Viridis Graduate Institute Resolution Process

Viridis Graduate Institute aims to provide instruction, student services, a sense of community, and open communication.  Should an issue be brought to our attention, Viridis Graduate Institute will take appropriate action to seek a resolution.

VGI policy requires that the student first make every effort to discuss and resolve the issue in question with the other party involved. If a student feels that they have been treated unfairly or unjustly by staff or faculty with regard to an academic process such as grading, testing, or assignments, the student must submit a written statement of the grievance to Dr. Lori Pye, President of Viridis Graduate Institute at [email protected].

The President will meet with the Grievance Committee and the student to find a satisfactory resolution to the issue. This Committee provides a hearing for the individual bringing the complaint, makes recommendations to remediate the complaint, and, if the individual still is not satisfied, the Committee will submit the grievance and recommendations to the Board of Trustees. The student’s grievance will be assessed within 30 days.

If a complaint cannot be resolved after exhausting Viridis Graduate Institute’s grievance procedure, the student may file a complaint with the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education (pursuant to Arizona Administrative Code Rule R4-39-403). The student must contact the State Board for further details: Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education: 1740 West Adams, Third Floor Phoenix, AZ 85007 Telephone: 602.542.5709 Website: https://ppse.az.gov/resources/complaint-forms

Viridis Graduate Institute is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC). Students may also file a grievance or complaint with the Distance Education Accrediting Commission through their Online Complaint System, which enables individuals to file a complaint directly from the DEAC website. The complaint form may be found at https://www.deac.org/Student-Center/Complaint-Process.aspx. All complaints should be submitted using this form. DEAC: 1101 17th Street, N.W., Suite 808, Washington, D.C. 20036, Phone: 202.234.5100. Website: www.deac.org.

SARA Complaint Resolution Process The Arizona SARA Council has jurisdiction over Arizona SARA-approved institutions including Viridis Graduate Institute in relation to non-instructional complaints. Instructional complaints, such as grade grievances, are not reviewed by the Council and should not be submitted for review. Prior to registering a non-instructional complaint with the Arizona SARA Council, the student/complainant must complete Viridis Graduate Institute’s and the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education’s complaint process, as listed above. Distance education students who have completed the internal institutional grievance process and the applicable state grievance process may appeal non-instructional complaints to the AZ SARA Council.

AZ SARA Complaint Eligibility

To file a complaint against an Arizona SARA Council-approved institution, you must meet the following requirements:

• File within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made.

• Complete the institutional complaint process prior to submission with the Council. • Complete the applicable state complaint process prior to submission with the Council: AZPPSE- Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education Complaints

• The complaint must be a formal assertion in writing that the terms of SARA, or of laws, standards or regulations incorporated by SARA, are being violated by a person, institution, state, agency or other organization or entity operating under the terms of SARA.

• You are a student of an Arizona SARA Council-approved institution. For additional information on the complaint process, please visit the AZ SARA complaint page:  https://azsara.arizona.edu/complaints.

Statement of Non-Discrimination

Viridis Graduate Institute does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, age, marital status, national or ethnic origin, veteran status, condition of disability, or any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, state or local laws in the admission of students or the administration of its educational policies or programs.

Student Privacy Rights

Viridis Graduate Institute honors the privacy of our students. In accordance with federal and state law, the university protects the confidentiality of education records and the rights of students to inspect and review these records. Specific student transcript information is not available for general statistical purposes. Information that the university collects may be released only upon written request by the student. Viridis Graduate Institute does not sell or rent any personal data to any third parties. Federal law allows students to access their educational records and limits the ability of others to access those records. The law is called the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or “FERPA.” Arizona has incorporated FERPA in its statute, A.R.S. § 15-141, governing the right to review educational records.

Educational Records

FERPA applies to all records that fall within its broad definition of “educational records.” Student educational records at Viridis Graduate Institute include all records directly related to a student that are maintained by or for Viridis Graduate Institute. Records can be in any medium, including handwritten notes, paper files, e-mail, electronic files, video, or audio files. The records are not limited to those in “official” files and include records maintained in any Viridis Graduate Institute office or file. With limited exceptions, a student can see every educational record Viridis Graduate Institute has that is directly related to that student during normal business hours and when requested in advance.