I. Purpose
A. Anne Arundel Community College (“College”) has established the Student Grievance Policy (“Policy”) and the Student Grievance Procedure in order to provide an effective means of resolving Grievable Actions without the necessity of federal or state remedies.
B. The College, however, recognizes that students have the right to file complaints with various federal and state agencies.
C. This Student Complaints to External Entities Procedure (“Procedure”) is established to encourage students to attempt to resolve complaints directly with the College before pursuing the matter externally and to provide notice of the external entity to which complaints may be filed, depending on the subject matter.
II. Scope and Applicability. This Procedure applies to all Students.
III. Definitions.
A. All capitalized terms in this Procedure have the meanings provided in the Policy.
B. All other capitalized terms in this Procedure have the following meanings:
1. COMAR means the Code of Maryland Regulations.
2. MHEC means the Maryland Higher Education Commission.
IV. Complaints to External Entities
A. Before filing a complaint with an external entity, a Student or Student Group is encouraged to attempt to resolve the matter in accordance with the applicable College policy, procedure, or practice.
B. A complaint filed with an external entity will be investigated and resolved in accordance with the applicable external entity’s procedures and/or State or Federal laws and regulations.
C. If a Student or Student Group is unable to resolve an issue through the College’s policies, procedures, or practices, the following external entities may accept student complaints, depending on the type of complaint:
1. A complaint concerning compliance with the standards of accreditation shall be submitted to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education using the Middle States Complaint Portal or to the applicable programmatic accreditor for select College academic programs.
2. A complaint concerning alleged violations of the Education Article of the Maryland Code or Title 13B of COMAR may be submitted to MHEC by using MHEC’s Student Complaint One-Stop Portal.
a. MHEC’s complaint process is described on its Student Complaint Process Webpage.
b. MHEC serves as Maryland’s State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement portal agency.
i. A complaint concerning online courses taken by out-of-state students (with the exception of California) may be submitted to MHEC and can be filed in accordance with the Student Complaint Process Webpage.
ii. Out-of-state students may also file a complaint with the appropriate State’s complaint agency; however, please note that these State agencies will forward the complaint to MHEC to handle.
c. Students residing in California may submit complaints to the California Department of Consumer Affairs using an online form or at:
California Department of Consumer Affairs
Consumer Information Center
1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N-112
Sacramento, California 95834
Telephone: (833) 942-1120
Email: dca@dca.ca.gov
3. A complaint pertaining to occupational or professional licensure requirements may be submitted to the appropriate licensing board or entity. The student may obtain contact information from the Professional Licensure webpage.
4. A complaint pertaining to potential violations of consumer protection may be submitted to:
Consumer Protection Division
Office of the Attorney General
200 Saint Paul Place
Baltimore, MD 21202
Telephone: (410) 528-8662
5. A complaint concerning discrimination may be submitted to:
Office for Civil Rights, Philadelphia Office
1.S. Department of Education
100 Penn Square E., Suite 515
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3323
Telephone: (215) 656-8541
6. A complaint seeking discharge of federal student loans pursuant to the Borrower Defense Loan Discharge regulations may be submitted to the Department of Education using an Department of Education Borrower Defense Online Form.
Procedure Title: Student Complaints to External Entities Procedure
Policy Category: Student Affairs
Policy Owner: Vice President for Learner Support Services
Policy Administrator: Dean of Student Development
Contact Information: deanstudents@aacc.edu
Approval Date: July 29, 2024
Effective Date: October 11, 2024
History: Previously contain on a College webpage
Applies to: All Students and Employees
Related Policies:
Related Procedures:
Forms/Guidelines: N/A
Relevant Laws: