If any student deems it necessary to file a grievance against an Betania International University employee he or she must report such incident to the Executive Director. Every effort will be made to protect the privacy of any parties involved. The student is entitled and encouraged to have an informal discussion with the Executive Director as a first step. If an informal conversation does not result in a satisfactory resolution, or if you are not comfortable speaking about the matter with the Executive Director, then the student should discuss the situation with the President. In cases of discrimination or sexual harassment, Betania International University encourages the student to go directly to the President. Any complaint that is not in writing, that is, a verbal complaint, is considered an informal complaint.
After an informal discussion, if the student wishes to file a formal grievance, he/she may submit such in writing to the Executive Director. However, before filing a formal charge, the complaining party should first make a good faith effort to meet and confer with the party against whom he or she has a complaint in an effort to resolve the matter. The formal report should contain a statement of the problem or complaint, the facts and details of the situation, pertinent dates and the names and positions of the parties involved. The grievance must be signed and dated. Also, student may withdraw a complaint at any time during the complaint process. A withdrawal must be made in writing to the Executive Director. Upon receipt of a written formal complaint by a student, the Executive Director will consider the complaint. After such an investigation, Executive Director will make a determination as to whether the grievance has merit as alleged. If the alleged grievance is deemed justified, Betania International University will take whatever steps it deems appropriate to correct any grievance suffered by the complaining student.
Students with unresolved matters may contact the Commission for Independent Education, Florida Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Suite 1414, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400; telephone (850) 245-3200.
Remedies
If it is determined that such grievance has appropriate support, the persons or departments that are responsible for such violation will be dealt with in an appropriate manner by the supervisors or directors of such persons or programs, in accordance with applicable provisions, if any, of contracts, employment regulations, faculty and employee handbooks, or the like.
Review by a representative committee
The student may appeal this determination to an appeals committee consisting of members of the administration, faculty and student body. This committee has the right to review the determinations and to reverse or amend such decisions.