Guidelines for Students with Concerns or Issues
If you have concerns or issues with an instructor or class, please follow these basic guidelines:
- First, meet with your instructor during office hours to discuss the issue and to try to resolve
it. It is not productive to discuss the problem during class time or before or after
class, since you and the instructor may be in a hurry to get to another class or appointment.
Try also not to discuss the issue when you are mad or upset. Wait, cool down, and
think the problem through. Set up a specific time during the instructor’s office hours
to meet, so that you have their undivided attention to communicate your concerns.
With direct communication, most problems can be resolved independently with the instructor.
- If you cannot resolve the problem at the instructor level, you can contact the RWS
Department Chair, Professor Kathryn Valentine, via the RWS Office by email at [email protected] or via phone at 619-594-6515. The office will convey your concern to the chair, and
the chair will contact you in order to work with you and the instructor to resolve
the concern.
- If there is no resolution at the department level, you can also contact the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs in the College of Arts and Letters, Aileen Taylor, at (619) 594-5158 or [email protected]. Or you can contact the SDSU Ombudsman at (619) 594-6578 or [email protected].