Addressing Student Concerns in the College of Public Health

This page is designed to outline the College of Public Health policies and procedures regarding student complaints concerning faculty action and to direct students to other campus resources. If your course instructor is a teaching assistant and not a faculty member, please follow the procedures outlined on the Student Complaints Concerning Actions By Teaching Assistants page.

If you have questions about College of Public Health procedures, please contact Scot Reisinger, the Assistant Dean for Student Services in the College of Public Health.

Current Complaint Procedures in the College of Public Health

If a student has a complaint regarding a faculty action, these are the recommended procedures for that student in the College of Public Health:

• Document your concerns; if possible, include dates, locations, context, and as much detailed information as you can remember. Keep copies of all correspondence and document all contacts. Reporting concerns or complaints can be difficult, and you may benefit from additional support during this time. Please see the “Additional Resources for Student Complaints or Concerns” section below; you are always welcome to seek assistance from other campus offices listed there, whether or not you follow these College of Public Health procedures.
• Students who have a concern about a faculty action should first address the issue with the faculty member involved.  Be prepared to clearly articulate your concerns and the resolution you are seeking.
• Lacking a satisfactory outcome, the student should turn to the departmental executive officer (DEO) or the Undergraduate Program Director, as appropriate. The DEO for each course is listed in the course syllabus.
• If a satisfactory outcome is still not obtained, then the student may take the matter to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Public Health. The student may email a formal letter of appeal to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs which should outline the situation as well as the student’s attempts to resolve the issue.  Students should provide copies of appropriate materials to support their complaint. The Associate Dean will notify the student of the outcome of their complaint via university e-mail.
  • NOTE: If a graduate student is dissatisfied with the outcome of an academic complaint against a faculty member after exhausting the process at the collegiate level, students should consult with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the Graduate College concerning mechanisms for resolving complaints. Generally speaking, an academic complaint filed by a graduate student will be resolved without respect to the grievant’s employment status.
    
    Employment-related grievances are resolved in one of two ways. Graduate students who are not members of the UE-COGS bargaining unit should refer to the general University student-employee grievance protocol set forth in Section I below (“Student Employee Grievance Procedure”). For graduate student assistants, the procedure contained within the collective bargaining agreement between the State Board of Regents and the United Electrical & Machine Workers Union, Local 896-COGS, is the exclusive remedy for resolving employment-related grievances.
• If a student is dissatisfied with the outcome of an academic complaint against a faculty member at the collegiate level, Graduate College for graduate students and College of Public Health for undergraduates, then they may ask the Office of the Provost (email provost-office@uiowa.edu) to review the matter. The function of a review by the Office of the Provost is to ensure (a) that the outcome was supported by substantial evidence in the record when the record is viewed as a whole, and (b) that relevant procedures of the department and/or college were followed. Appeal to the Office of the Provost should include: (a) a letter from the student explaining in what way the outcome was not supported by substantial evidence and/or relevant procedures were not followed; and (b) copies of all previous documents provided by or to the student in the departmental and collegiate reviews.
• If a student’s complaint concerning a faculty member’s action cannot be resolved through the mechanisms described above, the student may file a formal complaint of violation of the Statement on Professional Ethics and Academic Responsibility as described in section III-15 of the University Policy Manual.

Additional Resources for Student Complaints or Concerns

Campus Offices

You are always welcome to seek assistance from other campus offices, which are available regardless of whether you choose to follow the College of Public Health’s procedures. These offices are listed below:

• Office of the University Ombudsperon, 308 Jefferson Building, 335-3608. This office is a confidential resource for any member of the community with a problem or concern and can assist in answering questions, understanding options, referrals to other offices if needed, and resolving conflicts or concerns. 
• Office of Student Accountability, 203 IMU, 335-1527. This office can assist when you believe there has been a violation of the Code of Student Life. Office staff can discuss options available for reporting incidents to the appropriate authorities, assist victims of assault or harassment by a university student, and can also direct you to educational programs on a variety of related topics.
• Graduate students may contact the Associate Dean of the Graduate College, 205 Gilmore Hall, 335-2144.
• Undergraduate and graduate students may contact the Dean of Students, 135 IMU, 335-1162.
• Office of Civil Rights Compliance (OCRC).
  This office maintains campus wide compliance and resources of Federal and State of Iowa laws related to bias, harassment, discrimination, disability, equal employment opportunity, free speech, and sexual misconduct concerns.
• University Counseling Service, 3223 Westlawn S., 335-7294. This office offers free, confidential counseling services to University of Iowa students. The UCS assists students with any personal, emotional, or academic issues that prevent the attainment of academic and personal goals. The UCS is staffed by licensed psychologists and psychologists-in-training.

A note about confidentiality: To make informed choices, it is important to be aware of confidentiality and mandatory reporting requirements when consulting campus resources.  The confidentiality of all parties will be protected to the greatest extent possible. However, confidentiality cannot be guaranteed in all cases, and legal obligations may require the university to take some action, even when a party has requested confidentiality. If maintaining confidentiality is a priority, you may wish to consult the two resources marked “confidential” above, or one of the resources listed on the website of Confidential Resources at the University of Iowa.

Additional links