Office of the Dean of Students

Student Complaint Procedures

Xavier University strives to provide the highest quality educational experience for all of its students. However, if a conflict does arise, students are encouraged to reach out to the appropriate personnel to discuss concerns, grievances and complaints.

The University encourages the Xavier community to report relevant concerns directly to the appropriate University offices as a first step whenever possible. If a complaint cannot be resolved through the relevant Xavier office, students may escalate the concern by using the anonymous reporting hotline. Finally, if the anonymous reporting hotline does not resolve the complaint, students have the option of contacting the Ohio Department of Higher Education or the Higher Learning Commission.

Students enrolled in Xavier courses and programs should follow the steps below to report a complaint. Each office's procedure will depend on the nature of the complaint. Students who are located in states other than Ohio and taking online courses should follow the procedures below and be aware of additional information.

If the complaint is in regards to your treatment by a non-faculty employee of the University, contact the director of that office or Human Resources. Student workers who are concerned about their treatment by an employee of the University should contact Vicki Clary in Student Employment.

If you are not sure whom to contact, contact the Office of the Dean Students.

UNIVERSITY OFFICES

Student complaints regarding academic concerns, including grade grievances, should follow the appropriate Policies and Procedures, whether undergraduate or graduate, outlined in the Academic Catalog.

To report violations of Xavier's Academic Integrity expectations, please complete the Academic Integrity Incident Report. This will provide the necessary information to the appropriate Dean's office to respond accordingly.

Xavier is committed to creating and sustaining an environment in which all of the members of our community are welcomed, respected and supported. Bias-related incidents and hate crimes are contrary to the very mission of the institution and are destructive to our community. All Xavier community members are encouraged to report bias-related incidents to the University. More information on reporting a bias incident can be found online here.

Questions or concerns regarding students’ tuition and fees or financial aid can be resolved by contacting either the Office of the Bursar or Student Financial Services.

To file an appeal to a parking citation, students should log-in to the online parking management system, The Permit Store. General concerns about parking should be directed to Auxiliary Services.

Xavier has established procedures for reporting and investigating all instances of alleged or apparent misconduct involving research or creative activity by members of the Xavier University community. For more information on reporting misconduct, view the policy here.

Sex discrimination includes sexual harassment, sexual assault, rape, intimate partner violence (including emotional, verbal, sexual, physical), , stalking, and harassment/discrimination based on pregnancy or parenting status, sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

In compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1971, Xavier University does not discriminate, exclude from participation in, or deny benefits of its educational programs, admission policies, activities, or employment policies and opportunities on the basis of sex. Questions about and reports related to Title IX and Sex Discrimination may be submitted to Xavier University’s Title IX Office (Gallagher Student Center 332, 513-745-3046, lawsonk1@xavier.edu) and/or the Office of Civil Rights, Cleveland Office, U.S. Department of Education, 1350 Euclid Ave., Suite 325, Cleveland, OH 44115, 216-522-4970,OCR.Cleveland@ed.gov. Xavier’s Sex Discrimination policies can be found in Xavier’s Student Handbook (applying to students) and the Harassment Code and Accountability Procedures (HCAP) (applying to employees). Students may access confidential advocacy and support resources here.

Xavier provides procedures for resolving disputes related to services for students with disabilities, including complaints that a student has been discriminated against because of his or her disability. To review information about how to file an incident report and about the procedures used to resolve student complaints, please visit the Accessibility and Disability Resources website, found here.

To report a concern of any kind regarding a fellow student, students should submit the Student Concern Report, found online here.

ANONYMOUS REPORTING HOTLINE

Xavier has established anonymous ways to confidentially report potential ethical misconduct or breaches of laws, rules, regulations or Xavier University Policies. While the University encourages the Xavier community to report concerns through the appropriate university offices or to their direct supervisor as a first step, this service offers an alternative means of reporting for individuals who cannot use standard reporting methods or have found standard methods unsatisfactory. Such matters may be reported anonymously using the web-based hotline or by calling 855-481-6238. The hotline is administered by third party provider NAVEX Global EthicsPoint .

ADDITIONAL REPORTING OPTIONS

State of Ohio and HLC Complaint Procedure

Xavier encourages students to exhaust all appropriate options listed above to resolve concerns. This may include a conversation with the dean of their college and/or the Dean of Students.

Students may contact the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) with complaints that were not resolved through the student complaint procedure described above by accessing ODHE complaint procedures and form at https://www.ohiohighered.org/students/complaints.

Students may also file a complaint with Xavier University’s regional accrediting agency, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) by following the HLC’s complaint procedure: https://www.hlcommission.org/Student-Resources/complaints.html

Complaint Resolution Information for Online Students in States other than Ohio

Students located in states other than Ohio taking online courses should review specific complaint resolution information found online here.