GCR Complaints Procedure

GCR Complaints Procedure Constitutional Amendment

The GCR is currently lacking a formal complaints procedure to internally resolve any complaints about GCR operations/officers. The proposed amendment and by-law attached to this email seek to fill this gap by establishing clear procedures and clarifying when they are applicable. 

St Antony’s GCR- Constitutional Amendment
Constitution, Article 15

Article 15: Complaints
1. The GCR welcomes feedback regarding its services. Any person may contact the relevant GCR
Committee member(s) and/or the President (gcr-president@sant.ox.ac.uk), Chair (gcr-
chair@sant.ox.ac.uk), and/or Secretary (gcr-secretary@sant.ox.ac.uk).
2. Any GCR Member of Member of the College should primarily refer to the Complaints Procedure
(By-Laws Part VIII) to internally resolve complaints against the validity or propriety of anything done
by GCR Officials under this Constitution.
However, incidents of harassment or other serious offences should be directed straight to the Senior
Dean or Junior Deans. Further, the GCR Complaints Procedure shall not supersede the right of any
GCR Member or Member of the College to formally submit a complaint about the GCR’s services to
the College’s Head of Academic Office (head.academic@sant.ox.ac.uk) or a complaint about
misconduct involving GCR Committee members to the College’s Dean for Student Conduct
(dean@sant.ox.ac.uk). Such complainants should follow procedures specified in the College Policies
and Codes of Practice (https://www.sant.ox.ac.uk/internal-pages/current-students/student-
handbook/college-policies-and-codes-of-practice/).

St Antony’s GCR - Proposed By-Law
PART VIII: COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
Introduction
1. Members should read Article §15 of the GCR Constitution before triggering the Complaints
Procedure. Incidents of harassment or other serious offences should be directed straight to the
College’s Head of Academic Office or Dean for Student Conduct.
2. All details of the complaint will be kept strictly confidential between the involved parties. In
communications with the GCR, the complainant(s) and the complainee shall not be named,
unless the GCR Chair, the complainant and the complainee (informal resolution); or the
complaints panel (formal resolution) unanimously agree that this is necessary.
Making a Complaint
3. A complaint can be made by sending an email entitled “CONFIDENTIAL COMPLAINT” to
the GCR Chair including:
a. A full, clear description of the concerns and the circumstances of any dissatisfaction or
alleged impropriety.
b. The remedy sought (such as an informal settlement, recommendation of an alteration to the
GCR’s working practices, motion of censure or no confidence, annulment or recount of an election,
disqualification from election candidature or voting rights, and overturning an unconstitutional
motion).
Complaints Chair
4. The Complaints Chair, and general arbiter of the complaints process, will normally be the
GCR Chair.
5. A GCR member shall be considered unsuitable for the role of Complaints Chair should any of
the following disqualifying criteria apply. If they:
a. Are the complainant (unless this is the GCR Chair themselves putting an allegation of
electoral malpractice as part of their duty), or (one of) the GCR Officer(s) subject to the complaint
(hereafter referred to as the “complainee”);
b. Have a sufficiently cordial, hostile or otherwise proximate relationship with the complainant
or complainee such that neutrality is endangered;
c. Are presented with any conflict of interest in dealing with the complaint;
d. For any other reason feel they will be unable to maintain impartiality and neutrality.
6. If, upon reading the complaint, the GCR Chair is disqualified, they shall outline the complaint
to the Secretary unless they know them to be unsuitable (§5 of this By-Law). In this case, the
complaint shall be referred to the highest ranking officer in the presidential line of succession.
a. When the GCR Chair identifies an Officer who is not immediately disqualified, they shall
cede the role of Complaints Chair to them and forward the email, deleting their copy.
b. If upon reading the full complaint they find themselves disqualified, the new Complaints
Chair shall follow the same process until a suitable Complaints Chair is found.

Stage One: Informal Resolution
7. The Complaints Chair shall contact the complainee, inviting them to respond to the original
complaint. A dialogue mediated by the Complaints Chair may continue until the complaint is
informally resolved. Parties involved in this should work constructively to avoid unnecessary formal
proceedings.
8. Complaints move to formal resolution (Stage Two) where:
a. The Complaints Chair considers a complaint inappropriate for Stage One with
election/referenda related complaints always forming such a case.
b. The complainant provides reasons requesting Stage Two following dialogue.
Stage Two: Forming the Complaints Panel
9. Panels of three willing full members will be formed on a case-by-case basis and be expected
to consider all information fairly. Three willing reserve panel members should be nominated in case of
an appeal.
10. Within three days, the Complaints Chair will nominate any willing members that they do not
believe to be disqualified by §5 of this By-Law to form the Panel with the following priority:
a. Ex-Complaints Chairs and Panellists, ordered by experience.
b. Ex-GCR Chairs, ordered by tenure length.
c. Former Officers ordered by a sensible criterion.
d. Current Executive Officers (excluding the President).
e. Current Officers.
11. If a nominated Panellist believes that any of §5 of this By-Law applies to them after receiving
the full complaint copy, they should inform the Complaints Chair and be excused.
Stage Two: Formal Resolution
12. Once formed, the Panel should normally, unless in exceptional circumstances, reach a formal
resolution within one week.
13. The complainee shall have the right to a hearing (in-person or online) before the panel. They
shall also have the right to object to the appointment of a maximum of two members of the panel.
14. The Panel shall attempt to form a complete understanding including:
a. Accepting statements from the complainant, complainee and their responses to each other’s
statement.
b. Inviting relevant third parties to provide testimony.
c. Asking follow-up questions based on statements.
15. Once the Panel has considered all the facts, they must decide by simple majority whether the
complaint is wholly justified, partially justified, or unjustified.
16. If the complaint is wholly or partially justified, the Panel must consider an effective and
proportionate resolution, which need not be the remedy sought by the complainant.

17. The Complaints Chair will create an anonymised summary of the Panel’s decision (pending
appeal), forward it to the Secretary for reading at the next General Meeting and provide a more
detailed explanation of the Panel’s reasoning to the complainant and complainee.
18. The complainee should under no circumstances be threatened with unconditional remedies,
e.g. asked to resign from a position, before the panel has reached a final decision.
Stage Three: Appeal
20. The formal resolution of Stage Two shall be binding on the GCR. The complainee must be
made aware of their right to appeal the decision of the complaints panel on procedural or
constitutional grounds. All appeals must be made within 72 hours.
21. The three reserve panellists will be immediately forwarded all relevant documents and shall
come to a formal resolution on the appeal within 48 hours.
22. If the appeal is wholly or partially justified, the original decision may be overturned should
the appeal panellists decide that the formal resolution was unreasonable as a result. No further appeals
shall be heard.
Conclusion
25. If a motion of censure or no confidence remains as the formal resolution after any appeals
have been considered, the original Complaints Chair will bring it to the next General Meeting of the
GCR, seconded by the next most senior original panellist ordered by §10 of this By-Law.
26. The motion will respect the anonymity of the complainant and any other relevant parties but
will name the complainee. It shall provide a summary of the panel’s findings and reasons for
censure/no confidence.
27. All panellists will respect the decision of the panel and shall not seek to undermine any
outcome that it deems appropriate, including those mentioned under §20 of this Table.