Complaint Procedures
Informal Procedures
The District strongly encourages
students and staff who believe they
are being harassed to file a complaint
in a timely manner. Since failure
to report harassment impedes the District’s ability to stop the behavior,
the District strongly encourages that
such complaints be made within
30 days of the alleged incident. Any
complaint not involving employment
may be made orally or in writing
within one year of the date of the
alleged discrimination or harassment.
The District has established “designated
officers” who are charged with
receiving complaints and coordinating
their investigation. The designated
officer will explain the rights and
options available to the individual
bringing charges of unlawful discrimination
or harassment. If there is a
simple misunderstanding or the individual
does not wish to file a formal
complaint, the individual may elect to
pursue an informal resolution process.
The informal process is not a prerequisite
for filing a formal complaint.
An individual who feels she/he has
been subjected to sexual assault
may file a complaint with the police
department in addition to any
other complaint.
Individuals who believe they have
been subjected to unlawful discrimination,
including harassment, may
report complaints to the designated
officer for Irvine Valley College:
Vice President for Student Services
Irvine Valley College
5500 Irvine Center Drive
Irvine, California 92618
949-451-5214
Formal Procedures
If an informal process does not resolve
the matter and/or the complainant
wishes to pursue formal charges,
he or she may elect to follow formal
complaint procedures. The informal
process may not be appropriate for
complaints of sexual assault. Formal
complaints of unlawful discrimination
or harassment must be filed in
writing on a form prescribed by the
State Chancellor. Approved complaint
forms are available from any one of the
following sources:
The Office of the Vice President for
Student Services
Irvine Valley College
5500 Irvine Center Drive
Irvine, California 92618
949-451-5214
The Office of the Director of
Human Resources
South Orange County Community
College District
28000 Marguerite Parkway
Mission Viejo, California 92692
949-582-4348 or 949-582-4850
SOCCCD website:
Unlawful Discrimination Complaint Form
State Chancellor of the California
Community Colleges website:
http://californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/ComplaintsForm.aspx
Upon receiving a formal written
complaint, the District will determine
whether the complaint has met
the necessary requirements, which
include but are not limited to whether
it was filed in a timely manner, on
an appropriate form, and whether
it alleges unlawful discrimination as
stipulated in Title 5, section 59300.
The District will investigate properly
filed complaints according to
procedures prescribed in Board
policy. The District will complete
its investigation within 90 days of
receiving the complaint and report
its administrative determination.
The District must provide written
notice to both the complainant and
the State Chancellor of whether
there is probable cause to sustain
the charges raised in the complaint;
a description of the action taken, if
any, to prevent similar problems from
occurring in the future; the proposed
resolution of the complaint; and the
complainant’s right to appeal to the
District and the State Chancellor.
Further Information
For more comprehensive information
about discrimination and harassment,
students are encouraged to read the
Harassment Policy and Complaint
Procedure brochure, available in the
Office of Student Services, Room
A 110, at Irvine Valley College. The
brochure is also available for downloading
from the SOCCCD website: here.
Students may also refer to
Administrative Regulation
4000.5 for more information
regarding filing a complaint and investigation procedures.