ohio.gov/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=%2bwaKHWPRAH8%3d&tabid=68
Ohio Board of Regents
30 East Broad Street, 36th floor
Columbus, OH 43215-3414
Ohio Attorney General
Consumer Protection Section
30 E. Broad St., 14th floor
Columbus, OH 43215-3400
http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/consumercomplaint
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
655 Research Parkway
Suite 200
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
Oklahoma State Board of Private Vocational Schools
3700 Classen Boulevard
Suite 250
Oklahoma City, OK 73118-2864
Oklahoma Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Unit
Attn: Investigative Analyst
313 NE 21st Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
http://www.oag.state.ok.us/oagweb.nsf/ccomp.html
Oregon
Oregon Office of Degree Authorization
1500 Valley River Drive
Suite 100
Eugene, OR 97401
Oregon Department of Education
Private Career Schools Office
255 Capitol Street NE
Salem, OR 97310-0203
http://www.ode.state.or.us/teachlearn/specialty/pcs/forms/complaint-procedures.doc
Oregon AttorneyGeneral
Financial Fraud/Consumer Protection Section
1162 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301-4096
http://www.doj.state.or.us/finfraud/pdf/concompform.pdf
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Department of Education
333 Market Street
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
Office of Attorney General
Bureau of Consumer Protection
14th Floor, Strawberry Square
Harrisburg, PA 17120
http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/uploadedFiles/Complaints/BCP_Complaint_Form.pdf
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico Council on Higher Education
P.O. Box 1900
San Juan, PR 00910-1900
Puerto Rico Department of Justice
P.O. 9020192
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00902-0192
Rhode Island
Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education
Shepard Building
80 Washington Street
Providence, RI 02903
Rhode Island Department of Attorney General
Consumer Protection Unit
150 South Main Street
Providence, RI 02903
http://www.riag.state.ri.us/documents/consumer/ConsumerComplaintForm.pdf
South Carolina
South Carolina Commission on Higher Education
1333 Main Street, Suite 200
Columbia, SC 29201
http://www.che.sc.gov/AcademicAffairs/License/Complaint_procedures_and_form.pdf
South Dakota
South Dakota Board of Regents
306 E. Capitol Ave, Suite 200
Pierre, SD 57501-2545
South Dakota Office of Attorney General
Division of Consumer Protection
1302 E. Hwy. 14 – Suite 3
Pierre, SD 57501-8053
http://atg.sd.gov/Consumers/HandlingComplaints/ConsumerComplaintForm.aspx
Tennessee
Tennessee Higher Education Commission
404 James Robertson Parkway
Suite 1900
Nashville, TN 37243
http://www.tn.gov/thec/Divisions/LRA/PostsecondaryAuth/Complaint%20Form.rtf
Texas
Texas Workforce Commission
Career Schools and Colleges – Room 226-T
101 East 15th Street
Austin, TX 78778-0001
http://www.twc.state.tx.us/svcs/propschools/ps401a.pdf
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
1200 E. Anderson Lane
Austin, TX 78752
Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
P.O. Box 12548
Austin, TX 78711-2548
https://www.oag.state.tx.us/consumer/complaintform.pdf
Utah
Utah Division of Consumer Protection
160 East 300 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
consumerprotection@utah.gov
http://consumerprotection.utah.gov/complaints/index.html
Vermont
Vermont Department of Education
State Board of Education
Vermont Department of Education
120 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05620-2501
Vermont Attorney General’s Office
109 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05609-1001
Virginia
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
101 N. 14th St.
James Monroe Building
Richmond, VA 23219
communications@schev.edu
http://www.schev.edu/forms/StudentComplaintInformation.pdf
Washington
Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board
917 Lakeridge Way
P.O. Box 43430
Olympia, WA 98504-3430
dainfo@hecb.wa.gov
http://www.hecb.wa.gov/autheval/daa/ConsumerInformation.asp
Washington Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board
128 10th Avenue SW
P.O. Box 43105
Olympia, WA 98504-3105
workforce@wtb.wa.gov
http://www.wtb.wa.gov/PCS_Complaints.asp (instructions)
Washington State Office of the Attorney General
1125 Washington Street SE
P.O. Box 40100
Olympia, WA 98504-0100
https://fortress.wa.gov/atg/formhandler/ago/ContactForm.aspx?subject=Consumer%20Protection (email)
https://fortress.wa.gov/atg/formhandler/ago/ComplaintForm.aspx (complaint form)
West Virginia
West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission
1018 Kanawha Blvd. E., Ste. 700
Charleston WV 25301-2800
Community and Technical College System of West Virginia
1018 Kanawha Blvd. E., Ste. 700
Charleston WV 25301
West Virginia Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
P.O. Box 1789
Charleston, WV 25326-1789
http://www.wvago.gov/pdf/general-consumer-complaint-form.pdf
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Educational Approval Board
30 W. Mifflin St., 9th Floor
P.O. Box 8696
Madison, WI 53708
eabmail@eab.state.wi.us
http://eab.state.wi.us/resources/complaint.asp
Wyoming
Wyoming Department of Education
2300 Capitol Avenue
Hathaway Building, 2nd Floor
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0050
Attorney General's Office
123 Capitol Building
200 W. 24th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002
