Non-Discrimination and Grievance Reporting Forms and Policies

Non-Discrimination Policy, Reporting Forms and Related Policies

The College adheres to the principle of equal educational and employment opportunity without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, handicap or disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local law in the administration of its educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, and other College-administered programs and employment practices. Retaliation is also prohibited.

Inquiries regarding compliance with the policy regarding non-discrimination may be directed to Joshua Wilkin, Dean of Students, 215.965.4038 or jwilkin@moore.edu or Rachel Phillips, Director of Human Resources, 215.965.4025 or rphillips@moore.edu.

For more information and related policies, including our compliance with Title IX and the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, visit our Non-Discrimination Policy page.

Student Grievance Procedure

In an effort to encourage an atmosphere of cooperative living and responsible resolution of conflicts, the College urges all individuals who have disagreements with others first to attempt to resolve these difficulties directly with the person involved. However, recognizing that such resolution is not always possible, the College uses the following Student Grievance Procedure.

Step One: A student with a grievance (the grievant) against another student, a staff member or a faculty member should speak directly to that person, be it another student, a staff member or a faculty member. Should they need support before speaking with that person, they may seek that support from a) The Director of Residence Life and Housing, for a grievance against another student, or b) from the Dean of Students, in the event of a grievance against a staff or faculty member.

The Director of Residence Life and Housing or Dean of Students may help the grievant formulate that grievance in writing and devise concrete solutions for the grievance if the student so desires and the Director of Residence Life and Housing or Dean of Students sees this as a proper course of action. If the Dean of Students or the Director of Residence Life and Housing thinks that everyone’s interests would be best served if a third person were present rather than having the grievant speak alone with the person against whom she has a grievance, the Dean of Students or Director of Residence Life and Housing should recommend that the student bypass Step One and begin with Step Two. In such a case the appropriate support person listed in Step Two would be present for any conversations between the two parties.

Step Two: If the grievant does not believe that the grievance has been resolved after going through Step One, they may pursue their grievance as follows:

The grievant may return to the Director of Residence Life and Housing and ask for their direct intervention with the student against whom the grievance is lodged;
The grievant may speak to the staff member's immediate supervisor and ask for their support and intervention, if the grievance involves a staff person;
The grievant may speak to the faculty member's Chair and ask for their support and intervention, if the grievance involves a faculty member;
The grievant may speak with the Academic Dean and ask for support and intervention, if the grievance involves a department chair.

Step Three: If the grievance is still not resolved to the grievant’s satisfaction, they may take their grievance to:

The Dean of Students, if the grievance involves another student;
The manager responsible for the administrative unit to which the staff member belongs, if the grievance involves a staff m ember;
The Academic Dean, if the grievance involves a faculty member;
The President, if the grievance involves a chairperson.
The grievant may return to the Director of Residence Life and Housing and ask for their direct intervention with the student against whom the grievance is lodged;
The grievant may speak to the staff member's immediate supervisor and ask for their support and intervention, if the grievance involves a staff person;
The grievant may speak to the faculty member's Chair and ask for their support and intervention, if the grievance involves a faculty member;
The grievant may speak with the Academic Dean and ask for support and intervention, if the grievance involves a department chair.

If the grievance is against a student and the Director of Residence Life and Housing has been consulted, they may choose, in consultation with the Dean of Students, to send the grievance to either the College or the Student Conduct Committee, if the Dean of Students deems that either of those committees is an appropriate hearing body for a formal grievance. If the grievance does not fall under the aegis of either Conduct committee and the grievant takes the grievance to Step Three, they must submit to the Dean of Students in writing a statement of the nature of the grievance, specific actions or behaviors on which the grievance is based, the solution sought and the handling of the grievance to date. The Dean of Students will attempt to resolve the grievance within ten (10) working days. The Dean will respond in writing to the grievant. The Dean of Student’s decision as to whether or not the grievance has merit and what corrective actions should be taken, if any, is final.

If the grievance involves faculty or staff members and reaches Step Three, the grievant must submit in writing a statement of the nature of the grievance, specific actions or behaviors on which the grievance is based, the solution sought and the handling of the grievance to date. The administrator involved at Step Three will then pursue the grievance through the assessment channels that currently exist for the employee against whom the grievance has been lodged. For faculty these channels may involve peer evaluation or evaluation by the department chair or by the Academic Dean. In the case of staff, these channels may involve evaluation by the appropriate supervisor and include the possibility of both oral and written reviews. In the case of either faculty or staff, if disciplinary procedures are deemed appropriate, the Academic Dean and/or the Management Group administrator to whom a staff member reports shall initiate disciplinary action in accordance with the procedures outlined in the Faculty Handbook and Staff Handbook respectively.

At any level, should the grievant believe that the upper-level administrator who is their designated contact person for filing their grievance has a conflict of interest and cannot handle the grievance fairly, they may take their grievance to the President. If it should happen that the grievance is against a Management Group member, that grievance also will be taken directly to the President. In both cases, the President’s decision as to whether or not the grievance has merit and what corrective action, if any, should be taken is final.