Complaint/Grievance Procedures | SOUTHWESTERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Grievances

Any individual wishing to file a complaint or grievance with SCC must use the Student Complaint Information Sheet and Form, (pdf), or hardcopy form that can be found in each Deans’ office. Individuals are encouraged to resolve concerns or grievances at the informal level with the individual(s) involved, as outlined in Policy 6.03.05. If the grievance cannot be resolved at the informal level, a formal grievance may be filed in writing with the supervising dean. The written grievance must contain with specificity the facts supporting the grievance and the attempt to resolve the grievance at the informal level. In order to be considered, a formal grievance must be submitted in writing using the Student Complaint Information Sheet and Form (pdf), signed and two copies sent to: Southwestern Community College, 447 College Drive, Sylva, NC 28779 in c/o the Dean of the area in which the complaint is against or submission can be made from the SCC student email to the appropriate Dean. The complaint must be postmarked or timestamped within five (5) business days of the conclusion of the informal grievance conference with the faculty/staff member. SCC will entertain neither complaints that are not in writing or which are anonymous. In addition, the College will not act on complaints submitted on behalf of another individual or complaints forwarded to the College. Formal grievance resolution will be followed as outlined in Policy 6.03.05.

In filing a grievance, individuals should first refer to the related policy or procedure found online, in the student handbook, or SCC catalog.

Examples of an Academic Grievance	Grievance submitted to:
Classroom instruction	Appropriate Academic Dean: Jonathan Howle – Arts and Sciences; Danell Moses – Career Technologies; Timothy Dean – Health Sciences; Curtis Dowdle – Public Safety Training
Classroom syllabi
Grading/grades
Student Code of Conduct violations, academic in nature

Examples of a Non-Academic Grievance	Grievance submitted to:
Personal Records (FERPA)	Mark Ellison, Dean of Students (828.339.4245)
Student Life
Student Services
Disability Services
Student Code of Conduct violations, non-academic in nature
Sexual Harassment
Safety
Parking or facilities	Tina Wilson, VP for Financial and Administrative Services
Bookstore

If students are unable to resolve a complaint against SCC through the college’s own grievance processes, there are other agencies listed below that students may appeal to, including the state of North Carolina.

The North Carolina Post-Secondary Education Complaints Unit.

NCCCS grievance process – Filing a Complaint Against the College After Completing the College’s Grievance Procedure.

After a student has exhausted the college’s complaint grievance procedure, if a matter remains unresolved, a formal complaint may be filed with the online Student Complaint Portal. The Portal is hosted by the North Carolina Post-Secondary Education Complaints Unit.

The North Carolina Post-Secondary Education Complaints Unit can be contacted at:

North Carolina Post-Secondary Education Complaints
c/o Student Complaints
223 S. West Street, Suite 1800
Raleigh NC 27603
(919) 962-4550.

Additionally the NCCCS Compliant/Grievance Procedure information can be found using the website information below:

NCP-SEP Complaints website

NCP-SEP ComplaintPolicy

NCP-SEP Electronic Complaint Form

SARA-NC (State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement-North Carolina)

Contact Information:

North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority
c/o SARA North Carolina
P.O. Box 41349
Raleigh, NC 27629
complaint@saranc.org
Phone contact: (855) SARA1NC, toll free or (855) 727-2162, toll free
Website:SARA-NC

SARA-NC Complaint Process
SARA-NC Complaint Form

Regional Accreditor (SACSCOC) Complaint Process

If a student has evidence that an institution is in significant non-compliance with SACSCOC standards, policies or procedures, the individual should inform SACSCOC using the Complaints Against Institutions: Policy and Form.

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
1866 Southern Lane
Decatur, GA 30033
404.679.4500
https://sacscoc.org/

Filing out-of-state complaints (for non NC-SARA states)

SCC has been approved to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA). However, NC-SARA does not deal with professional licensing board approval for any courses or programs leading to professional licensure. Please click the following link to file a complaint within your home state: Student Complaint Information by State and Agency

What about licensure programs offered by Southwestern Community College?

If you are considering enrolling in a degree program at Southwestern Community College that leads to licensure or certification and you do not live in North Carolina, please contact the individual below that corresponds to your program of interest to discuss licensure options prior to beginning your course of study.

