Wesley Theological Seminary Grievance Policy & Complaint Process
A student who has a grievance about an academic matter shall consult first with the faculty member whose course is involved. If there is no satisfactory resolution, the student may ask the Dean to consult with the faculty member. The student may choose to be present at the Dean’s consultation with the faculty member.
The Dean shall inform the student about possible further appeal according to the following procedure:
1. Academic matters that are not resolved through the informal consultation of the Dean with the faculty member may be formally appealed by the student in writing a letter the Dean. Such an appeal must be made no later than six months after the incident giving rise to the grievance took place. For concerns related to grades, the appeal must be made no later than one semester after the posting of the disputed grade.
2. On receipt of the student’s letter of appeal the Dean shall appoint and convene an ad hoc committee to address the issue. The committee shall consist of one faculty member from the area of the course in which the grievance arose (if the subject area has more than one full time faculty member, if not it shall be a tenured faculty member), one faculty member from another area, and the Dean of Community Life. The Dean shall serve as a non-voting, advisory member of the committee.
3. The committee’s investigation and decision shall be completed no later than the end of the semester in which the letter of appeal was received.
4. The committee shall give written notification of its decision to both parties (the student bringing the appeal and the faculty member involved) and the Registrar. If the decision involves the change of a course grade, the Registrar shall change the course grade in accordance with the committee’s decision.
5. The filing of an academic appeal and its outcome will be noted in the student’s file and kept until graduation.
The greatest possible confidentiality shall be observed in the appeals process.
Student grievances with regard to non- academic matters are governed by the policies laid out in the Student Handbook. These include but are not limited to Wesley’s Commitment to Diversity policy and the grievance procedure contained therein and Wesley’s Title IV policy.
For complaints regarding Academics, Dean Works's contact information is as follows:
Dean Carla Works
Dean’s Office
Trott Building T-105-A
202-885-8667
deansoffice@wesleyseminary.edu
Institutional Oversight of Wesley’s Commitment to Diversity
To support Wesley’s commitment to diversity, a Diversity Committee was established by and is accountable to Wesley’s Board of Governors.
Procedures for Submitting and Investigating Grievances are outlined in the student handbook. All complaints should be directed to the Diversity Officer, contact information as follows:
Raedorah Stewart
Diversity Officer
202-885-5703
rcstewart@wesleyseminary.edu
Title IX Coordinator
Students and employees who have experienced sexual assault, domestic violence, or stalking should report incidents to the Seminary’s Title IX Coordinator. The contact information for the Title IX Coordinator is as follows:
Karen Santiago
Director of International Students
Title IX Coordinator
202-664-5683
ksantiago@wesleyseminary.edu
Financial Aid
Complaints regarding the Financial Aid Program should be directed to the following:
Twila Washington
Comptroller
Business Office T-103-C
202-885-8662
twashington@wesleyseminary.edu
Campus Conduct Hotline
Wesley also offers the Campus Conduct Hotline. This hotline satisfies the Sarbanes-Oxley mandate for ‘whistle blower’ process. It is a confidential, independent risk-management service that gives employees and students a simple and anonymous way to alert administrators of unsafe or unethical behavior before it spirals out of control.
Educational and Institutional Insurance Administrators, Inc.
866-943-5787
State Licensing Complaints
If students have exhausted the institution’s grievance policy with no resolution, they have the option and right to contact the Higher Education Licensure Commission (HELC).
District of Columbia
Education Licensure Commission
1050 First Street, 5th Floor NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-727-6436
Complaint procedures can be found here
https://helc.osse.dc.gov/topic/helcadmin/community-stakeholders/public-complaints
DC-SARA Complaint Procedures can be found here https://osse.dc.gov/service/state-authorization-reciprocity-agreement-sara
Accreditation Complaints
Wesley Theological Seminary is accredited by both the Association of Theological Schools the Commission on Accrediting, and by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The Middle States region includes the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. (267-284-5000)
Complaints Involving Member and Candidate Institutions
The Association of Theological Schools the Commission on Accrediting is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology which provides graduate schools of theology with accreditation. It is recognized by the Council for Higher Education and the US Department of Education as an accrediting body.
ATS Complaints
The Commission has an obligation to give responsible consideration to complaints that may be made against any accredited school. The Board of Commissioners maintains policies and procedures for reviewing and responding to complaints which can be found here (http://www.ats.edu/uploads/accrediting/documents/board-of-commissioners-policy-manual160609.pdf#pagemode=bookmarks).
The complaint must be filed in writing, together with substantial documentation, as appropriate for the circumstance.
The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
The Commission on Accrediting
10 Summit Park Drive
Pittsburgh PA 15275-1110
412-788-6505
