Human Resources

These procedures shall be used for complaints related to the College’s discrimination and harassment policies.  The process shall not be used for contract grievances or personnel matters which do not involve alleged acts of discrimination or harassment.

In addition to filing a complaint with the College, a complainant may file with any of the state or Federal agencies with authority in monitoring compliance:  Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Office of Civil Rights, the State Department of Education, the Bureau of Labor and Industry.

Orderly and Timely Process

The intent of the procedure described below is to provide an orderly and timely resolution of discrimination and harassment complaints, and to provide full opportunity for internal consideration of problems and potential remedies.  Complaints must be submitted within one year of the date when the complainant knew of the alleged discrimination.

General Information

1. The following procedure is to be used by an applicant, employee, student, or potential student who alleges discriminatory actions by a college employee or student against the complainant in violation of the College’s Non-discrimination Policy or Sexual Harassment Policy.

2. Confidentiality:  The confidentiality of the parties involved in a complaint will be observed, provided it does not interfere with the institution’s ability to investigate or take corrective action.

3. Retaliation:   The institution is committed to protecting any person who, in good faith, reports sexual harassment or discrimination.  Retaliation is a serious violation and shall be investigated independently of whether a charge or complaint of harassment or discrimination is substantiated.

4. Retention of Information: All records of complaints and the disposition of the complaints will be retained permanently by the AA Office.

Procedural Steps

Step 1.     Informal Resolution

If complaints are not resolved informally between the parties or through informal discussions between the Affirmative Action Officer and the person who has allegedly discriminated/harassed, the complainant is encouraged to contact the Affirmative Action Officer. The Affirmative Action Officer shall pursue an informal resolution. One of the goals of the informal resolution process is to encourage and foster settlements rather than contested hearings. The President will be notified of the complaint and its outcome.  If an acceptable resolution is reached, the complaint will be considered resolved and the complainant may be asked to sign a written agreement as to the resolution.

Step 2.   Formal Complaint

If the complainant is not satisfied with the results from the informal resolution (Step 1), a written complaint using the Clatsop Community College Complaint Form, will be filed with the Affirmative Action Officer within 15 working days of the conclusion of the informal resolution step.  The written complaint shall contain specific details covering the incident and the desired remedy. Forms are available in the Offices of the Affirmative Action Officer, Student Services, Human Resources, Learning Resource Center, MERTS, and South County Center. Copies of the complaint will be forwarded to the College President. 

Upon receipt of the complaint, the AA Officer will:

1. Advise the complainant and alleged offender of the complaint and the procedure for resolving complaints.
2. Investigate the complaint including interviews of the parties involved and witnesses within 20 working days of receipt of the complaint.
3. Attempt to resolve the complaint between the parties within 20 working days of receipt of the complaint.
4.   If the issue is resolved successfully, the complaint will be considered resolved and the complainant may be asked to sign a written agreement as to the resolution.  The AA Officer will notify the College President and the alleged offender that the complaint has been resolved.
5. If the issue is not resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant, the complainant may request, in writing, a hearing before the College President.

Step 3.  Hearing

The College President shall conduct an investigation and hearing.   The AA Officer will prepare a report of the investigation and activities related to the complaint, a copy of the written complaint, any written documentation collected during the Step 2 investigation, and submit this to the College President.

The AA Officer will schedule the hearing for the College President, permitting the complainant and alleged offender/s, or their representatives to present evidence or interpretation of incidents related to the alleged discrimination or sexual harassment.  The hearing should be conducted within 10 working days of the request for the hearing.

The hearing will not be open to the public.

The President shall announce a decision within 10 working days after the investigation and hearing. If additional time is needed to conduct a more extensive investigation, additional time may be allowed.  The President shall notify the alleged offender, the complainant, the appropriate supervisors, the Human Resource office, and the AA Officer in writing of the action or decision.

In the event that disciplinary action is warranted, the appropriate administrator or supervisor will follow normal personnel or student discipline procedures, under the direction of the AA Officer.         

Step 4:  Appeals

Complainants who are not satisfied with the President’s decision may appeal the decision in writing to the Clatsop Community College Board of Directors within 15 working days of notification of the President’s decision.  Written requests for an appeal should be addressed to the Chairperson of the Clatsop Community College Board of Directors and state the basis of the complaint and the reasons or policies which justify further review of the decision.  The respondent can request that the appeal hearing by the Board be in open session.  The Board shall act on the appeal within a reasonable period of time, but no longer than 30 working days.  The decision of the Board shall be final.

Complaints regarding personnel actions or student disciplinary action that result from the College President’s decision must be pursued through College discipline procedures.

Step 5:  Follow-up 
It is essential to verify that whatever action was taken did stop the discrimination or harassment and will prevent it from recurring in the future.  The AA Officer will contact the complainant by phone or mail within 60 calendar days to determine the effectiveness of the process and remedy. 

Formal Complaint Form (PDF)