Licensure Disclosure	Type of Program	SCC Contact Information
Telecommunicator Certification Course	Professional/Continuing Education	Curtis Dowdle – Dean of Public Safety Training 225 Industrial Park Loop • Franklin, NC 28734 cdowdle@southwesterncc.edu – 828.306.7040
Advanced EMT Licensure	Professional/Continuing Education and Academic Degree	Curtis Dowdle – Dean of Public Safety Training 225 Industrial Park Loop • Franklin, NC 28734 cdowdle@southwesterncc.edu – 828.306.7040
BLET Certification	Professional/Continuing Education	Curtis Dowdle – Dean of Public Safety Training 225 Industrial Park Loop • Franklin, NC 28734 cdowdle@southwesterncc.edu – 828.306.7040
Clinical Medical Assistant	Professional/Continuing Education	Scott Sutton – Dean of Workforce Continuing Education 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 scotts@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4296
Cosmetology	Academic Degree	Danell Moses – Dean of Career Technologies 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 dmoses@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4341
CPR and First Aid	Professional/Continuing Education	Curtis Dowdle – Dean of Public Safety Training 225 Industrial Park Loop • Franklin, NC 28734 cdowdle@southwesterncc.edu – 828.306.7040
Culinary Arts	Academic Degree	Danell Moses – Dean of Career Technologies 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 dmoses@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4341
Dental Assisting	Academic Degree	Dr. Tim Dean – Dean of Health Sciences 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 t_dean@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4331
Dental Hygienist	Academic Degree	Dr. Tim Dean – Dean of Health Sciences 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 t_dean@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4331
Detention Officer	Professional/Continuing Education	Curtis Dowdle – Dean of Public Safety Training 225 Industrial Park Loop • Franklin, NC 28734 cdowdle@southwesterncc.edu – 828.306.7040
Early Child Education	Academic Degree	Danell Moses – Dean of Career Technologies 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 dmoses@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4341
Electronic Health Records Certification	Professional/Continuing Education	Scott Sutton – Dean of Workforce Continuing Education 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 scotts@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4296
EMR	Professional/Continuing Education	Curtis Dowdle – Dean of Public Safety Training 225 Industrial Park Loop • Franklin, NC 28734 cdowdle@southwesterncc.edu – 828.306.7040
EMS	Professional/Continuing Education	Curtis Dowdle – Dean of Public Safety Training 225 Industrial Park Loop • Franklin, NC 28734 cdowdle@southwesterncc.edu – 828.306.7040
EMT	Professional/Continuing Education	Curtis Dowdle – Dean of Public Safety Training 225 Industrial Park Loop • Franklin, NC 28734 cdowdle@southwesterncc.edu – 828.306.7040
Flagger Training	Professional/Continuing Education	Scott Sutton – Dean of Workforce Continuing Education 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 scotts@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4296
Firefighter Levels I and II	Professional/Continuing Education	Curtis Dowdle – Dean of Public Safety Training 225 Industrial Park Loop • Franklin, NC 28734 cdowdle@southwesterncc.edu – 828.306.7040
General Contractor Continuing Education Electrical	Professional/Continuing Education	Scott Sutton – Dean of Workforce Continuing Education 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 scotts@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4296
Insurance Pre-Licensing	Professional/Continuing Education	Scott Sutton – Dean of Workforce Continuing Education 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 scotts@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4296
Medical Radiography	Academic Degree	Dr. Tim Dean – Dean of Health Sciences 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 t_dean@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4331
Medical Sonography	Academic Degree	Dr. Tim Dean – Dean of Health Sciences 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 t_dean@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4331
National Parks Service	Professional/Continuing Education	Curtis Dowdle – Dean of Public Safety Training 225 Industrial Park Loop • Franklin, NC 28734 cdowdle@southwesterncc.edu – 828.306.7040
Notary Public	Professional/Continuing Education	Scott Sutton – Dean of Workforce Continuing Education 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 scotts@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4296
Nursing (Nurse Aide I and I)	Professional/Continuing Education and Academic Degree	Scott Sutton – Dean of Workforce Continuing Education 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 scotts@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4296
Nursing (ADN)	Academic Degree	Dr. Tim Dean – Dean of Health Sciences 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 t_dean@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4331
Nursing (RIBN)	Academic Degree	Dr. Tim Dean – Dean of Health Sciences 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 t_dean@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4331
Nursing (LPN)	Academic Degree	Dr. Tim Dean – Dean of Health Sciences 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 t_dean@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4331
Occupational Therapy Assistant	Academic Degree	Dr. Tim Dean – Dean of Health Sciences 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 t_dean@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4331
Opticianry	Academic Degree	Dr. Tim Dean – Dean of Health Sciences 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 t_dean@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4331
OSHA-10	Professional/Continuing Education	Scott Sutton – Dean of Workforce Continuing Education 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 scotts@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4296
Paramedic	Professional/Continuing Education and Academic Degree	Curtis Dowdle – Dean of Public Safety Training 225 Industrial Park Loop • Franklin, NC 28734 cdowdle@southwesterncc.edu – 828.306.7040
Pharmacy Technician	Professional/Continuing Education	Scott Sutton – Dean of Workforce Continuing Education 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 scotts@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4296
Phlebotomy	Professional/Continuing Education	Scott Sutton – Dean of Workforce Continuing Education 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 scotts@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4296
Physical Therapist Assistant	Academic Degree	Dr. Tim Dean – Dean of Health Sciences 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 t_dean@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4331
Radiologist Technologist Licensure	Academic Degree	Dr. Tim Dean – Dean of Health Sciences 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 t_dean@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4331
NC Real Estate Pre-Licensing	Professional/Continuing Education	Scott Sutton – Dean of Workforce Continuing Education 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 scotts@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4296
Rescue Technician	Professional/Continuing Education	Curtis Dowdle – Dean of Public Safety Training 225 Industrial Park Loop • Franklin, NC 28734 cdowdle@southwesterncc.edu – 828.306.7040
Respiratory Therapy	Academic Degree	Dr. Tim Dean – Dean of Health Sciences 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 t_dean@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4331
Surgical Technology	Academic Degree	Dr. Tim Dean – Dean of Health Sciences 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 t_dean@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4331
Veterinary Technician	Professional/Continuing Education	Scott Sutton – Dean of Workforce Continuing Education 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 scotts@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4296
Welding	Academic Degree	Danell Moses – Dean of Career Technologies 447 College Drive • Sylva, NC 28779 dmoses@southwesterncc.edu – 828.339.4341

This information is updated annually each Spring. Although we strive to connect you with the best information possible, Southwestern Community College encourages students to confirm whether a particular program meets requirements for professional licensure and/or certification outside of the State of North Carolina prior to enrolling. Contact your faculty advisor for assistance in this process.

Further information can be found on our State Authorization Page.

Questions? Please submit a Help Ticket to SCC E-Learning
(under “Select Type of Help,” choose “Moodle Assistance”)