Student Rights

Student Rights

California University of Management and Sciences (CALUMS) maintains fair and reasonable practices in all matters affecting students: the delivery of educational programs, provision of support services, and timely resolution of disciplinary matters, as well as the handling of grievances. In addition, the University endorses the basic principles of the code of ethics issued by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. Student understanding and cooperation are essential to the successful implementation of this legal structure.

FREEDOM OF ACCESS

California University of Management and Sciences is open to all qualified applicants according to its published admissions policies and standards. Upon matriculation, each student has access to all CALUMS services and facilities for which he or she is qualified. Access will be denied to persons who are not CALUMS students.

CLASSROOM RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES

Instructors are expected to encourage open discussion and inquiry. Students may take reasoned exception to information offered in any course and should make judgment on matters of informed opinion. Students’ views, political associations, and beliefs which are confided to instructors and advisors during the performance of their duties are confidential.

RIGHT TO APPEAL

The University has created and implemented procedures for appeals by students with the intent of assuring fairness and objectivity.

 Students have the right to appeal any academic policy or requirement if either of the following conditions are present:

• Extenuating circumstances make it impossible to comply with the policy or requirement
• An undue hardship would result from a strict application or interpretation of the policy or requirement.

 Please note, however, that extenuating circumstances must be beyond your control and that undue hardship must be a condition far more serious than simple inconvenience. Documentation will be required, and the timeliness of the appeal will be taken into consideration. If you appeal an academic policy or requirement, that appeal will be reviewed by the Academic Dean. The purpose of appeal procedures is to provide a system that will represent “fairness and the absence of arbitrariness”.The University makes every effort to ensure that the appeal procedures are clear to students and are not burdensome.

STUDENT RECORDS POLICY

Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, also known as the Buckley Amendment or FERPA, and California Education Code 67-100ff, all students have the right to inspect and review their official University records in accordance with provisions of the aforementioned act and within the University guidelines. Educational institutions shall not release educational records without the written consent of the student, subject to exceptions provided by law.

 Right to Access

With a few exceptions provided by law, students at CALUMS may see any of their educational records upon request. Access must be granted no later than 15 working days after written request. Students also have the right to challenge the contents of their educational records and to enter their viewpoints in the records under established procedures.

 Disclosure of Student Records

With several exceptions provided by law, the University cannot release information concerning students to third persons without the written consent of the student. Permission must be given by the student for information in their file to be used as reference checks for credit or employment evaluation by third parties and the student must file a declaration to this effect, which will be kept in the student’s file. The declaration can be all-inclusive or on a case-by-case access basis. (The provision of financial data to authorized agencies is not a violation of the Buckley Amendment). The student’s written consent is not required for the disclosure of grades, disciplinary action, or other information to parents of students who are dependents for federal tax purposes. Parents requesting information may generally be granted access upon submission of a signed statement to the University or other evidence of federal income tax dependency.

 At the discretion of CALUMS officials, the following directory information will be provided: student’s name, e-mail address, major field of study, dates of attendance, degrees, and awards received, and students participating in officially recognized activities. A student wishing to withhold this directory information must complete the Privacy Request Form at CALUMS’s Registrar’s Office. This must be done within the first ten working days of enrollment of a quarter. The privacy request will be valid for one calendar year.

 Inquiries regarding the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act should be directed to the Registrar.

Retention of Student Records Policy

Student records are kept for an indefinite period of time. Financial aid records are maintained according to the guidelines established by the funding source. Other files may be purged after a minimum of five (5) years.

RIGHT TO FILE A COMPLAINT POLICY

In case a student, the parent of a student or any other individual has a complaint that an official of the University is violating FERPA, and the complaint cannot be satisfactorily resolved within the University, that person has the right to file a complaint with the Department of Education by contacting:

Family Policy Compliance Office

 U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave., S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20202-5920   Phone

AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) POLICY

CALUMS is committed to complying with all the mandates provided in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Americans with Disabilities Act. Disabled students may make any request for reasonable accommodations to the Academic Dean. They are required to provide medical certification of their disability. In certain circumstances, early registration may be available for students with disabilities.

STUDENT GRIEVANCE POLICY

General Information

Students who feel aggrieved in their relationships with the University, its policies, its practices and procedures, or its faculty and staff should submit their grievance in writing to the Academic Dean, who will act upon it or direct it to the President of the University. A response will be made within five working days upon receipt of the written grievance.

