Student Complaint Process

Program Specific Grievance Appeal Process

Lincoln Memorial University provides a number of avenues through which students can address grievances. Academic programs have developed their own Program Specific Grievance Appeal Processes to address a variety of student concerns. Students are encouraged to address their concerns through the appropriate program processes as quickly as possible. Students requiring assistance with these processes should refer to the appropriate program catalog or handbook or contact the LMU Dean of Students Office.

Program Specific Grievance Appeal Processes are outlined within the appropriate Academic Catalog: https://www.lmunet.edu/academics/catalogs

Non-programmatic appeal processes are outlined within the Student Handbook: https://www.lmunet.edu/student-life/handbooks

Formal Student Complaint Process

The Lincoln Memorial University Formal Student Complaint Process exists to ensure students have the right to appeal a decision rendered through the Program Specific Grievance Appeal Process outlined above. Students must first work through informal grievance appeal processes prior to initiating a Formal Student Complaint. The Formal Student Complaint Process examines evidence of procedural violations of university policy in arriving at decisions rendered through the Program Specific Grievance Appeal Process. The review is not one of situation-specific evidence but only focuses on the University's adherence to its stated policies and procedures.

Upon receiving a decision through the Program Specific Grievance Appeal Process, students have thirty (30) days to begin the Formal Student Complaint Process. Students who wish to file a Formal Student Complaint must complete and submit the Formal Student Complaint Form found here: LINK. The Office of Institutional Compliance receives, processes, and archives Formal Student Complaints. The Office of Institutional Compliance will review the information submitted and determine the following:

1. Has the student participated in the Program Specific Grievance Appeal Process?
   1. If the answer is no, then the student is routed to the Program Specific Grievance Appeal Process.
2. Has the Formal Student Complaint Form been submitted to the Office of Institutional Compliance within 30 days after the final decision is rendered at the Program Grievance Appeal Process level?
   1. If the answer is no, then the student will be notified that the Complaint was not timely filed. The Complaint will not be reviewed but will be maintained for documentation.
   2. If the complaint has been properly filed, then the complaint is forwarded to the LMU Committee on Formal Student Complaints. This committee reviews the complaint only to identify whether the applicable grievance process was followed. .
   3. After review, the Office of Institutional Compliance reports the committee's decision back to the Complainant.
   4. Decisions of the Committee on Formal Student Complaints are final.

Off Campus Authorities
All Locations

• Complaints relating to quality of education or accreditation requirements shall be referred to the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools (SACS), (http://www.sacscoc.org/pdf/081705/complaintpolicy.pdf);

Tennessee Locations

• Complaints related to the application of state laws or rules related to approval to operate or licensure of a particular professional program within a postsecondary institution shall be referred to the appropriate State Board (i.e., State Boards of Health, State Board of Education, and so on) within the Tennessee State Government and shall be reviewed and handled by that licensing board (http://www.tn.gov, and then search for the appropriate division);
• Complaints related to state consumer protection laws (e.g., laws related to fraud or false advertising) shall be referred to the Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs and shall be reviewed and handled by that Unit (http://www.tn.gov/consumer/).

Corbin, Kentucky Location

• Filing a Complaint with the Kentucky Commission on Proprietary Education

  To file a complaint with the Kentucky Commission on Proprietary Education, a complaint shall be in writing and shall be filed on Form PE-24 May 2022, Form to File a Complaint, accompanied, if applicable, by Form PE-25 May 2022, Authorization for Release of Student Records.

  The form(s) shall be mailed to the following address:

  Kentucky Commission on Proprietary Education

  500 Mero Street, 4^th Floor

  Frankfort, Kentucky 40601

  Existence of the Kentucky Student Protection Fund

  Pursuant to KRS 165A.450 All licensed schools, resident and non-resident, shall be required to contribute to a student protection fund. The fund shall be used to reimburse eligible Kentucky students, to pay off debts, including refunds to students enrolled or on leave of absence by not being enrolled for one (1) academic year or less from the school at the time of the closing, incurred due to the closing of a school, discontinuance of a program, loss of license, or loss of accreditation by a school or program.

  Process for Filing a Claim Against the Kentucky Student Protection Fund

  To file a claim against the Kentucky Student Protection Fund, each person filing must submit a signed and completed Form for Claims Against the Student Protection Fund, Form PE-38 and provide the requested information to the following address:

  Kentucky Commission on Proprietary Education

  500 Mero Street, 4^th Floor

  Frankfort, Kentucky 40601

  Forms may be located at https://kcpe.ky.gov/Pages/index.aspx.

Tampa, Florida Location

• Complaints related to the application of state laws or rules related to approval to operate or licensure of a particular professional program within a postsecondary institution shall be referred to the appropriate State Board (i.e., State Boards of Health, State Board of Education, and so on) within the Florida State Government and shall be reviewed and handled by that licensing board (http://floridasnursing.gov/licensing/, and then search for the appropriate division);
• For students attending programs in Florida, complaints related to state consumer protection laws (e.g., laws related to fraud or false advertising) shall be referred to the Florida Office of the Attorney General and shall be reviewed and handled by that Unit (https://www.myfloridalegal.com/how-to-contact-us/file-a-complaint).
• For students attending programs in Florida, who have a grievance that has not been resolved through other avenues, they can contact the Florida Department of Education- Commission on Independent Education either by sending a letter to: Commission for Independent Education 325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 1414, Tallahassee, FL. 32399-0400, Or by email: [email protected], Or Fax: 850-245-3238

• In accordance with § VAC 40-31-100 of the Virginia Administrative Code, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) is responsible for investigating all written and signed student complaints against postsecondary educational institutions operating in Virginia.  Students with a complaint that has exhausted all available grievance procedures at the LMU and are not satisfied with the resolution provide[d] by LMU should follow the procedures outlined at Student Complaints (schev.edu). The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, 1010 N. 14^th Street, 10^th Floor, James Monroe Building, Richmond VA 23219, 804-225-2600.

Complaint Resolution Policies and Procedures for Non-Tennessee Resident Students in State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement States, commonly known as SARA.

Student complaints relating to consumer protection laws that involve distance learning education offered under the terms and conditions of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), must first be filed with the institution to seek resolution.

Complainants not satisfied with the outcome of the Institution's internal process may appeal, within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made, to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (https://www.tn.gov/thec/bureaus/student-aid-and-compliance/postsecondary-state-authorization/request-for-complaint-review.html).

For purposes of this process, a complaint shall be defined as a formal assertion in writing that the terms of SARA or the laws, standards or regulations incorporated by the SARA Policies and Standards (http://www.nc-sara.org/content/sara-manual) have been violated by the institution operating under the terms of SARA.

For a list of SARA member States, please visit the NC-SARA website (http://nc-sara.org/sara-states-institutions). Students residing in non-SARA states should consult their respective State of residence for further instruction for filing a complaint.