(1) This Guideline supplements Student Grievance Resolution Policy and Student Grievance Resolution Procedure and provides practical advice to those involved in the University’s student grievance or appeals processes. (2) When preparing a formal written complaint the student should clearly state the issue or situation that has caused them concern and identify how they would like this to be resolved. They should also indicate what they have done to attempt to resolve the issue informally. (3) Care should be taken to state the issue clearly and concisely, including referencing any legislation or policy as appropriate, without using offensive or inflammatory terms. (4) Examples: (5) The written complaint should be as specific as possible about the circumstances relating to the grievance and provide relevant evidence. (6) Examples: (7) Wherever possible, students should attach documentary evidence to support their grievance. It is normally not sufficient for a student to claim the existence of certain circumstances or the performance of certain actions or a change of circumstances without providing supporting evidence which verifies their claims. Students should make every effort to support their claim by providing independent evidence. Documents provided to support the grievance must be original or certified copies. They must be in English or official translations must be supplied. (8) Examples: (9) Students must describe what steps they have taken to date to attempt to resolve the grievance. (10) Examples: (11) Students can submit complaint letters and support materials via the University's complaints management system or as a hard-copy to a UQ Student Centre. Students are encouraged to submit letters and materials electronically as it reduces the time before their grievance is considered by an appropriate decision-maker. (12) In seeking to work towards informal resolution of a grievance, a student may initiate a meeting with University staff, or as part of an investigation into a grievance, the student may be invited to attend an interview to discuss their concerns. In either case the student is entitled to take a support person with them to the interview. (13) Where a student is not satisfied with the outcome of a grievance resolution process or a decision made in accordance with University policy, procedures and rules, the student may appeal the outcome with an appropriate body as noted in the Decision-Maker Tables of Student Grievance Resolution Procedure. The nature of the grievance will determine both the decision-maker and the timeframe available to appeal. (14) When preparing an appeal students should state clearly the decision against which they are appealing, including referencing any legislation or policy as appropriate, and they should explain the grounds of their appeal. (15) Examples: (16) Students must be as specific as possible about the circumstances relating to their appeal. (17) Examples: (18) Wherever possible students should attach documentary evidence to their appeal. It is normally not sufficient for a student to claim the existence of certain circumstances, or the performance of certain actions, or a change of circumstances, without providing supporting evidence which verifies these claims. It is insufficient to simply say what happened or what changed. Students should make every effort to support what they say by providing independent evidence. (19) Examples: (20) Students can submit appeal letters and support materials via the University's complaints management system or as a hard-copy to a UQ Student Centre. Students are encouraged to submit letters and materials electronically, as it reduces the time before their appeal is considered by an appropriate decision-maker and is linked in the system to the original grievance if it had been submitted via the University's complaints management system. (21) For further information on the process for appeals to Student Academic Administrative Appeals Committee, refer to Academic Administrative Appeals by Students Policy. (22) Students wishing to take the matter to the Queensland Ombudsman should be aware that the Ombudsman would normally focus on issues of procedural compliance or fairness in the decision making process rather than matters concerning academic judgment. The Ombudsman may decline to investigate a complaint if the student making the complaint has not first attempted to resolve the problem through The University’s grievance resolution process. (23) The Ombudsman’s Office should be contacted for specific advice regarding particular circumstances. (24) All staff should, within the limits of their authority, assist students to resolve problems or concerns as quickly and early as possible with a view to avoiding them escalating to the level of a formal complaint. (25) While staff may be faced with behaviour they consider rude or unreasonable, or with problems or concerns that may seem trivial or ill-founded, staff should listen calmly, attentively and dispassionately and focus on realistic ways to help the student resolve their problem or concern. If the problem cannot be solved at the informal level, the student should be referred to Student Grievance Resolution Procedure to guide their next steps in the grievance resolution process. (26) In certain instances, senior staff may believe an issue is so serious it should be managed under either student or staff misconduct procedures. In such cases, advice should be sought from the Academic Registrar and/or Director, People Services as appropriate. (27) The first step in any decision-making process or investigation is to correctly identify the key issues so the correct grievance resolution pathway can be followed and the correct decision-maker can be identified to facilitate the grievance resolution process. (28) Once identified, the decision-maker may conduct their own exploration of the issues, or may call upon another impartial person to investigate the grievance or appeal on their behalf. (29) During this stage, the decision-maker will need to consider: (30) Accurate record keeping is an important component of good administrative practice. This concept is supported by the obligation imposed on public agencies, including Universities, by s.7 of the Public Records Act 2002, to make and keep full and accurate records of their activities. (31) The obligation covers: (32) Records should be made simultaneously or as soon as practicable following the communication, event or action to which they relate. (33) Good record keeping: (34) Good record keeping enhances accountability in the grievance and appeal processes. (35) The process to resolve a formal grievance should commence no later than 10 business days after receipt by the University of the grievance or appeal, unless a different timeframe is stated in the relevant policy. All reasonable measures should be taken by the decision-maker to ensure the matter is finalised as soon as practicable. (36) Staff who decide (or make recommendations to a decision-maker about) a complaint or an appeal, must assess the evidence fairly and objectively and base their recommendations or decisions on all relevant evidence. Evidence is relevant when it is logically probative and rationally leads to the conclusions drawn about a particular fact that is at issue (whether alone or combined with other evidence). Irrelevant evidence must always be disregarded. If there is a conflict in evidence about a particular version of events, efforts should be made to try and corroborate those versions to ascertain which should logically be considered over the other. (37) A student’s enrolment should be maintained during grievance resolution process if the procedures for lodging a complaint and appeal have been appropriately followed by the student. Examples when student enrolment should be maintained include: (38) Useful resources include: (39) Extracts from the following publications were used in the compilation of this Guideline:Student Grievance Resolution Guideline
Section 1 - Purpose and Scope
Section 2 - Key Requirements
Grievance Guidelines for Students
Stating the Issue
Level of Detail
Supporting Documentation
Describing Steps Taken
Submitting a Complaint
Attending an Interview
Appeal Guidelines for Students
Stating the Issue
Level of Detail
Supporting Documentation
Submitting an Appeal
External Avenues for Grievance Resolution
Guidelines for Staff
Roles and responsibilities
Decision-makers
Identify the Key Issues
Record Keeping
Time Limits
Assessing the Evidence
Maintaining Student's Enrolment During Grievance Resolution
Useful Resources
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