Grievance Procedure
(This procedure does not apply to appeals of academic decisions, including grade appeals.)
A grievance is a serious complaint that demonstrates that the learner has been or is being adversely affected by: 1) inaccurate interpretation of University policies; 2) lack of response from agents of the University; or 3) unfair application of established University processes. A grievance is directed toward the University, not a specific person, and should be in writing per the grievance procedure published in the university catalog. Learner grievances are typically items that were not able to be resolved in an informal manner. Many issues can be resolved through discussion with the appropriate faculty mentor or staff member, and learners are encouraged to make contact at the first indication of a problem or concern. If these efforts fail to yield a resolution, learners may submit their grievance following the procedure(s) outlined in this policy.
Internal Process
When a learner has a concern, the learner should first discuss and/or attempt to resolve any grievance with the faculty mentor, staff member(s), or other appropriate administrator. If these efforts fail to yield a resolution, the below grievance procedure shall be followed:
Written Submission. The learner must submit their grievance in writing, via the Grievance Form, to the Office of the Ombudsman. The complainant must indicate in the grievance that a serious effort was made to informally resolve the issue. It is the learner’s responsibility to provide adequate details and/or evidence to support their grievance.
Review. Upon receipt, the Ombudsman Office is responsible for serving as the liaison between the learner and the University to facilitate a review of the grievance to determine a resolution that shall be communicated to the learner.
Appeal. In the event that these efforts do not yield a satisfactory resolution, learners may submit a request to appeal the decision to the AIUS Grievance Appeals Board through the Office of the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman will convene the AIUS Grievance Appeals Board to review the appeal and render a final decision. The learner will receive notification of the AIUS Grievance Appeal Board’s decision via the Office of the Ombudsman. The AIUS Grievance Appeals Board decision shall be final and non-appealable.
You can reach the Office of the Ombudsman by email at Ombudsman@calsouthern.edu or by phone at (847) 586-4056. The learner should refer to the “Agreement to Submit to CalSouthern's Grievance Procedure" section of their Enrollment Agreement and Disclosure for important terms and conditions regarding this Grievance Procedure and other rights.
Complaints to External Agencies
If learners are unable to resolve their concerns through the internal grievance procedure, they may also pursue the grievance through the external regulators listed below. Although learners are encouraged to begin the process with the Ombudsman, there is nothing which prevents the learner from submitting a complaint to these agencies before submitting the concern through the University’s grievance procedure. Be advised, however, that certain agencies may require this as part of their process.
State Regulatory Agencies
State of Arizona. If the complaint cannot be resolved after exhausting the institution’s grievance procedure, the learner may file a complaint with the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education at 1740 West Adams Street, Suite 3008, Phoenix, AZ 85007, 602-542-5709, https://ppse.az.gov/student-complaint-procedure.
Arizona SARA Complaint Process. CalSouthern is a member of the American InterContinental University System, which is approved by NC-SARA through the Arizona SARA Council (“AZ SARA”). AZ SARA has jurisdiction over Arizona SARA-approved institutions in relation to non-instructional complaints. Instructional complaints, such as grade grievances, and those related to learner conduct are not reviewed by AZ SARA and should not be submitted for review. Distance education learners who reside in SARA states (currently all but California) may file a complaint with AZ SARA only after the learner has first utilized the University’s grievance process and the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education’s complaint process. Eligible complaints may be submitted to AZ-SARA at https://azsara.arizona.edu/complaints.
Accrediting Agency
Complaints may be filed with the Higher Learning Commission, 230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500; Chicago, IL 60604; https://www.hlcommission.org/Student-Resources/complaints.html