Complaint Procedures

Some problems or disputes, such as sexual harassment and certain other incidents, because of their private and sensitive nature may be more appropriately handled through the complaint process. In these instances, a complaint may be filed with the Academic Dean, director, or the responsible administrator requesting an investigation into the alleged action(s).

 Step 1: The student consults with one or more of the above persons as appropriate and requests a resolution of the complaint.

Step 2: The investigator will, insofar as possible, maintain the confidentiality of the dispute, gather the necessary and relevant facts, inform the student of a decision, and report the result with the recommendation(s) for corrective action, if any, to the appropriate administrator.

Step 3: The investigator has no more than 30 days from the initiation of the complaint to render a decision unless it is not reasonable to conclude the investigation and render a report within 30 days due to extenuating, or unusual circumstances.

Step 4:  If the student is not satisfied with the proposed resolution, he/she may then initiate a formal grievance procedure.

 Formal Grievance Procedures

The following steps shall be taken in sequence by the student who initiates a formal grievance. Failure to comply with any of the steps or time limits without agreement of all parties to the dispute may result in the termination of the grievance or other appropriate action. A student has the right to withdraw his/her grievance at any stage of the proceedings causing the proceedings to terminate immediately.

 Copies of all correspondence shall be forwarded by the student and by the other party to the appropriate dean to be retained in a confidential file pending resolution of the grievance or further action by either party. If the allegations involve charges of discrimination or sexual harassment, copies of all correspondence must be forwarded to the Dean.

 For All Grievances Step 1

• The student shall give written notification to the person he/she alleges has aggrieved him/ her within an academic quarter. The time limit to file a formal grievance expires at the close of business of the last day of instruction of the quarter following the one in which the alleged incident occurred or of the time the student should have become aware of the alleged viola If the party cannot be contacted through reasonable efforts because he/she is no longer in residence or is on leave, an additional notification period of one quarter shall be provided.
• The notice of grievance must include specific allegation(s), date(s) of incident(s), and necessary details regarding the complaint.

The notice must also include the remedy requested.

• Within 30 days, the party against whom the grievance is filed must respond in writing to the student denying the allegations with accompanying explanations or:
  1. agreeing to grant the remedy(ies) requested in full,
  2. agreeing to grant the remedy(ies) requested in part with an explanation, or
  3. agreeing to negotiate an appropriate remedy with an explanation, stating suggested alternatives.
• In the event the party against whom the grievance is filed will be unavailable for more than one academic quarter, the student shall proceed to Step 2 provided they have complied with Section 2 of Step 1. Attach all grievance material from Step 1 to the Letter of Appeal in Step 2 and to all subsequent appeals (if any).

 Step 2

• Within 30 days of receipt of the response in Step 1 or, in the absence of a written response, after 30 days but not more than 45 days have elapsed, the student may in writing either accept or reject the proposed remedy and appeal the results of the grievance to the next level.
• In the event the party against whom the grievance is filed will be unavailable for more than one academic quarter, the student shall proceed to Step 3 provided they have complied with Section 2 of Step 1. Attach all grievance material from Step 1 to the Letter of Appeal in Step 2 and to all subsequent appeals (if any).

 Step 3

First Appeal Level

 A.Student V. Student

1. If the grievant is not satisfied with the results of Step 1 and 2, he/she can appeal the grievance to the StudentServices Advisor within 30 days of receiving the written notification from the other party or in the absence of a written response, after 30 days but not more than 45 days has elapsed.
2. The Student Services Advisor shall refer the grievance to a committee established at this level who will review the grievance. The committee may hold a hearing, if appropriate, and convey its recommendation to the Student Services Advisor.
   1. The Committee shall be appointed by the Student Services Advisor within 10 calendar days after receiving the written notice of grievance or notice of appeal.
   2. The committee shall forward its recommendations to the Student Services Advisor within 30 days of its appointment.
   3. The committee shall include one (1) student member with voting privileges.
   4. No member of the committee shall be a student, faculty, staff, or administrator from the same department or service area as the grievant or the person(s) against whom the grievance is filed.
3. The Student Services Advisor shall respond to the student in writing within 10 days of receiving the recommendation (s) of the committee. The response shall contain the Committee’s findings on the complaint, the action(s) to be taken, and the justification(s) for the action(s).

