Student Complaints
Virginia Tech has adequate policies and procedures in place to address and resolve student complaints. Most student complaints are handled by the university official most directly related to the area of complaint as noted in the University Policies for Student Life (UPSL) which can be found in the Hokie Handbook (page 54.)
Detailed policies and procedures exist in three key areas to address student complaints. Those areas of complaint are, academic complaints and appeals; student life and conduct; and harassment, discrimination, abuse, and violence.
Academic Complaints and Appeals
Policies and procedures to address grading appeals, honor code violations, improper evaluation, and unfair treatment can be found online in the guides listed below.
- Undergraduate Course Catalog and Academic Policies
- Undergraduate Honor Code
- Graduate Catalog
- Graduate Honor Code
Each resource contains procedures for students to file complaints and for faculty or staff to address the complaints.
Student Life and Conduct
Policies and procedures to address student life and conduct complaints or appeals are located in the University Policies for Student Life (UPSL) which can be found in the Hokie Handbook (page 46). The Office of Student Conduct oversees the UPSL and serves as the primary contact for any student, faculty/staff member, or administrator with concerns about student conduct.
Harassment, discrimination, abuse, and violence
The Office for Equity and Inclusion (OEI) administers the university’s anti-discrimination and harassment prevention policy. The OEI provides information about harassment and discrimination prevention to all members of the university community and strongly encourages individuals to seek help when there are concerns about these issues.
The Women’s Center at Virginia Tech assists victims of relationship violence, sexual assault, stalking, and more. Students faced with one or more of those situations have three judicial options from which to choose: filing criminal charges, filing campus judicial charges, and filing a civil suit for monetary damages. Victims are not limited to just one of the three judicial options.
Assistance is also offered through the university’s Stop Abuse program. The program’s website offers formal reporting or anonymous reporting and also provides information about contacting the Virginia Tech Police for individuals who have been victims of crime.
SafeWatch was also established to provide an online means for identifying and reporting violations of university policies.
Additional policies and procedures
Policies and procedures for addressing Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) student complaints are located in the DVM Handbook which is provided to freshman students at orientation and posted on the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine intranet. The DVM program also has a student honor code that is also published in the DVM Handbook. Complaints from DVM students pertaining to academic issues in a course/clerkship may be addressed informally through discussion with the instructor, or the course/clerkship leader. Formal grade appeals are conducted through the same grade appeals procedure that applies to all other students at Virginia Tech.