It happens at every college or university. Sooner or later a student is unhappy with a decision someone working for the institution makes. It may be that a student disagrees with a policy requiring freshman to live on campus. Or it may be that a student doesn't get along with an instructor and feels he or she has been treated unfairly.

There are ways that students can have their concerns heard by people who are not part of the original disagreement.

While complaining comes naturally to most of us, some approaches to complaining are more effective in college. The complaint process depends to some degree on the nature of the protest, but in general you start with the person you disagree with and work your way up. There are two main chains of command that students will likely deal with: one that leads to the Vice President of Academic Affairs and one that leads to the Vice President of Student Services. In each case the process is the same: the student should follow the chain of command.

Instructional Area

The first step in trying to resolve any problem is to talk directly with the person involved. If the student has a problem with a faculty member, the student should make an appointment to discuss the concern.

This is not as difficult as many students think it will be. Faculty are professionals who are are used to differences of style and opinion. They will not be unprofessional and take a complaint personally. It may well be that problems can be resolved simply by having a frank conversation.

However, if meeting with the faculty member fails to resolve the problem, the next person to talk with is the Division Chair. There are six academic divisions at Northwest, and each is administered by a Division Chair. The Chair is a faculty member's immediate supervisor.

Many students would rather bypass a faculty member and go directly to his or her Chair with a complaint. They shouldn't do this, unless the nature of the problem is such that they just can't bring themselves to talk with the instructor. In most cases, the Division Chair will ask the student if the problem has been discussed with the faculty member. If this has not happened, the Chair will probably ask the student to talk with the faculty member first.

If, after talking with the faculty member and the Division Chair, the student still isn't satisfied, the next in the chain of command is the Vice President of Academic Affairs, who has authority over all instructional areas.

If the issue is still unresolved after talking with the Vice President, the next step is not the President, but the Student Appeals Board.

Student Services Area

There are a great many departments and programs in Student Services - Enrollment Services, the Student Success Center, Housing - but resolving problems follows the same process as in the instructional area. Start with the person with whom there is a disagreement and work up.

If the problem is still unresolved, then it is time to go to the Student Appeals Board.

The President

Many students think of the President of the College as being like the principal of a high school. While there may be some similarities, there are more differences.

It is unusual for the President to become involved in disputes students have. Generally those are resolved, or not resolved, by the time they reach the level of the Vice Presidents or the Appeals Committee.

The College President is concerned with large issues which affect the whole campus community. While the President is always glad to visit with students, decisions about specific problems are almost always deferred to the appropriate Vice President.