Complaint Management Procedures/Mechanisms

The Director of the Programme convenes a meeting of the Student Affairs Committee to evaluate the submitted complaint form and take the necessary steps to investigate and resolve the issue. During this meeting, the concerned party may be invited for a hearing (in person or online) with the primary aim of gathering further information and details.

If the nature of the issue is complex or its resolution is not feasible, the Director may refer the case to the Coordinating Committee of the Programme, the Department Staff Assembly, or the appropriate administrative body of the University of Patras.

Within a reasonable time frame, depending on the nature of the issue and its urgency, the Programme student will be informed in writing about the outcome of their complaint. If the proposed solution is not satisfactory, the student may submit an appeal (request for reconsideration) to the Department Staff Assembly. The decision made by the Assembly will be final.

Requests with offensive content, as well as requests with inadequate or false contact information, will not be considered.

If false descriptions of events are found during the investigation of a complaint, the complaint will be deemed invalid and will not be further considered.

Complaints must be handled with transparency, objectivity, and respect for the dignity of all parties involved, with particular care taken to avoid conflicts of interest.

The involved Programme student has the right to withdraw at any stage of the process by submitting a relevant request to the Student Affairs Committee.

Issues related to gender discrimination must be immediately referred, after notification of the Director of the Programme by the Student Affairs Committee, to the Gender Equality Committee of the Institution (https://isotita.upatras.gr/).

Issues related to the protection of personal data must be immediately referred by the Committee to the Data Protection Officer of the Institution (https://dpo.upatras.gr/).

The MSc Programme “Applied Ecology and Environmental Management” fully adopts the horizontal guidelines for the implementation of the “Student Ombudsman” institution, as defined by the Institution (Article 61 of the Internal Operating Regulations, Government Gazette 5468/Issue B’/14.09.2023). MSc students have the right to appeal to the “Student Ombudsman” (https://synigorosfoititi.upatras.gr/), an institution aimed at mediating between students and, on the other hand, institutional bodies, faculty members, services, or staff of the University, when there is a difficult-to-resolve disagreement, a divergent approach leading to different assessments of the actions to be taken, or a complaint.