Complaint Procedures

Students enrolled in online courses and programs are able to follow the same procedure as on-campus students if a grievance with the University arises. The actual procedure will depend on the nature of the complaint, and must be submitted online via the student’s university email as described below.

General Student Information

Students should consult the Office of Student Affairs for general information regarding student issues, academic concerns, records, and filing complaints. Complaints should be sent in writing to deanofstudents@csu.edu.

Harassment/Discrimination

Students that believe they have been subject to discrimination or harassment, including sexual harassment, should contact the Equal Employment Opportunity. To file a complaint or make a report, contact: Title IX Officer, (773) 995-3582.

Grade Issues

Students with concerns regarding faculty, staff, grades, advising, and other academic related issues should follow the appropriate department grievance procedure within each College. Typically students will be referred to:

• Their instructor. If a student is dissatisfied with the results of that discussion, students should then contact:
  • The appropriate department chair.
  • If still dissatisfied, the student would be referred to a Student Relations Committee/College Grievance Committee.
  • If still dissatisfied, students may wish to contact their dean.

Students may not approach other offices of the university to address grade disputes. In very rare instances, an appeal may be made to Academic Affairs, but only after all college-level processes have been exhausted.

Students with concerns regarding faculty, staff, grades and other academic related issues should follow the appropriate department grievance procedure within each College. Typically students will be referred to:

• Their instructor. If a student is dissatisfied with the results of that discussion, students should then contact:
• The appropriate department chair. If still dissatisfied, the student would be referred to a Student Relations Committee/College Grievance Committee. Students may wish to contact:
• Their dean, and then if necessary, contact the Provost.

Registration Issues, Records, Transcripts

Students with questions or concerns regarding registration should contact: CSU-Registrar@csu.edu

Financial Aid Issues

Students with questions or concerns regarding financial aid should contact: csu-finaid@csu.edu

Disability Issues

Concerns regarding access for individuals with disabilities should be referred to: Coordinator of Disability Services, nking23@csu.edu

Judicial Affairs Issues

The Director of Judicial Affairs is responsible for the enforcement of the Student Code of Conduct. Any student accused of violating the Student Code of Conduct has the right to a hearing before any final determination or sanctions are issued.

Judicial Affairs questions or concerns should be directed to dcato@csu.edu.

ITD Help Desk

The Office of Information Technology Division (ITD) is committed to create and maintain IT service delivery that drives innovation, to provide its faculty, staff, and students with an integrated, secured, and advanced technology infrastructure that is broadly-accessible to people who need it when they need it and where they need it.

The Help Desk provides the following services/support:

• Student Administrative System Support
  • Cougar Connect
• Access Remote Access and VPN
• Provide Access to systems
• Change Your Password
  • Password Reset (Email & Active Directory)
• Policy and Account Information

ITD Services Contact Information

• Information Technology Services Help Desk
• Email: helpdesk@csu.edu

Course Management System (Moodle)

The Office of Online Instruction and Instructional Technology (OOIIT) is responsible for online learning at CSU; as such, it provides training to students on how to use Moodle, the learning management system (LMS) currently used by the university.

To contact the OOIIT: elearning@csu.edu

Library and Instruction Services (CSU Library)

The CSU Library offers reference services and much more. The contact information is as follows:

• Access Services/ILL - iloan@csu.edu
• Archives and Special Collections - csu_archives@csu.edu
• Circulation Desk - circdesk@csu.edu
• Reference Desk - ask@csu.libanswers.com

Anonymous Reporting

The University recognizes there may be instances when individuals will want to report anonymously regarding activities in violation of university policies, local, state and federal laws. The University has provided a means for anonymous reporting via a 24-Hour Hotline supported by University Police at (773) 821-2882.

State of Illinois and HLC Complaint Procedure

Chicago State University, as a participant in Title IV Federal Financial Aid under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, is required to direct students to the Illinois Board of Higher Education for assistance with unresolved complaints. Chicago State University also must make available to students or prospective students, upon request, a copy of the documents describing the institution’s accreditation and state authorization.

Students may contact the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) with complaints that were not resolved through the student complaint procedure described above by accessing the IBHE online complaint system.

Students may also file a complaint with Chicago State University’s accrediting agency, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, by following the HLC’s complaint procedure.

Complaint Resolution Process for SARA States

States operating under the State Authorization and Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) have agreed to allow their SARA state portal agency investigate and resolve any complaints that have not been resolved through an institution's own procedures for resolution of grievances. The SARA Complaint Resolution Process is taken directly from Section 4.2 of the NC-SARA State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements Policies and Standards.

Participating SARA States: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming.

Students from participating SARA states may contact the Illinois Board of Higher Education (the Illinois SARA portal agency) with complaints that were not resolved through the student complaint procedure described above by accessing the IBHE online complaint system at https://complaints.ibhe.org/

State Contact Information for Student Complaints

In addition to the above University procedures for addressing student grievances, the US Department of Education requires that each institution offering online programming provide contact information for students who wish to file complaints through their home state. States participating in SARA may file a complaint through the Complaint Resolution Process for SARA States listed above. Contact information for states not participating in the State Authorization and Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) can be found below.

*This list includes contact information for states not participating in the State Authorization and Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico and should not be construed as informative of the states in which Chicago State University is licensed or required to be licensed. States, through the relevant agencies or Attorney Generals Offices, will accept complaints regardless of whether an institution is required to be licensed in that state.