Students have the right to expect the College to uphold its policies and to administer them accurately and
equitably. If a student wishes to contest an academic or disciplinary decision, he may file an appeal or
grievance without fear of retaliation or recrimination.
Academic Appeals
Any student has the opportunity to contest matters that affect academic standing. If necessary, an Academic
Appeals Committee will review facts related to the case and make a final determination. An Academic Appeals
Committee may include a student representative, faculty, and/or academic administrators. The College Office maintains case records in the student’s file.
Disciplinary Appeals
Any student has the opportunity to appeal matters that affect student conduct violations. If necessary,
students may submit a written appeal to the Dean of Men or Dean of Women within two weeks of the disciplinary decision. The Appeal Committee is composed of student, faculty, and Student Life representatives. The
College Office maintains case records in the student’s file.
Grievances
It is the intent of the ministry to treat all students equitably according to established College policies.
Each student has the opportunity to file a grievance. Accordingly, this grievance procedure is designed to
inform appropriate people when problems develop so that due process is followed and satisfactory solutions can
be reached.
A grievance is defined as any situation or action personally affecting a student that was a result of a
violation, mishandling, or misapplication of any specific provision stated in policy, rule, statute, or
regulation of the College. Requests for reconsideration of decisions that affect a student’s status in
keeping with standing policies are not grievances and should be handled through the appeals process.
Grievances should be resolved at the lowest level possible. Most matters of student concern can be resolved
informally and would not result in a formal grievance being filed. A student is expected to first discuss the
problem with the direct supervisor of the given area and allow a reasonable opportunity for the problem to be
resolved. Having done that without satisfactory results, it would then be appropriate to proceed with the
grievance report procedure, if the student desires, without fear of retribution.
The student may obtain a Student Grievance Report from the PCC Care Office. The student will return the
form explaining the problem to the PCC Care Office within two weeks of the occurrence in question. Failure
by the student to comply with this time limit will constitute a waiver of the grievance. The committee will
meet with the student and a response will be given within two weeks of the grievance being submitted, with the
exception of winter and summer breaks. The PCC Care Office maintains all records regarding grievances.
Inquiries regarding compliance with accreditation policies and standards may be directed to TRACS [15935
Forest Road, Forest, VA 24551; Telephone: (434) 525-9539; email:
info@tracs.org].