A. REPORTING A COMPLAINT

Cleveland State University College of Law wishes to hear any student concerns about significant problems that directly implicate the law school’s program of legal education and its compliance with the Accreditation Standards of the American Bar Association (ABA). The ABA Accreditation Standards can be accessed here. Any student having such a concern should submit a complaint in writing to the Ombudsman of the Student Bar Association (SBA). The complaint should state the facts that form the basis for the complaint and how the matter implicates the law school’s program of legal education and its compliance with the ABA standards. The SBA shall submit the complaint to the Associate Dean of Administration no later than 10 business days after its date of submission by the complainant and shall notify the complainant of the submission. If the complainant has not received notification after 10 business days following submission of the complaint, the complainant may submit the complaint directly to the Associate Dean for Administration. Please see the SBA Complaint Policy which can be accessed below.

B. RESOLVING THE COMPLAINT

When a written complaint has been submitted to the Associate Dean of Administration in accordance with Section A, the Associate Dean for Administration shall investigate as soon as possible, but in no event later than 20 business days after the submission of the written complaint to the Associate Dean for Administration. The Associate Dean for Administration shall attempt to resolve the complaint, if possible, within the 20 business day period. If resolution is not possible, the Associate Dean for Administration may refer the matter to the appropriate administrator, administrative body, or an administrative official designated by the Dean (the “Dean’s designate”).

If referral of the complaint is made as referenced above, the administrator, administrative body or Dean’s designate shall attempt to resolve the complaint as soon as possible, but in no event later than 20 business days after referral by the Associate Dean for Administration. Upon completing the investigation of the complaint, the law school shall communicate its findings and, if appropriate, its intended actions to the complainant and the SBA.

C. APPEAL PROCESS

If the complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome or resolution, the complainant has the right to appeal the decision to the Dean of the law school. The complainant should submit his/her appeal in writing in a timely manner to the Dean of the law school, but in no case more than 10 business days after communication to the complainant of the findings of the investigation. The Dean’s decision shall be communicated to the complainant and the SBA within 20 business days of the submission of the appeal and the Dean’s decision shall be final.

D. MAINTAINING A WRITTEN RECORD OF THE COMPLAINT

The law school shall maintain a complete written record of each complaint submitted to the Association Dean for Administration which shall contain a statement of the facts and an explanation of how the complaint was investigated and resolved. This record shall be maintained by the law school in a confidential manner for 10 years from the date of final resolution of the complaint.

E. PROTECTION AGAINST RETALIATION

The law school prohibits retaliation by a faculty member, administrator, staff employee, or student against any student who makes a complaint under this Policy.

Last edited by Jacqueline on Fri, 11/18/2022 - 9:43am