Federal Aid & Required disclosures
REQUIRED DISCLOSURES
State Authorization and Complaint Process
Student Complaint Procedure
In order for institutions of higher education to participate in the federal student aid programs authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, an institution must be legally authorized to provide post-secondary educational programs within the state in which it is located. By rule promulgated by the U.S. Department of Education, part of this “state authorization” requirement is that the state must have “a process to review and appropriately act on complaints concerning the institution including enforcing applicable State laws ….” 34 C.F.R. § 600.9(a)(1). For its part, the institution must “provide students or prospective students with contact information for filing complaints with its accreditor and with its State approval or licensing entity and any other relevant State official or agency that would appropriately handle the student’s complaint.” Id. at § 668.43(b).
Union College promotes an open environment, rich in values and designed to protect the integrity of teaching and learning. In that spirit, the College believes many complaints can be resolved through open and honest dialog between the persons involved. In cases where that may not be possible, students may register a complaint or suggestion by utilizing a Student Concern Form on the My Union Portal.
In the event that a complaint cannot be resolved at the College level the following information is available:
To report an issue with a college or university operating in Kentucky, send an email or letter to the address below. You will need to include in your narrative:
- Name of student complainant
- Complainant current address
- Complainant address at time of attendance
- Complainant email address
- Complainant phone number
- Name of institution
- Address of institution
- Dates of attendance
- Date(s) of incident(s) related to the complaint
- Explanation of the steps taken to exhaust the institution's grievance process
- Description of problem and supportive documentation
- Desired resolution of the complaint
Complaint Form:
https://cpe.ky.gov/campuses/complaintform.html
Postal mail:
CPE Consumer Complaint
Council on Postsecondary Education
100 Airport Road, Second Floor
Frankfort, KY 40601
*In accordance with 13 KAR 4:010, a non-resident student attending a Kentucky college or university operating through the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) must first exhaust all internal procedures for complaint resolution offered by the college or university before filing a complaint. In addition, the incident giving rise to the complaint must have occurred within two years of filing.
Religious Non-Discrimination and Beneficiary Protections
Union Commonwealth University's Title III, Part A project, From Access to Outcomes: Advancing Retention and Career Pathways for Student Success, is supported by direct federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor. If you are a student served by Title III SIP grant funding, or may wish to be, you have the following protections. Union Commonwealth University may not discriminate against you on the basis of religion, a religious belief, a refusal to hold a religious belief, or a refusal to attend or participate in a religious practice. The University may not require you to attend or participate in any explicitly religious activities that it offers, and any participation in such activities must be purely voluntary. The University must separate in time or location any privately funded, explicitly religious activities from the activities supported by this federal funding. If you believe these protections have been violated, including by a denial of services or benefits, you may report the violation by contacting or filing a written complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor.
