Communicating Program Concerns

The "Program Integrity Rule" amendment of Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 2011 requires that colleges and universities have complaints systems that allow students to address violations of consumer protection laws regarding fraud and false advertising, state laws regulating the licensure of post-secondary institutions, and complaints regarding educational quality and/or standards for accreditation.

The process outlined here helps Wabash College follow federal and state guidelines and our own Mission and Core Values by ensuring that information regarding concerns with our academic program are correctly routed, addressed in a timely fashion, and tracked so that we may gather information and improve our policies and procedures.

It is Wabash’s policy that when there are program or course concerns, students should first communicate directly with personnel in the appropriate department. Please first consult with the relevant faculty person, followed by the department chair if necessary. Wabash strives to meet the needs of its students, and concerns often can be resolved through informal means. For concerns in academic affairs that are not otherwise resolved, please contact:

Additional Information Concerning Distance Education Courses

Wabash College is a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA), an organization overseeing voluntary agreements among member states, territories, and districts to streamline regulations for institutions offering interstate distance education programs. Students in distance education courses at Wabash who reside in states other than Indiana may file a complaint with the Indiana Commission for Higher Education after having completed Wabash’s complaint process.

Student Complaint Information - Indiana SARA Portal Agency
Phone: 317-464-4400

A complaint is defined as a formal assertion in writing that a person, institution, state, agency, or other organization or entity operating under the provisions of the SARA Policy Manual has violated the policies set forth in the SARA Policy Manual or of laws, standards or regulations incorporated in the SARA Policy Manual. Only those complaints resulting from distance education courses, activities, and operations provided by SARA-participating institutions to students in other SARA states come under the coverage of SARA. Complaints about a SARA institution’s in-state operations are to be resolved under the state’s normal provisions, not those of SARA.

Complaints against an institution operating under SARA policies go first through the institution’s own procedures for resolution of grievances. Allegations of criminal offenses or alleged violations of a state’s general-purpose laws may be made directly to the relevant state agencies.

If a student bringing a complaint is not satisfied with the outcome of the institutional process for handling complaints, the complaint (except for complaints about grades or student conduct violations) may be appealed, within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made, to the SARA Portal Entity in the home state of the institution against which the complaint has been lodged.

Examples of issues that may arise in regard to alleged fraudulent activity, violations of SARA policies, or more general complaints about improper activities include, but are not limited to:

1. Veracity of recruitment and marketing materials;
2. Accuracy of job placement data;
3. Accuracy of information about tuition, fees, and financial aid;
4. Complete and accurate admission requirements for courses and programs;
5. Accuracy of information about the institution’s accreditation and/or any programmatic/specialized accreditation held by the institution’s programs;
6. Accuracy of information about whether course work meets any relevant Professional Licensing requirements or the requirements of specialized Accrediting Agencies;
7. Accuracy of information about whether the institution’s course work will transfer to other institutions; and
8. Operation of distance education programs consistent with practices expected by institutional accreditors (and, if applicable, programmatic/specialized accreditors) and/or the C-RAC Guidelines for distance education.

All students may also file a complaint with their respective state’s consumer protection office.
State Consumer Protection Offices.

Please note that this form is intended for use in expressing concerns specifically about academic program administration at Wabash College. For matters of general behavior, bias, or sexual misconduct, you are urged to visit Wabash's Student Resources page and use the appropriate submission form for those concerns.