Complaint & Action Guidelines
The table below provides an overview of possible complaints and directs complainants to the appropriate recipient of the complaint.
Protected class status is given to groups of people to provide protection from discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, gender identity including transgender, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, age, disability or veteran status.
All CSU employees are mandated to report allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment to the Title IX Coordinator at equalopportunity@calpoly.edu or 805-756-6770.
| Nature of the Complaint | Who is Bringing the Complaint? | Who/What is the complaint about? | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, or Harassment based on any other protected class status | Anyone | Any member of Cal Poly community (student, staff, faculty, etc.) | Contact the Office of Equal Opportunity at equalopportunity@calpoly.edu or 805-756-6770 |
| Sexual Misconduct | Anyone | Any member of Cal Poly community (student, staff, faculty, etc.) | Contact the Office of Equal Opportunity at equalopportunity@calpoly.edu or 805-756-6770 |
| Intimidation/Threat to Safety | Anyone | Anyone | If an EMERGENCY DIAL 911; If a non-emergency contact the University Police Dispatcher at 805-756-2281 |
| Faculty behaves unprofessionally or inappropriately | Faculty, Staff Member, or Student | Faculty | Contact the appropriate Department Chair, then Dean. You may also contact Academic Personnel at 805-756-2844 |
| Child Abuse and Neglect | Anyone | Anyone | Contact Cal Poly Police at 805-756-2281 |
| Staff member behaves unprofessionally or inappropriately | Faculty, Staff Member, or Student | Staff Member | Consult with your supervisor. You also contact Human Resources at 805-756-2236 |
| A supervisor, department head, or administrator behaves unprofessionally or inappropriately | Faculty, Staff Member, or Student | Supervisor, Department Head, or Administrator | Contact the Dean, appropriate VP, Human Resources (756-2236) or Academic Personnel (756-2844) |
| Improper governmental activities or significant threats to health and safety. (Whistleblower Complaint) | Anyone | State Agency or Employee | Contact the Director of Equal Opportunity at 756-6770 or call the Whistleblower Hotline at 1-800-952-5665. |
| Violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement | Unit 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10: Staff Members | Alleged violation of union contract | Contact Human Resources at 756-2236 or the appropriate union representative |
| Violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement |
Unit 3: Faculty; or Unit 11: Academic Student Employees |
Alleged violation of union contract | Contact Academic Personnel at 756-2844 or the appropriate union representative |
| Stress, feeling unable to cope, family matters, education or legal assistance, money management, substance abuse & recovery, and various other interpersonal problems, etc. | Faculty, Staff, Administrator, and/or immediate family members of Faculty, Staff, and Administrators | Anyone/Variety of Issues | Visit LifeMatters by Empathia: mylifematters.com. In order to access all of the site's capabilities, users are required to use "CalPoly" (not case sensitive) as both the login & password. LifeMatters EAP can also be reached at 1-800-367-7474. |
| Stress, feeling unable to cope, interpersonal problems, etc. | Student | Anyone/Variety of Issues | Contact Counseling Services at 756-1211 |
| Requesting an ADA accommodation | Student | Faculty/Staff | Contact the Director of the Disability Resource Center at 756-5972 |
| Requesting an ADA accommodation | Faculty/Staff | Supervisor | Contact the Human Resources at 756-7477 |
| Misconduct in research | Student, Faculty, or Staff Member | Faculty | Contact the appropriate Department Chair or Dean |
| Faculty not holding office hours, misses classes without notice, etc. | Student | Faculty | Contact the appropriate Department Chair or Dean |
| Student contests a grade given based on alleged academic misconduct (such as cheating or plagiarism) | Student | Faculty | Contact the instructor and attempt to resolve the problem. If still unresolved contact the Dept. Chair, Assoc. Dean, then Dean. If all previous actions fail, contact Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities at 756-2794 |
| Student contests a grade (where there is no alleged academic misconduct) | Student | Faculty | Contact the instructor and attempt to resolve the problem. If still unresolved contact the Dept. Chair, Assoc. Dean, then Dean. If all previous actions fail, initiate an appeal by writing a letter to the Fairness Board (pdf) Chair. |
| Student needs assistance in resolving any university related concerns or complaints. | Student | Anyone | Contact Student Ombuds Services at 756-1380 |