Non-Discrimination Policy

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Texas Chiropractic College has a responsibility to provide fair and equitable treatment of all parties through compliance with state and federal law and College Policies and Procedures. Students will be treated fairly regardless of race, ethnicity, creed, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, mental or physical disability, or political affiliation. Consistent with applicable laws and policies, the College will not tolerate mistreatment of any employee or student.

The purpose of this policy is to provide a mechanism for students seeking reconciliation due to perceived unfair or inequitable treatment. The policy outlines the steps that are necessary to receive a grievance hearing that will ensue once the grievance is filed. A grievance may be filed in response to an actual or perceived harm due to action taken by another student or employee. Any individual wishing to file a grievance, or participate in a grievance proceeding, may not be subjected to any disparate treatment by peers, faculty or other college employees.

Any individual who files a grievance should do so in good faith. If it is found that a student filed a grievance that is baseless, then he/she may face disciplinary action. The grievance committee will address issues that are brought forth by faculty, staff and students concerning all areas of relevant disparate treatment of students including but not limited to: all forms of discrimination, bullying, stalking behavior, and mistreatment due to power inequity, sexual harassment, retribution, hazing and verbal abuse. For prompt resolution of a grievance, students are encouraged to try to handle the matter informally by speaking to the involved party prior to seeking assistance from the Dean of Student Affairs (DSA). If the student feels that the issue cannot be handled by speaking directly with those involved or feels uncomfortable speaking to them, then the student may go directly to the DSA. If appropriate, the DSA will facilitate a process aimed at informal resolution. If the informal resolution of the problem is inappropriate or unsuccessful, then the DSA will refer the issue to the grievance committee for consideration, and the Director of Human Resources will be notified if applicable.

Complaint Procedure

A written grievance must be received no later than ten (10) days from the date the individual first knew or, with reasonable diligence, should have known of the decision or action giving rise to the grievance. If the grievance is not timely filed, it may be dismissed. Grievances involving a student as either the complainant or respondent must be submitted to the Dean of Student Affairs (“DSA”).

Following the receipt of the written grievance, the DSA, or designee, will begin an investigation of the complaint and follow the steps below:

  1. The respondent is notified of complaint and may provide a written response to the DSA within five (5) days. The complainant will receive a copy of the response, if any.
  2. If, in the DSA’s discretion, an informal resolution is appropriate, the DSA will offer the parties an opportunity to resolve the report informally. Both parties much agree to proceed with an informal resolution session. If the informal resolution is successful, the report will be closed.
  3. If the informal resolution is not successful, the DSA will investigate the allegations within the grievance by interviewing the parties and others with relevant information. The DSA will interview individuals based on the specific information each witness has to contribute to the issues and whether such information is original or repetitive. The DS will review all documents provided and obtained during the investigation and draft a Report of Investigation which will not include any conclusions. The parties will be provided a copy of the Report and the
    opportunity to provide a written response within five (5) days.
  4. The DSA will then form a Grievance Committee to hear the case. The Grievance Committee will be comprised of five (5) members and may include faculty, staff, and/or students in leadership positions on campus, with a faculty member designated as the Chair. The Chair's role is that of a nonvoting member, except in the event of a tie. All documentation received by the DSA and the Report will be submitted to the Committee Chair.
  5. The parties may request a meeting with the committee. If more than one (1) meeting is required to hear and deliberate the case, ALL meetings must be held within five (5) days of the initial hearing.
  6. Following the hearing, the Disciplinary Committee will deliberate and draft a written decision. There are three general outcomes to the committee findings:
    1. Committee finds for the respondent.
    2. Committee finds for the complainant.
    3. Committee finds the complaint should be dismissed due to a lack of evidence.
  7. The Grievance Committee will also impose disciplinary sanction(s) where appropriate. In doing so, the Committee will follow the guidelines provided in the Student Code of Conduct, Policy # 4.1.2. The Committee Chair will submit the committee’s written decision to the DSA within five (5) days.

For the purposes of these processes, a “day” is defined as a regular College business day while classes are in session. Upon a showing of good cause, or upon the mutual agreement of the parties, all deadlines above may be extended as appropriate and necessary.

Grievances involving a TCC student as the complainant and/or respondent are managed by the DSA, or appropriate designee. In the event the grievance involves the DSA as the complainant, respondent, or a witness, or the DSA is otherwise unavailable, a replacement will be named by the Associate Vice President (“AVP”). The DSA reserves the right to impose an immediate removal of a student from campus while an investigation is being conducted if the DSA perceives the student to be a risk to the campus community.

Appeal

Written appeals of decisions of the Grievance Committee must be filed with within five (5) days from the date the party was provided notice of the complaint process. If no appeal is received, the report will be considered resolved. Appeals involving students must be filed with the DSA or their designee.

The grounds for appeal may be based only upon the following:

  1. The conduct policy and/or procedure were not adhered to, and such deviation could have a substantial influence on the case's outcome or might have led to a different determination.
  2. New or relevant information, not available at the time of the investigation or hearing, has arisen that would significantly impact the outcome of the case.

Student appeals will be forwarded to the Appeal Board, which is comprised of the Associate Vice President, Chief Academic Offer, and Chief of Clinics. The Board will review the information considered by the committee and additional information or documentation submitted with the appeal, if any. The Appeal Board then has ten (10) days to make a final ruling.

Notes:

TCC Administration reserves the right to take immediate action on a complaint in extreme situations by bypassing this committee system.

ALL official communications for these processes will be conducted through the TCC’s email system.

The highest level of confidentiality will be upheld by the Grievance Committee and all individuals involved in the incident. Information will only be divulged to those who are involved in the investigation relevant to the need for information covered during the process. Breach of confidentiality by any person involved in the Grievance Committee or the process of that committee will be subject to disciplinary action.