Student Grievances

There are at Caltech a variety of routes, most of them informal, by which student complaints are brought to consideration and resolution. These routes normally depend on the nature of the complaint. In academic matters, for example, they begin with teacher-student conversations and extend to the Deans, the Division Chairmen, the Registrar, and various committees having faculty and student members. The Institute Human Relations Advisor acts as ombudsman for complaints involving interpersonal conflicts. Undergraduate housing matters relate primarily to the house government organizations, and to the Resident Associates and the Master of Student Houses. The Dean of Graduate Studies can be of assistance in graduate student matters. The Graduate Student Council and the Associated Students of Caltech may become responsibly involved in important complaints. Sometimes ad-hoc groups are formed to consider and make recommendations in particular areas.

The Human Relations Advisor and Vice-President for Student Affairs act as ombudsmen for student grievances and can often refer a student to the right part of the Caltech bureaucracy for prompt, informal resolution of a problem. If the student is dissatisfied with the results of the informal routes, then the formal Grievance Procedure, which requires convening a Grievance Committee, is invoked. The Grievance Procedure is intended to deal with complaints for which reasonable efforts by the available informal routes have not resolved the problem to your satisfaction.