The American Vision University (AVU) is committed to fostering a learning environment that promotes academic excellence and personal development. Students are encouraged to voice their complaints and concerns in a manner that is respectful of the dignity of the individual, if any, who is the subject of the complaint. It is the policy of AVU that students with complaints be treated honestly and fairly, and that their complaints be handled in a timely manner with regard to resolution of the issue(s) presented. Any AVU student may express a concern or complaint by following these procedures. Please note that AVU explicitly prohibits any member of the AVU community from harassing or retaliating against students who file complaints.

General Guidelines

Complaints are most effectively and efficiently managed by first expressing them to the individual, if any, who is the subject of the complaint. Students are strongly encouraged to first discuss their complaint directly with any such individual involved.

If the complaint involves a policy, procedure, or area of responsibility of a specific administrative department, it should be directed to the supervisor/manager of that department. In each instance of a departmental complaint, the appropriate individual will investigate the complaint, seek a solution, and report back to the student in writing within 10 school days. The department supervisor/manager will keep a record of the decision.

The student can file a complaint using the “General Complaint Form” on the reporting website, www.americanvisionuniversity.org/students/report

Student Complaints Related To Faculty Decisions About Student Course Work Procedure Guidelines

The American Vision University (AVU) is committed to maintaining a learning environment which promotes academic excellence and personal development. The following procedure guidelines assure students the opportunity to register their complaints about what they believe to be unfair treatment involving their academic work and to receive prompt resolution of matters related to the complaint.

“Unfair treatment” applies to any act which may be perceived as either prejudiced or arbitrary in the evaluation of a student’s performance, or in the imposition of sanctions without regard for due process.

Students are to complete the following steps:

Informal Meeting with the Instructor to Resolve a Complaint

The student should seek resolution of a complaint by talking to the instructor as soon as an incident of perceived unfair treatment occurs. After this step, the student may decide to initiate a Formal Conference for the record.

Formal Conference with the Instructor to Resolve a Complaint

The student is responsible for initiating a Formal Conference by completing Part I of the Conference Documentation Form obtained online or from the office of the dean in whose college/school the instructor resides.

1. The student completes Part 1 of the Documentation Form and then meets with the instructor within 10 school days of the alleged unfair treatment, or in the case of a final grade, before the beginning of the term following the alleged unfair treatment. The student explains the complaint and attempts to resolve the matter with the instructor.
2. The instructor will sign the form acknowledging that there was discussion with the student about the complaint and indicate whether she/he is providing comments.
3. The instructor may provide written comments as an attachment to the complaint form. The comments must be provided to the student within three days of meeting with the student.
4. After the conference, the student completes Part 2 of the Documentation Form and signs the document.
5. The student delivers this form, and any written comments provided by the instructor, in a sealed envelope/electronically to the dean of the college/school in which the instructor resides.

Appeal to the College/School Dean

If the complaint is not resolved to the satisfaction of the student, the student shall have the right to appeal a decision in writing to the dean or a person designated by the dean. The student completes the form called the Appeal Form for Student Complaints about Faculty Decisions and delivers it in a sealed envelope/ electronically to the appropriate dean’s office within three school days of meeting with the instructor.

1. To begin the appeal process, the student completes the Appeal Form for Student Complaints about Faculty Decisions and attaches to the form a written statement a) of the complaint, b) the student’s perception of the results of the conference with the instructor, and c) reasons why the meeting did not resolve the matter of the alleged unfair treatment.
2. The dean shall meet with the instructor, and others as appropriate, to clarify the relevant facts and perceptions in the matter.
3. The dean shall meet with the student* to clarify the relevant facts and perceptions in the matter as described in the student’s written statement.
4. The dean then makes a decision on the matter.

As an alternative, the dean has the option of deciding to convene a review committee.

• The dean creates a committee consisting of at least two faculty, and one of these, if possible, from the same department as the faculty being complained about, and a student who is not in the same course as the complainant. The dean shall appoint one of the faculty to chair the meeting.
• The committee will meet with the student** and the instructor.
• The committee shall report its findings and recommendations to the dean who makes a decision on the matter.

5. The dean’s decision shall be communicated in writing to the student and the instructor within 10 school days of receipt of the student’s completed Appeal Form for Student Complaints about Faculty Decisions.
6. The dean’s decision is final and there is no further appeal to another administrator or office.

If the complaint involves an individual assignment grade or a final grade, the dean may ask the instructor to change the grade only in cases involving a procedural error in the conduct of the course or due to evidence of unfair treatment.

7. Records of the dean’s decision shall be kept in a file separate from the faculty permanent file in the dean’s office.

*The student may choose to bring an observer to the meeting. The role of observers is to provide support but they may not actively participate in the conversation. If an observer is present, the dean may also choose an observer to be present. If the student’s observer is also a lawyer, the dean shall postpone the meeting until university counsel can be present.

** The student may choose to bring an observer to the meeting. The role of observers is to provide support but they may not actively participate in the conversation. If the student’s observer is also a lawyer, the faculty chair shall notify the dean and postpone the meeting until university counsel can be present and the dean will then chair the meeting.

California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE)

A student or any member of the public may file a complaint about this institution with the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education by calling Toll-free telephone #: (888) 370-7589 or by completing a complaint form, which can be obtained on the bureau's Internet Web site: www.bppe.ca.gov.