Ursinus is committed to ensuring that all student concerns are addressed appropriately. Some of these are routine decisions. Examples include add/drop of a course, change of major, requirement waiver, student initiated major request, request to take an overload, etc. Many of these requests begin with forms available at the Registrar’s Office

Others fall into the category of complaints. Ursinus endeavors to handle the vast majority of these student complaints through informal means with the student resolving their complaint with the relevant staff or faculty member directly or through an appropriate third party. Beyond this, Ursinus has several formal processes categories of formal complaints:

Appeals of Decisions

An appeal of a college decision includes disciplinary/conduct, academic standing/status with the college, grade appeal, or financial aid. Processes for these appeals are outlined in the Student Handbook and Academic Policies section of the College Catalog.

Grievances

A student grievance alleges a violation of a documented policy or procedure of the college that influences the academic or co-curricular experience of the student. This may include a violation of a written policy or the misapplication or misinterpretation of a policy including but not limited to academic, student employment, and administrative actions. Grievances may be submitted by any Ursinus College student (full time, part time, degree or non-degree seeking) who is an active (registered for credits or on an approved leave of absence) student of the college.

To submit a student grievance, the grievance must be:

• Signed/complainant identified (not anonymous)
• The complaint must specify: (i) the nature, date and time of the alleged infraction or policy violation; (ii) identify the person(s) and\or office(s) alleged to be in violation of relevant policies and procedures
• Submitted via email to studentgrievance@ursinus.edu

Discrimination

Situations that relate to discrimination based on race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, creed, ancestry, veteran status, marital status, disability, or other classification protected by applicable law in the administration of any of its educational programs or activities or with respect to employment.

An overview of college policy in this area may be found on the Policy on Discriminatory Acts website.