 B. Student V. Staff

1. Step 1 and 2 of the grievance procedure are to be followed. If the grievant is not satisfied with the results at this level, he/she can appeal to the Dean of Administra
2. Appeals must be in writing and made within 30 days of written notification from the other party or, in the absence of a written response, after 30 days but not more than 45 days had elapsed.
3. The Dean shall follow the procedures outlined in Step 3, A, 2 (a-d), and 3 above.

 C. Student V. Faculty

1. Steps 1 and 2 of the grievance procedure are to be followed, if the grievant is not satisfied with the results at this level, he/she can appeal to the Academic Dean.
2. The Dean shall promptly review all allegations and provide a written response to the student within 30 days of receiving the written notice. The response shall contain the findings on the complaint, action(s) to be taken, and the justification(s) for the action.
3. If the grievant is not satisfied with the results at Dean’s level, he/she can appeal to the President within 30 days of receiving the written response from the Dean or, in the absence of a written response, after 30 days but not more than 45 days has elapsed.
4. The President shall refer the grievance to a committee established at this level who will review the grievance. The committee may hold a hearing, if appropriate, and convey its recommendations to the President.
   1. The committee shall be appointed by the President within 10 calendar days after receiving the notice of grievance or appeal and shall include one (1) student member with voting privileges.
   2. The committee shall forward its recommendation to the President within 30 calendar days of its appointment.
5. The President shall respond to the student in writing within 10 days of receiving the recommendation(s) of the committee.

The response shall contain the Committee’s findings on the complaint, the action(s) to be taken, and the justification(s) for the action(s).

 D. Student V. Dean/Director and Staff V. Staff

1. Steps 1 and 2 of the grievance procedure are to be followed. If the grievant is not satisfied with the results at this level, he/she can appeal to the President within 30 days of receiving a written response from the dean/Director or, in the absence of a written response, 30 days but not more than 45 days have elapsed.
2. The President shall refer the grievance to a committee established at this level who will review the grievance. The committee may hold a hearing, if appropriate, and convey its recommendations to the President.
   1. The committee shall be appointed by the President within 10 calendar days after receiving the notice ofgrievance or appeal and shall include one (1) student member with voting privileges.
   2. The committee shall forward its recommendation to the President within 30 calendar days of its appointment.
3. The President shall respond to the student in writing within 10 days of receiving the recommendation(s) of the committee.

The response shall contain the Committee’s findings on the complaint, the action(s) to be taken, and the justification(s) for the action(s).

STUDENT EVALUATION PROCEDURE

Students at CALUMS are expected to evaluate each class in which they are enrolled to sustain a high quality of instruction. Student evaluations are conducted in person or online, toward the end of each quarter. The evaluation results are analyzed by the Academic Dean. Overall summaries of student evaluations are also provided to faculty.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY

California University of Management and Sciences strives to provide an environment in which the dignity and worth of the members of the school community are based on mutual respect. Sexual harassment and unacceptable behavior of employees and students will not be tolerated.

California University of Management and Sciences is committed to a work and academic environment that encourages excellence. This environment includes freedom from all forms of harassment for students, faculty, staff, and applicants who seek to join the school in any capacity. Sexual harassment violates the University’s policy as well as local, state, and federal laws.

It is a violation of University policy for anyone to retaliate against an employee, student, or applicant who makes a claim of sexual harassment.

Any person violating University policy on sexual harassment is subject to appropriate disciplinary action, such as reprimand, suspension, or termination of employment or enrollment. Disciplinary action imposed depends on the severity of the offense.

GENERAL DEFINITION OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Sexual harassment is an unwelcome sexual advance, requests for sexual favors, verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature directed towards a student, employee, or applicant seeking to join the California University of Management and Sciences. When an individual is in a position to influence the education, employment, or participation in a University activity of another person, even apparent consensual sexual relationships often constitute sexual harassment. Sexual harassment occurs when any of the following circumstances exist:

1. Submission to such conduct is made a term or condition, either explicitly or implicitly, of a person’s status in a program, academic decision, employment, or admission.
2. Submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as the basis for academic decisions or employment decisions.
3. Such conduct has the purpose or effect of “unreasonably interfering” with an employee’s work or student academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, coercive or offensive work or educational environment. For purposes of this policy, “unreasonable interfering” is defined as improper, unjustifiable behavior going beyond what is appropriate, warranted, or natural.

Sexual harassment is not limited to action by a supervisor but can include conduct by a co-worker and a student.