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Complaint Procedures

Pepperdine University and the Caruso School of Law take very seriously complaints and concerns regarding the institution.

If a student has a complaint regarding the University or School of Law, the student may present a complaint or grievance according to the applicable policies and procedures found in this Student Handbook.

If the student believes that their complaint or grievance warrants further attention after exhausting the procedures set forth in this catalog, you may contact:

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) at http://www.wascsenior.org/comments if your complaint is about the institution's compliance
with academic program quality and accrediting standards. WASC is the academic accrediting body for Pepperdine University.

If the student believes that their complaint or grievance continues to warrant further consideration after exhausting the processes of either WASC or Pepperdine, the student may submit a complaint to the Attorney General of the State of California by filing a complaint form with the Public Inquiry Unit of the California State Department of Justice at: Public Inquiry Unit: 800-952-5225 (phone) or 916-323-5341 (fax).

The Attorney General's Office will review the process through which Pepperdine attempted to resolve your complaint. If the process complies with the University's written policies and procedures, the Attorney General's Office will, for the purposes of state oversight, consider the matter closed. If the Attorney General determines that the process through which the University attempted to resolve your complaint did not comply with the University's written policies and procedures, the Attorney General may request reconsideration by the University or the Caruso School of Law.

Nothing in this disclosure limits any right that the student may have to seek civil or criminal legal action to resolve his or her complaints.

Pepperdine University and the Caruso School of Law have provided this disclosure in compliance with the requirements of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, as regulated in CFR 34 ยงยง600.9 and 668.43(b).

Procedure for Student Complaints Concerning the Program of Legal Education

As an ABA-accredited law school, Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law follows the ABA Standards for Approval of Law Schools. The ABA Standards may be found at http://www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education/resources/standards.html. Any student at the law school who wishes to bring a formal complaint to the administration of the law school of a significant problem that directly implicates the school's program of legal education and its compliance with the ABA Standards should file a written complaint with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The written complaint must describe in detail the behavior, program, process, or other matter that is the subject of the complaint. It must also explain how the matter implicates the law school's program of legal education and its compliance with a specific, identified ABA Standard(s). The signed written statement must also include the student's contact information: name, official law school email address, phone number and mailing address. The signed, dated statement may be delivered as a hard copy, or may be scanned and delivered via email.

Once a written complaint is submitted, the Law School will respond to the student as soon as possible, but no later than twenty (20) business days after the signed, written statement is received by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The student will be advised, either orally or in writing, of any course of action that is being taken by the Law School in response to the complaint, or, in the alternative, the reason that the Law School has concluded that the concern is already adequately addressed or unfounded. Within twenty (20) business days of issuance of the Law School's response to the student, the student may appeal that decision to the Dean of the Law School.
The decision of the Dean shall be final.

The Law School will maintain a written record of the complaint and how it was addressed in the Office of the Dean until the subsequent re-accreditation review by the ABA. Such reviews occur every seven years.

This policy is not applicable to situations where another policy applies, including, but not limited to, sexual harassment, technology regulation requirements, Honor Code violations, and the discipline of a student by the administration.