Academic Concerns, Grade Complaints, and Grievances

Academic Concerns and Complaints 

For class-related concerns or complaints, always start with your instructor. If your concern cannot be satisfactorily resolved with your instructor, you should follow the steps below to ensure that your concern receives the appropriate attention.

Step 1

Contact your instructor, inform him/her of your concern, request resolution that is satisfactory to you both.

Step 2

If step 1 interaction does not produce a satisfactory result, make an appointment to discuss your concern with the appropriate Dean.

Step 3

If step 2 contact does not resolve your concern, contact Mary O’Neil-Garrett, Vice President of Instruction (mogarrett@pencol.edu) who will address your concern and provide guidance as to the best way for you to pursue a satisfactory remedy.

Step 4

If all internal processes fail to satisfactorily address your concern and there is reason to believe that an external agency is likely to intervene, the following links provide contact information for departments of education in the state of Washington as well as each of the other fifty states and the regional accrediting association for colleges and universities in the Pacific Northwest.

External agencies by state
Northwest Commission on Colleges & Universities
Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board

State Contacts by Location