Student Complaint Process

Formal Student Complaint Process

Lincoln Memorial University provides a number of avenues through which students can address grievances. Academic grievances are addressed through processes outlined on the catalogs page.

The Lincoln Memorial University Formal Student Complaint Process exists to ensure students have the right to address grievances related to non-academic issues. Students must first work through informal grievance appeal processes prior to initiating a Formal Student Complaint.

Students who wish to file a Formal Student Complaint related to a non-academic issue must complete and submit this Formal Student Complaint Form. 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. Is this related to an academic issue?
   1. If the answer is yes, then the student is routed to the appropriate process in an academic catalog.
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), (https://sacscoc.org/app/uploads/2020/01/ComplaintPolicy-1.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 (https://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 (https://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/working-for-tennessee/consumer/file-a-complaint.html).

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 Floo
  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.

Lexington, Kentucky Location

• To file a complaint against an institution licensed by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, submit this form: https://cpe.ky.gov/campuses/complaintform.html
• REF: 13 KAR 1:020 Section 13. Consumer Complaint Procedure. https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/013/001/020/
• A person with a complaint or grievance involving misrepresentation against a college licensed under this administrative regulation shall make a reasonable effort to resolve the complaint or grievance directly with the college. If a mutually satisfactory solution cannot be reached, the procedures established in this section shall be followed.
  1. (1) A person shall submit a written complaint to the president which contains evidence relevant to the complaint and documentation that a reasonable effort was made to resolve the complaint directly with the college.
  2. (2) The president shall require an institution to file a written response setting forth the relevant facts concerning the consumer complaint, including a statement on the current status of the complaint, and any resolution of the complaint.
  3. (3) The president shall review the facts as presented and may intervene to bring the matter to a satisfactory conclusion through facilitation, but the facilitation shall not include legal action on behalf of any party.

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 (https://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: CIEINFO@fldoe.org, Or Fax: 850-245-3238

Ewing, Virginia Location

• 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 (https://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 (https://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.