Complaints Which Fall Outside The Realm of Due Process

Any stakeholder of the Elon University School of Health Sciences has the right to file a complaint and receive due process. Current students, prospective students, faculty, and staff should follow the established University policies available to these constituents. All other stakeholders, including, but not limited, to employers of graduates, clinical education sites, and the public, may file a complaint under this policy.  Complaints may be related to program policies, procedures, or other aspects of the program, including working with faculty and staff. The School of Health Sciences prohibits any form of retaliation against any party making a complaint against the school or program, its faculty, or its students.

Procedure

  • Complaints should be submitted in writing (mailed or emailed) and must be filed within one year from the event(s) in question. The written complaint must contain, at a minimum, the complainant’s name and signature, contact information, the date of submission, and a summary of the complaint. Anonymous complaints and phone calls will not be accepted.
  • A written complaint must be mailed or emailed to the appropriate Department chair/Program
    • Department of Physical Therapy Education: Dr. Charity Johansson, Interim Chair/Program Director and Professor of Physical Therapy Education
  • Complaints about the Program Director/ Department Chair should be mailed to:
    • School of Health Sciences: Dr. Maha Lund, Dean and Professor of Health Sciences
  • The department chair (or dean) or her/his designee will initially respond to the complainant within three weeks of receiving the complaint.  The department takes all program-related complaints seriously. If at all possible, the matter will be reconciled at this point.
  • If the complainant believes that additional review is necessary, the dean will review the complaint and address it. If further review is needed, then the last line of complaint is with the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
  • The complaint and documentation associated with the complaint will be kept in a locked file in the department chair’s office (or dean’s office for a complaint against the department chair chairperson) for 5 years.