Policy for Complaints From Internal Stakeholders

Any internal stakeholder, including students, faculty, staff, or other employee may file a complaint about any aspect of the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program.

A complaint is a formal expression of dissatisfaction with the program or allegation against the program.

Complaints about the program are acknowledged upon receipt and are brought to the attention of the program director. The program director will note complaints, examine the nature of each complaint, and work with appropriate personnel to resolve the complaint. The program director will keep a record of all complaints, including the nature and disposition of each complaint.

The university mechanism for handling complaints about the program begins by addressing the complaint at the program level. If the complaint cannot be adequately addressed at the program level, it is transferred to the associate dean for academic affairs in the School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH). Consultation with the University Office of Legal Services may be necessary.

Following appropriate levels of review within the School of Medicine and Public Health, if the complaint is unresolved, it may be directed to the chancellor and finally to the Board of Regents, in accordance with Universities of Wisconsin Rules. Universities of Wisconsin Rules 6 and 13 specify the handling of complaints and grievances against faculty and academic staff members.

Universities of Wisconsin-level Complaint Procedures:

Universities of Wisconsin Regent Policies Section 14 policy referring to discrimination against students or employees:

The student mistreatment policy is implemented by the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. The purpose of this policy is to articulate the school’s zero-tolerance stance on the mistreatment of students, to delineate reporting procedures, to articulate the institutional response to reports of mistreatment, and to ensure that mistreatment reporters experience no retaliation.

Complaints are kept by the program director and copied to the senior associate dean of academic affairs. In the case of a student mistreatment complaint, School of Medicine and Public Health human resources would investigate and therefore a copy of the complaint would also be filed with HR.