The ICDL Graduate School policy on student rights, seeks to assure the prompt and fair resolution of student problems arising from the execution of academic and administrative policies.  We strive to be responsive to student concerns and to provide a thorough review and due process with regard to any difficulty that may arise.

No reprisal of any kind shall be taken against any participant involved in a grievance procedure. The ICDL Graduate School does not tolerate any form of harassment or intimidation based on race, color, sex, religion, national origin, professional discipline, age, or sexual orientation.  The ICDL Graduate School assumes the responsibility of taking appropriate disciplinary action in these instances.

Definitions:

• A student complaint is an accusation by a student that there has been, in an individual case, an arbitrary or discriminatory application of, or failure to act pursuant to, the policies of the ICDL Graduate School in relation to the complaining student.
• An academic complaint is one involving faculty members, the Chief Academic Officer, or the Chair of the ICDL.  
• An administrative complaint is one involving any executive or administrative staff of the ICDL Graduate School.
• A grievance is a formal written request by a student to a designated academic or administrative officer for which specific remedies are requested.

Although students have the right to file a formal grievance at any time in case of an academic or administrative complaint, whenever possible, students will be expected to first utilize informal procedures for addressing and resolving complaints.  A student is encouraged to discuss their complaint with the person(s) who is (are) directly involved in the complaint in an effort to come to a satisfactory resolution.  If possible, a mutual agreement between the parties will be encouraged to resolve disputes.

If the above-described informal direct discussions are not successful, the student may then follow a mediated process or file a formal grievance. 

Mediated procedures

•  For academic complaints: The student may request either their Academic Advisor, and/or the Academic Dean, to act as a mediator to resolve the complaint. 
• For administrative complaints: The student may request their ICDL faculty facilitator or the Managing Director to act as a mediator to resolve the complaint. 

If these informal options do not resolve the dispute, the student may file a formal grievance according to the procedures described below:

General requirements for a formal grievance:

• Needs to be submitted in writing to the appropriate authority
• Submitted no later than 90 days from the precipitating event or action. 
• Stating the nature and time of the offending action and
• Stating the person(s) involved in the action or failure to act. 

Procedures for academic grievances:

The Academic Dean will establish a faculty committee to review the grievance omitting a faculty member if s/he is the subject of the grievance.  Together, the Academic Dean and the faculty committee will gather information from the parties to the grievance and keep a record or summary of this information.  After their review they will recommend a solution, and, if that is not acceptable to the person lodging the grievance, they will have to reach a decision on the grievance.  In either case, they will state, in writing, the basis for their recommendation or decision.

Procedures for administrative grievances:

The Managing Director will establish a committee to review the grievance omitting a staff member if s/he is the subject of the grievance.  The committee will also include the Chief Executive Officer.  Together, the Chief Operating Officer and the committee will gather information from the parties to the grievance and keep a record or summary of this information.  After their review they will recommend a solution, and, if that is not acceptable to the person filing the grievance, they will have to reach a decision on the grievance.  In either case, they will state in writing the basis for their recommendation or decision.

For both academic and administrative grievances, if the parties accept the recommendations of the review committee in writing, the formal process terminates.  If the recommendations are not accepted, the student grievant(s) will indicate, within 15 days of receipt of the decision, whether s/he/they desire(s) to appeal for a further review. If s/he/they accept(s) the decision, the formal process terminates. If the grievant(s) elect(s) to appeal the decision of the involved committees, the appeal will go to the Chair of the ICDL, along with the written record from the previous steps.  If the Chair is the subject of the grievance, the grievance will be referred to the ICDL Governing Body, where another member of the ICDL Advisory Board would replace the Chair. The ICDL Advisory Board member selected to replace the Chair would be chosen by mutual agreement with the student. 

Within 30 days of appeal to the ICDL Chair, the Chair will constitute a Special Hearing Committee ("Committee") to hear the grievance.  The Committee will arrange for a hearing at a special time and place of its determination.  The Committee will be composed of an ICDL administrator not from the student's program as Chair of the committee, a faculty member and a student from the student's program.  The Committee will function as an administrative committee, and it will establish its own rules of procedure, of which it will inform the parties to the grievance at the outset of the hearing. The hearing must be conducted within 45 days after the formation of the Committee.

At the hearing all parties to the complaint will be present and testimony will be taken from each.  Another person for support and/or assistance may accompany parties to the complaint.  Any parties to the complaint may not act in the capacity of an attorney.  An attorney at the hearing may not represent the student.  If any party to the complaint wishes to bring an additional person, they should inform the Chair of the Committee in advance so that other parties may be informed. A written and/or taped record of the Committee's proceedings will be maintained. The written record may be a summary of testimony and proceedings or may be a verbatim transcript at the discretion of the Committee.

The Committee will recommend steps to the parties that will provide an amicable and mutually acceptable solution.  If the parties cannot agree on a solution, the Committee will make a decision in writing.  If the student(s) do not accept the decision of the Committee, s/he/they must file a written appeal to the Chair, or the ICDL Governing Body, in case the Chair is the subject of the grievance, within 15 days.  The Chair (or the ICDL governing body) will accept, reject, or revise the decision of the Hearing Committee and communicate it to the student grievant(s).  This decision will be based on the record of the previous hearing and the Chair (or ICDL governing body) will not re-open the hearing for new testimony.

The action of the Chair (or ICDL governing body) will be final, unless the matter is sent to a new Hearing Committee.  In such case, the decision of the new Hearing Committee will be final.  Where a grievance directly involves and is shared by more than one student, the grievances may be joined in a single grievance and treated in a single process, if all parties to the grievance agree to this procedure.  No reprisal of any kind shall be taken against any participant involved in a grievance procedure.

As the ICDL Graduate curriculum is substantially delivered through online courses, physical sexual assault will not be of great concern.  However a particular emphasis is placed on policies and procedures regarding sexual harassment or online unwanted sexual solicitations experienced by students, faculty and/or administrative staff.