Complaints

This policy is intended to encourage and enable employees and students who have good-faith serious concerns about any unethical, fraudulent, or illegal conduct within the university to report them. This policy is intended to complement and supplement existing university policies and procedures. As such, it does not affect any rights, responsibilities or procedures set forth in other university policies and procedures.

Nothing in this policy should be construed to limit any right that an employee or student may have to take civil or criminal legal action to resolve their complaints.

Reporting Financially Related Misconduct

Any individual who observes financial activities or other practices that the individual believes to be against university policy or the law should report these activities immediately to the Business Office. Alternatively, individuals may submit concerns to the Vice President for Finance and Business Affairs.

Reporting of Non-Financial Misconduct

Reports of non-financial misconduct should be reported to the head of the appropriate office or department. The department head will in turn provide a report of the complaint and its disposition to the Director of Human Resources.

Reporting of Sexual or Other Harassment

Employees or students who believe that they have been subjected to conduct of a discriminating or harassing nature are encouraged to promptly report the incident by filling out the on-line report form found here or they can report verbally or in writing to Human Resources, Campus Life or the Title IX Coordinator. Any report of sexual or other harassment received by a Fresno Pacific University employee will be forwarded to the Title IX Coordinator for evaluation. If one wishes to discuss a sexual or other harassment concern confidentially, the only outlets for this are the campus Chaplain , licensed professional counselors, such as On-Site counselors, and the campus nurse providing they are working within the scope of their position at FPU and their licensure or ordination.

Employees who observe sexual harassment are required to report the incident.

Reporting Misconduct by those Individuals Responsible for Carrying Out this Policy

If the alleged improper or illegal conduct is by an individual who is responsible for carrying out this policy, the incident should be reported as follows:

  • Information regarding the Business Office should be reported to the Vice President for Finance and Business Affairs.
  • Information regarding the Vice President for Finance and Business Affairs should be reported to the President.
  • Information regarding the President should be reported to the Vice President for Finance and Business Affairs.

Anonymous Reporting: See Something / Say Something

If you encounter a serious and sensitive issue that needs to be known and you are nervous about attaching your name to the complaint, you may submit your concern in a totally confidential, completely anonymous way. These concerns will go directly to the Executive Director of Human Resources for confidential investigation and resolution.(If the subject of concern is the Executive Director of Human Resources the concern will be routed to the Vice President for Finance and Business Affairs.)

Anonymous reports may be reported in either of the following ways:

Additional Reporting Options

If your complaint is associated with the institution’s compliance with academic program quality and accrediting standards, and if you believe that your complaint warrants further attention after you have exhausted all the steps at the institution, you may present your complaint to the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). WASC is the agency that accredited Fresno Pacific University’s academic programs.

Confidentiality

Individuals who report possible compliance issues in good-faith will be accorded confidentiality and/or anonymity to the extent possible under the law. The reporting individual’s identity may become known during the normal course of the investigation, and it may be necessary to notify a student’s parent/guardian and appropriate government officials as the circumstances warrant.

Investigation

In order to allow the university an opportunity to review alleged wrongful conduct in a fair and unbiased manner, individuals are encouraged to report in writing all disclosures of alleged wrongful action. If an employee is unwilling to put the information in writing, the university official who investigates the complaint will prepare a written summary of the disclosure and provide a copy to the reporting employee, who may edit the summary for accuracy and completeness.

The responsibility for investigating complaints is the responsibility of the Vice President of Finance and Business Affairs. In some cases, the Vice President of Finance and Business Affairs may delegate the investigation to others such as the Human Resources Director or Title IX Coordinator. The person responsible to investigate the complaint will be responsible to ensure that all investigations are carried out in a fair and unbiased manner, that those making complaints and/or reporting concerns are treated fairly, and that confidentiality is protected to the extent allowed by law.

Any employee who refuses to cooperate with an investigation will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

When allegations are verified or otherwise substantiated, appropriate corrective measures, remedial and/or disciplinary action will be taken.

Protection against retaliation

It is against the university’s policy to discriminate or retaliate against any person who has filed a good-faith complaint or has cooperated with an investigation. Retaliation is prohibited regardless of whether the matter reported is substantiated. Individuals who believe that they have been subject to retaliation may file a complaint using the procedures outlined above. Any employee or student who discriminates or retaliated against another employee or student as a result of the employee's or student's protected actions, as described in this policy, may be subject to corrective action, up to and including termination.

False Allegations of Wrongful Conduct

An individual who files a report or provides evidence that the individual knows to be false, or that the individual files or provides without a reasonable belief in the truth or accuracy of such information, will not be protected by this policy and may be subject to corrective action, up to and including termination.
 

California

An individual may contact the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education for review of a complaint.
The bureau may be contacted at: 
Address: 1747 N. Market Street, Suite 225, Sacramento, CA 95834
Telephone: (916) 574-8900
FAX: (916)263-1897
Website: http://www.bppe.ca.gov
 

Utah

Utah Division of Consumer Protection
160 East 300 South
SLC, UT 84114-6704
(801) 530-6601
Website: www.dcp.utah.gov
 

Maryland

Fresno Pacific University is registered with the Maryland Higher Education Commission to offer online education. Students that are residents of Maryland should direct complaints first with their professor, Program Director or School Dean. For more information, please view The Student Complaint Process for Maryland Residents.