Grievance/Complaint/Incident: Clarification of Terms in Institutional Handbooks

• A grievance is defined as a charge that a student/employee believes he/she has been adversely affected in a direct, personal, and material way by a decision or action of another individual. Such a dispute may involve another student, faculty, or a staff member. There are two ways to resolve a grievance-informally and formally.
• A student complaint relates to an incident, concern, or institutional process at the College that does not necessarily fall under the definition of a grievance as stated above but is a matter of fact that a student would like to present for administrative attention. Should a student have a particular concern related to his/her enrollment at the college, he/she should complete a “Student Complaint Form” in the Dean of Students Office and/or complete the form online and submit to dos@ftc.edu.
• An incident is an occurrence or event on campus that is the broadest form of some type of happening that may require the assistance or intervention of the Public Safety Office. Violations of the Code of Conduct are examples of actions on campus that are reportable as incidents.