Whenever a student and/or citizen takes issue with some aspect of the curriculum, such student and/or citizen shall discuss the problem with the party most immediately involved. If the matter is not satisfactorily resolved, the appeal process will follow this order:

1. Respective Division Chairperson
2. Vice President for Instruction and Student Services
3. President
4. Board of Trustees

No appeal will be heard by the Board of Trustees unless made in writing, specifying the complaint and remedy requested, signed by the party bringing the appeal, and presented to the Board through the President.

When a student and/or consumer of the DACC community experiences a situation or a conflict in which the consumer thinks his/her rights have not been fully recognized or have been compromised in some manner, the consumer may resolve the conflict or his/her perceived grievance by following the College’s process for the resolution of grievances. Grievances may be resolved on an informal basis or formal basis. Every attempt will be made to resolve grievances at the point of origin on an informal basis. However, consumers have the right to end the informal process at any time and begin the formal process. Both the informal and formal processes with respect to Student Complaint/Grievances and Resolution Procedures are presented in the DACC Student Handbook. Students and consumers may also contact the Dean of Student Services for guidance in the complaint/grievance process.

Any consumer may submit a “formal” complaint in writing to the Dean of Student Services or by submitting an electronic report through the DACC website. The Dean will acknowledge receipt of the complaint, forward the complaint to the appropriate administrator, an investigation will be conducted as needed, and a response will be given to the consumer in a reasonable amount of time. Consumers may contact the Dean of Student Services at any point in time for guidance or to file a report directly. Additional parties may be included in the process based on College procedures noted in the DACC Student Handbook.

An appeal process is outlined in the DACC Student Handbook. A consumer may appeal a grievance before the Standards Committee only if the consumer can substantiate that a sincere attempt has been made to resolve the issue through the informal and/or formal resolution processes including having followed all processes as described within a college policy or procedure which pertains to the issue.

It is also important to note that the College forbids retaliation against anyone reporting or involved in a reported complaint/grievance. If any student feels that he/she has been retaliated against, he/she is to notify the College’s general complaint officer, the Dean of Student Services, Stacy Ehmen, or the College’s Affirmative Action Officer, Jill Cranmore, Vice President of Human Resources.

Out-of-State Student/Consumer Complaint Process Out-of-state, online consumers should follow the same procedures noted above. If the issue is not resolved locally first, out-of-state online students/consumers may file a complaint with the Illinois Community College Board at http://www2.iccb.org/students/filing-complaints-about-an-illinois-community-college/ . The College also participates in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), which is an agreement that establishes national standards for the offering of online courses and programs. If a complaint cannot be resolved internally, students may file a complaint with the state in which they reside. In compliance with the Federal Department of Education regulations, the College provides a list of State Agencies with contact information for each state on the DACC website.