Student Complaints

IMPORTANT: If the situation being reported presents an immediate threat to your safety or the safety of others, and emergency assistance is required, please contact Campus Safety at 573-540-3764 or call 911.

Reporting a Concern

If you have questions or concerns, please contact Student Affairs by calling 573-592-5572 or email stulife@westminster-mo.edu . The Office of Student Affairs is located in the Hunter Activity Center and maintains walk-in office hours from 8:00 am-4:30 pm, Monday-Friday.

A student concern is a situation or experience that inhibits the student's ability to function well in the College environment. Student concerns may include but are not limited to:

• A health or other condition that requires a long absence from the College.
• A mental or emotional health condition that causes the student to be a threat to self or others.
• Behavior that is disruptive to the educational environment.
• A traumatic event experienced by a student.

If your concern is related to reporting a Missing Person, we encourage you to contact Campus Security by calling 573-540-3764 at any time, day or night.  Campus Safety is available on-campus, in-person, 24/7/365.

File a Complaint

If you do not know what to do for your situation, you are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Affairs for clarification and guidance. Student Affairs can be reached at stulife@westminster-mo.edu or by calling 573-592-5572. The Office of Student Affairs is located in the Hunter Activity Center and maintains walk-in office hours from 8:00 am-4:30 pm, Monday-Friday.

Report Student Conduct or Policy Violation

Community members are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Affairs directly at stulife@westminster-mo.edu if you believe a conduct or policy violation has occurred. This information will be reviewed by Student Affairs staff to assess next steps.

Report Bias, Harassment, Discrimination, General Harassment and Bullying

Westminster College is committed to cultivating an intentionally diverse and inclusive environment, where the dignity, worth and unique gifts of each community member are valued and respected. As part of that commitment, the College is committed to a work and educational environment that is free from harassment, discrimination, and bullying.

What is a Bias Incident?

A bias incident is an act of bigotry, harassment, or intimidation that are not crimes, violence, threats or property damage that is motivated in whole or in part by bias based on an individual’s or group’s actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Bias often stems from fear, misunderstanding, hatred, or stereotypes and may be intentional or unintentional.

Examples of Bias Incidents

Bias incidents can be verbal, physical, or visual. This language and behavior often contribute to or create an unsafe or unwelcoming environment. Some examples include:

• Name-calling; using racial, ethnic, or other slurs to identify someone; or using degrading language.
• Creating racist or derogatory images/drawings.
• Imitating someone with a disability or imitating someone’s cultural norm or practice.

Students are encouraged to report incidents of bias, discriminatory, harassing or bullying behaviors that may be a potential violation by emailing stulife@westminster-mo.edu.

Your report will initiate the beginning of a fact-finding process to gather additional information and to determine the nature of any investigation that will be conducted by the College.

Please note that the College's ability to respond effectively may be limited by the level of information provided and/or the anonymity of those who report.

For any Title IX Complaints please refer to the Title IX Policies page.

Academic Complaint Policies and Procedures

Appeal Procedures

A student who has a complaint about the conduct of a class or the evaluation of their work in a course should first attempt to resolve the issue by discussing it with the course instructor.  Having done this, if the student still believes that they are not being treated fairly, the matter should be brought to the attention of either the faculty member’s department chairperson or, the relevant academic division chair, if the faculty member the student wishes to complain about is a department chair, or the Provost.  If the mediation by the Provost leads to no successful resolution of the issue, the individual(s) lodging the complaint may address their issue to the Professional Standards Committee for resolution.  If the mediation by the Provost has led to a successful resolution, but the individual against whom the complaint was lodged then fails to meet the terms of the corrective action in the time frame stipulated, the Provost will submit the issue to the Professional Standards Committee for resolution.  If the mediation by the Provost leads to no successful resolution of the issue, the Provost may become the complainant and then address the issue to the Professional Standards Committee for resolution.  If for any reason the Provost decides not to seek an inquiry by the Professional Standards Committee, the original complainant may address the issue to the Professional Standards Committee for resolution.

The Professional Standards Committee hears cases in which it is alleged that a faculty member has acted contrary to generally recognized standards of professional ethics or to established faculty policy.  The committee also hears grade appeals, which allege improper academic evaluation. Improper academic evaluation includes the following: (1) an evaluation that does not conform to the individual faculty member’s announced methods and standards of evaluation and/or (2) an evaluation that is arbitrary, capricious, or prejudiced by the consideration of factors unrelated to academic achievement, such as a student’s race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, political or cultural affiliation, life style, or behavior outside the classroom.  Cases alleging violations of professional ethics involve conduct that is clearly detrimental to a faculty member’s performance of academic or institutional responsibilities.

An individual who wishes to appeal a grade or take action regarding an alleged violation of professional ethics prepares a written statement noting the specific actions which might constitute improper academic evaluation or unethical professional conduct and indicating the nature of the evidence (testimony, witnesses, documents, admissions, etc.) that can be offered to substantiate the charges.  The complainant must have evidence to substantiate their charges.  The written complaint should be delivered to the chairperson of the committee or to another committee member.  The committee member notifies the chairperson or the secretary immediately.  (A list of the current members of the Professional Standards Committee can be obtained from any faculty member or from the Provost's Office). By making a complaint to the committee, the complainant authorizes the committee to contact the respondent and to initiate a preliminary proceeding to determine whether the complainant appears to have, or to have access to, evidence relevant to the charges.  If the committee finds that the complainant’s evidence does not merit a detailed investigation or would not be adequate to substantiate their charges, the committee may dismiss the charges.  The committee also determines whether the allegations, if proven in a formal hearing, would indicate an instance of improper academic evaluation, a violation of professional ethics, or a violation of established policies.  The committee determines which of the complainant’s charges presented orally or in writing may be investigated in a formal hearing and, if the evidence warrants, convenes a hearing panel.

*If at any point during this process, the student feels uncomfortable and would prefer to address this issue directly with the Provost, the student should make immediate contact with their office.

The U.S. Department of Education requires institutions to provide its students or prospective students with contact information for filing complaints with its accreditor and with the appropriate state officials. These agencies may be contacted after all institutional complaint processes have been exhausted first.

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the institutional accrediting agency for Westminster College, may be contacted at: https://www.hlcommission.org/Students-Communities/complaints.html).

Additionally, the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD) serves as a clearinghouse for postsecondary student complaints. The MDHEWD complaint information, process and policy may be found at: https://dhewd.mo.gov/media/pdf/complaint-resolution-policy.

Note that the policy provides that a student who wishes to file a complaint with the department must first exhaust all formal and informal avenues provided by the institution to resolve disputes.

Westminster Online Complaints

If you are a student in an online course and you have concerns and/or complaints, please contact your instructor first. If you are unable to resolve the issue, follow the steps below to file a complaint with the Office of Online Programs.

1. Email your concern or complaint to the Assistant Dean of Online Programs at tanys.hines@westminster-mo.edu. Title the subject of the email, Online Course Complaint, and include all relevant information in the body of the message.
2. The Assistant Dean of Online Programs will investigate the complaint in collaboration with the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.
3. Resolutions will be made within 30 days of receipt of the complaint.
4. Resolutions may be appealed to the Provost.

If an issue cannot be resolved internally and you are residing in a SARA state, pursuant to the SARA Complaint Process, please contact the Missouri SARA State Portal Agency.