Definitions:
Party: The student or any persons claimed to have been responsible for the
student’s alleged grievance, together with their representatives. “Party” shall not
include the Grievance Hearing Committee or the College Grievance Officer.
Superintendent/president: The superintendent/president or a designated
representative of the superintendent/president.
Student: Any currently enrolled student, a person who has filed an application for
admission to the College, or a former student. A grievance by an applicant shall be
limited to a complaint regarding denial of admission. Former students shall be
limited to grievances relating to course grades to the extent permitted by Education
Code Section 76224(a).
Respondent: Any person claimed by a grievant to be responsible for the alleged
grievance.
Business Day: Unless otherwise provided, business day shall mean a day Monday
to Friday, excluding public holidays and weekends, during which the College is in
session and regular classes are held.
Grievance Officer. Appointed by the superintendent/president or designated
representative to assist students in seeking resolution by informal means.
Grievance Hearing Committee:
The superintendent/president or designee shall at the beginning of each semester,
including any summer session, establish a standing panel of members of the College
community, including students, classified staff, faculty members and administrators,
from which one or more Grievance Hearing Committees may be appointed. The panel
will be established with the advice and assistance of the Associated Students
Organization, Classified Employees and the Academic Senate, who shall each submit
names to the superintendent/president for inclusion on the panel. A Grievance Hearing
Committee shall be constituted in accordance with the following:
It shall include one student, one faculty member, one member of the classified
service and one College administrator selected from the panel described above.
No person shall serve as a member of a Grievance Hearing Committee if that person
has been personally involved in any matter giving rise to the grievance, has made any
statement on the matters at issue, or could otherwise not act in a neutral manner. Any
party of the grievance may challenge for cause any member of the hearing committee
prior to the beginning of the hearing by addressing a challenge to the
superintendent/president or designee who shall determine whether cause for
disqualification has been shown. If the superintendent/president or designee feels that
sufficient ground for removal of a member of the committee has been presented, the
superintendent/president or designee shall remove the challenged member or
members and substitute a member or members from the panel described above. This
determination is subject to appeal as defined below.
The Grievance Officer shall sit with the Grievance Hearing Committee but shall not
serve as a member nor vote. The Grievance Officer shall coordinate all scheduling of
hearings, shall serve to assist all parties and the Hearing Committee to facilitate a full,
fair and efficient resolution of the grievance, and shall avoid an adversarial role.
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