Complaints Procedure

WHY is there a complaints procedure?

The AUCSA should be a safe and inclusive environment for all our members, which is why any undesirable conduct is not tolerated. Such conduct may include sexual and other forms of harassment, aggression and discrimination. It may happen that a member of the Association does not follow the rules, that you think the AUCSA Board is overstepping their authority or that someone’s behaviour at an AUCSA event is unacceptable. You might or might not be personally affected by it. It is vital for a healthy association to respect its members and therefore we have a procedure according to which we act when somebody breaks a rule. This complaints procedure gives all members a place to voice any complaints they might have. You can choose to do this anonymously and all complaints will be handled with the highest discretion by the Advisory Council, which functions as the independent body of the AUCSA.

IS THE COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE ANONYMOUS?

All complaints are handled with the highest discretion. To handle all complaints as properly you need to be available to provide extra details and of course to be notified of the result. The Advisory Council will not disclose your name or personal details if you wish to remain anonymous.

I BELIEVE SOMEONE VIOLATED THE STATUTES OR POLICY MANUAL, WHAT DO I DO?

If you believe someone is violating the Statues or Policy Manual you can file a complaint against this person. Below you can find the articles that are applicable to the complaints procedure. Please familiarise yourself with them. If you decide to lodge a complaint, please state why you are filing this complaint and what rule they broke. You can find the AUCSA Statutes and AUCSA Policy Manual here.

Article 25: Complaints Procedure

  1. The AUCSA Board is responsible to set up an accessible, clear, anonymous complaint procedure.
  2. Complaints can be filed about any member, committee, or regulation of the AUCSA.
  3. When a complaint concerns an AUCSA Board Member, the Advisory Council shall act as an independent body that acts accordingly to the complaint and mediates between the parties.
  4. All complaints and hearings will be processed with the maximum amount of discretion and are not public.

Article 26: Sanctions

  1. As a result of one or more complaints filed against an individual as mentioned in Article 4.4 and 4.5 of the Statutes, or should a violation of any of the herein defined rules be brought forth and after careful consideration of the transcripts of the investigations conducted, the AUCSA Board is entitled to issue the following sanctions:
    1. An official warning;
    2. A compensation demand: material loss or damage arising from misconduct will be compensated by the offender;
    3. A suspension: involves expulsion from some or all AUCSA facilities for a definite and predetermined period of time;
    4. Persona-non-grata of the AUCSA: the permanent cancellation of AUCSA membership, the person may be denied access to AUCSA facilities and events, denied the acquisition of goods and services provided or sold by the AUCSA, forthcoming membership rights such as a right to vote, run for office or be part of a Committee or Commission, as well as no eligibility to the refund of the membership fees;
  2. Following a sanction from the AUCSA, the AUCSA Board is entitled to recommend social probation to the management of the Amsterdam University College.
  3. The AUCSA Board shall inform the Student Life Officer of AUC about any incidents involving physical violence or any incident resulting in expulsion of a member. In all other matters regarding conflicts and sanctions, it is up to the discretion of the AUCSA Board to discuss those with parties of AUC.

Article 27: Appeals

  1. Appeals to AUCSA sanctions can be made by contacting the Advisory Council within 72 hours of the decision, which will set up an independent body to investigate the case.
  2. Appeals can be made in the following cases:
    1. Complaints dismissed by the AUCSA Board as envisioned in Article 4.5 of the Statutes;
    2. Termination of mediation;
    3. The imposition of a sanction;
    4. Dissatisfaction with the handling of the AUCSA Board Elections.
  3. In the case of expulsion, a term of one month shall apply to Article 26 of this Policy Manual.
  4. Upon receiving an appeal, the independent body shall:
    1. Confirm having received the appeal to all parties involved;
    2. Set a date for a hearing within one week of having received the appeal and;
    3. Reach a decision within two weeks of having received the appeal, unless in the case of exceptional circumstances.

Step by step procedure

  1. Read the Policy Manual and Statutes
  2. Find the clause that got violated
  3. Write down your complaint in an email. This must contain the following:
    1. Against who or what body are you filing the complaint?
    2. What clause got violated?
    3. What evidence do you have?
    4. When did the clause get violated?
    5. Do you wish to remain anonymous?
  4. Send this in an email to advisory@aucsa.nl.

When you file your complaint the Advisory Council will confirm that they have received your complaint within 7 days and they will inform you what their steps are going to be. If you have any questions about this procedure you can contact advisory@aucsa.nl.

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