Discipline and Grievance Board

Composition
Chair: OSA Director
Vice-Chair: DFDC Director
Members: Guidance Counselor
Faculty Association President
Non-Academic Personnel Association President
Supreme Student Government President
Supreme Student Government Adviser

Discipline and Grievance Procedure

The importance of confidentiality throughout the investigation process shall be emphasized at all
times to all members of the Board and to all involved parties to protect the privacy of all individuals
involved and to maintain the integrity of the Board.

All information relevant to the grievance or offense and all proceedings, from reporting to disciplinary
decision, shall be thoroughly documented by a designated secretary who is also a member of the
Board.

If person(s) involved in the grievance is/are within the same Faculty

1. Grievance Reporting
1.1. Identification of Grievance: Any student who has a grievance should report it to any
designated authority within the Faculty, such as an instructor, the chair, the program
coordinator, or the dean.
1.2. Grievance Forms: The complainant shall accomplish the Grievance form and submit it
together with relevant documents and evidences to the Office of the Dean.
2. Preliminary Review
2.1. Initial Assessment: The Faculty Discipline Council within the Faculty will conduct an
initial assessment to determine the severity and nature of the grievance.
2.2. Minor grievances or offenses are settled by the dean and the Faculty Discipline Council.
3. Informal Resolution
3.1. Informal Resolution: Informal resolution is encourage whenever possible. This may be
done through mediation or discussion between involved parties.
3.2. Minor Offenses: The Faculty Discipline Council can implement sanction for minor
offenses. Major offenses should always be referred to the Discipline and Grievance Board.
3.3. Decision Notification: A written notification signed by the dean shall be provided to all
parties involved, communicating the decision, rationale, and the form of informal resolution.
3.4. Cases that cannot be settled within the Faculty are referred to the Discipline and
Grievance Board. All relevant documents and evidences shall be forwarded to the Office of
the Student Affairs.
If person(s) involved is/are from another or multiple Faculty or Department
1. Grievance Reporting
1.1. Identification of Grievance: Any student who has a grievance should report it to the
Office of the Student Affairs or Office of the Guidance Counselor.
1.2. Grievance Forms: The complainant shall accomplish the Grievance form and submit it
together with relevant documents and evidences to the Office of the Student Affairs.
2. Preliminary Review
Initial Assessment: The Discipline and Grievance Board will conduct an initial assessment to
determine the severity and nature of the grievance.
3. Informal Resolution
3.1. Informal Resolution: Informal resolution is encourage whenever possible. This may be
done through mediation or discussion between involved parties.
3.2. Decision Notification: A written notification signed by the Chair of the Discipline and
Grievance Board shall be provided to all parties involved, communicating the decision,
rationale, and the form of informal resolution.
3.3. Major offenses or grievances will be subjected to formal investigation.
4. Formal Investigation
4.1. Deans Involvement: The dean(s) of the students involved shall join the Board.
4.2. During the period of investigation, the defendant or parties involved shall be under a
preventive suspension and can only be allowed within the campus during conferences
scheduled by the Discipline and Grievance Board.
4.3. Appointment of Investigator: The Chair of Board shall assign a member of the Board to
serve as the investigator who will conduct a fair and thorough investigation. The investigator
shall be responsible of collating evidences and conducting the interviews.
4.4. Notice to Involved Parties: A written notice signed by the Chair of the Board shall be sent
to all parties involved, outlining the nature of the grievance, the investigation process, and
their rights and responsibilities.
4.5. Defendant’s Statement: The defendant will be required to submit a statement of
admission or a counter statement with relevant supporting documents and/or evidences. The
statement shall be submitted to the Office of the Student Affairs within two working days
upon receipt of the notice for it to be admitted by the investigator. Late or non-submission of
statement without a valid reason shall be construed as admission to the offense.
4.6. Interviews: The designated investigator shall conduct the interviews with relevant parties.
Involved individuals shall be interviewed individually. Each may be accompanied by a
guardian or a legal counsel. Another member of the council shall sit only as a secretary to
document the interviews.
4.6 Attendance in Interviews: Non-appearance of a defendant in an interview, without a valid
reason, shall be construed as admission to the offense. Meanwhile, non-appearance of a
 complainant, without a valid reason, will invalidate the complaint, but it is the Board’s
prerogative to continue the investigation as they see fit.
5. Disciplinary Decision:
5.1. Review of Investigation Report: The investigator submits a comprehensive report to the
Board. The members of the Board shall convene to peruse the findings and shall recommend
an appropriate disciplinary action or sanction.
5.2 The Chair of the Board shall report to the Vice-President for Academic Affairs and the
Rector-President the findings and the recommended sanction.
5.3. Decision Notification: A written notification signed by the Chair of the Board shall be
provided to all parties involved, communicating the decision, rationale, and any resulting
disciplinary actions.
6. Appeal
6.1. Appeal Process: Any party involved may challenge the disciplinary decision based on
specified grounds.
6.2 The appellant shall submit a letter of appeal to the Office of the Student Affairs, stating
the nature and grounds of the appeal.
6.3. Appeals Committee: The Appeals Committee, separate from the initial investigation, will
review the appeal and make the final decisions. Members of this committee shall be
designated by the Vice-President for Academic Affairs.
6.4. Appeal Decision: The Appeals Committee shall write the decision notice signed by the
committee head and send it to the appellant a copy of the notice shall be provided to the
Office of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs and Office of the Student Affairs.
6.5. Timeline for Appeals: To be considered valid, any appeal shall be submitted to the Office
of the Student Affairs within two working days upon receipt of the Notice of Sanction. The
decision on the appeal shall be released within three working days upon receipt.
The diagram below illustrates the Discipline and Grievance Procedure. It is of utmost
importance that the cycle of grievance handling is thorough, fair, and time-bound.
If person(s) involved in the grievance is/are If person(s) involved is/are from another
within the same Faculty or multiple Faculty or Department

1. Grievance Reporting 1. Grievance Reporting

 

2. Preliminary Review 2. Preliminary Review

 

3. Informal Resolution 3. Informal Resolution

 
Transmittal of documents and evidences to the Grievance and
Discipline Board in case of Formal Investigation.  4. Formal Investigation

5. Disciplinary Decision

6. Appeal

Grievance and conflict resolution timeline

A grievance or conflict shall be resolved within a maximum of 12 working days. Any appeal after
the disciplinary decision shall be resolved within 2 working days after receipt of the appeal.
Grievance/Conflict within the Faculty Grievance/Conflict
Grievance reporting Grievance reporting
Day 1-3
Preliminary review Preliminary review
Day 4 Informal resolution Informal resolution
Day 5-10 Formal investigation
Day 11-12 Disciplinary action

Day 1-2 Appeal