Public Complaint (Policy EC-20)

Policy:

This policy details the rights of members of the public to file formal complaints against Clarkson College. Complaints may be verbal or written. Verbal complaints are considered informal and will be handled in the manner described below. Written complaints are considered formal, and the procedure for formal complaints should be followed. Clarkson College prohibits retaliation against a complainant or others participating in the public complaint. Clarkson College student or employee complaints are addressed through the grievance policies stated in the Student Handbook or the Employee or Faculty Handbooks. 

Procedure:

Procedure for Informal Complaints

  1. Comments and complaints are emailed directly to the President’s Office from the Clarkson College website. They are then forwarded to the appropriate department and copied to the Vice President of the appropriate division. Phone calls are also directed to the appropriate department director or Vice President and communicated to the President’s Office. 
  2. Informal (verbal) complaints by members of the public are addressed to the complainant and the department director responsible for the area. If a mutually satisfactory resolution of the complaint cannot be reached through this process, the complainant may submit the complaint in writing using the complaint form available online and proceed to the formal complaint process. 

Procedure for Formal Complaints

  1. Formal written complaints by members of the public are to be addressed by the President’s Office, which will work with the appropriate College parties to formalize a response. 
  2. The President’s Office will gather information relevant to the complaint. 
  3. A written response will be sent to the complainant.  
  4. A copy of the complaint and written response will be sent to the appropriate division’s Vice President.
  5. If the complainant is not satisfied with the response, they may elevate the written complaint to the President. In these cases, the President will gather information and provide a final written response to the complainant, with a copy to the appropriate Vice President overseeing the applicable department. 
  6. The file of all formal complaints should be securely housed in the President’s Office. 


Procedure for Complaints to Third Parties

Complaints made by students or the public to third parties (e.g., the Governor’s Office, the Congressional Office, accrediting bodies, etc.) will be addressed in accordance with the procedures set forth by the third party. 

Please note that this form is available on the public website at https://www.clarksoncollege.edu/public-complaint. 

 

 

 

Academic Policies and Procedures