SDSU Imperial Valley

Becoming a student at SDSU-IV also means becoming a member of a special community that includes students, faculty, staff, and administrators. As a member of this community, students are responsible for knowing and complying with established rules and regulations.

The ombudsmen are independent and impartial agents who help individuals and groups seeking the resolution and correction of complaints. The ombudsmen act as liaisons between students and the university, assisting students through formal grievance procedures and functioning to mediate and reinforce other means of redress when possible. This office does not supplant existing avenues of redress. It exists to encourage appropriate and timely access to those existing processes that may best resolve the problem.

Examples of student complaints that have been resolved through this process include disputes over grades, faculty or staff conduct, academic disputes, appeals or waivers, administrative policies, and institutional compliance with federal and state nondiscrimination laws. Should a complaint not be resolved at the referral level, the ombudsmen may act as mediators and suggest compromise solutions between parties. If the problem is still unresolved, the student may file a grievance with the student grievance committee. No student grievance can be filed with this committee later than the last day of the semester (excluding summer term) after the semester during which the student was allegedly aggrieved.

The Office of the Ombudsman is located on the San Diego campus in Student Services East, Room 1105; 619-594-6578. The Dean for Student Affairs represents the ombudsman’s office on the SDSU-IV Campus; telephone 760-768-5502.