University Grievance Procedure
It has been the long-established philosophy and practice of Trident that grievances be addressed in a non-adversarial climate. Students are encouraged to resolve concerns in an informal manner by first communicating with the appropriate administrative unit of Trident. The communication must be professional and clearly set forth the nature of the grievance. If the matter cannot be resolved informally between the student and the administrative unit, students have available to them a number of mechanisms, as set forth in this catalog, for seeking redress.
Internal Process
The formal Complaint Resolution System (CRS) is designed to provide rapid and definitive resolution of complaints. The complainant must indicate in the complaint that a serious effort was made to informally resolve the grievance. Upon receipt, the Trident staff are responsible for answering student inquiries and serving as a liaison between the student and the University departments where communication has broken down or is not yielding an amicable resolution.
Office of the Ombudsman
If the matter remains unresolved, an appeal may be submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman by contacting Ombudsman@trident.edu. The Ombudsman staff also provides students with information about University policies, regulations, and procedures. The Ombudsman for Trident is Brandie Riegle. Grievances may be submitted to Ombudsman@trident.edu. A student should refer to the “Agreement to Submit to Trident's Grievance Procedure" section of their Enrollment Agreement and Disclosure document for important terms and conditions regarding this Grievance Procedure and other rights.