VI. Complaint, Reporting, and Disciplinary Procedures

Complaints or incident reports that allege MIT students or student organizations have violated Institute policy should be directed to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (OSCCS), Room W20-507, osccs@mit.edu, 617-258-8423. If you are considering submitting a report or making a complaint against a student, we encourage you to meet with staff in the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards to raise your concerns.

Additionally, interpersonal difficulties with other students can be resolved by discussing the issue with your residential house team, department head, other appropriate venues or groups, including the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. Students may also bring concerns to the attention of an Ombudsperson.

It is the Institute’s policy that individuals will not be retaliated against for initiating an inquiry or complaint in good faith.

Anyone—including individual students, faculty members, and employees of the Institute—may file a report or bring a complaint against a student to the Committee on Discipline (COD). The COD reviews cases of academic offenses, violations of Institute regulations and standards, and other infractions alleged to have been committed by students.

A report or complaint against a student must be submitted in writing to OSCCS. The charge and its documentation are transmitted to the chair of the COD. After a review of the documentation, the chair will decide whether or not a hearing by the COD is warranted, and, if so, what the appropriate forum will be. The COD has the authority to impose any sanction it deems appropriate. Possible sanctions include placing a letter in a student’s disciplinary file, probation, suspension, and expulsion. Sanctions may also include educational and/or restorative components meant to address the wrongdoing and serve the larger community. Detailed procedures for resolving complaints alleging that a student has violated MIT policies are available from the COD Rules online and in print from the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards.

Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment

Students should submit complaints about any MIT community member who has engaged in behaviors covered by the Title IX of the Higher Education Act of 1972 with regard to grievances arising out of alleged discrimination on the basis of sex, and for disabled students alleging failure to comply with Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008 to the MIT Institute Discrimination and Harassment Response Office. A description of the complaint procedures for persons employed at MIT is included in Institute Policy 9.8: Complaint Resolution (Policies and Procedures) and on IDHR’s website.

Procedures for reporting Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment, including sexual misconduct, intimate partner violence, and stalking, are available on the Institute Discrimination and Harassment (IDHR) website.  Information about formal complaint processes can also be found on the IDHR website.