For students, one thing can ruin an entire semester at Bakersfield College: bad teachers.

We all know what they are like, because we have all had them. What students don’t know, however, is how to complain.

What are students’ rights when it comes to bad teachers?

According to the BC 2002-04 student handbook, “Student complaints are taken seriously; therefore, the complaint must be of a compelling, substantive, and verifiable nature.”

The handbook then offers a three-level proceedure to follow if a student wants to make a complaint about grades, course content, access to classes, verbal or physical abuse by faculty, staff, or students and faculty members who refuse to meet with students.

A student should first attempt to resolve the issue by contacting the teacher involved.

If this does not work the student can contact the teacher’s immediate supervisor and submit an “Initial Student Complaint Form.” The supervisor will meet with the student as well as the teacher and attempt to resolve the problem.

If the complaint continues, it may move to the second level, which involves an administrator who will meet with all involved to resolve the complaint.

Following the conference, the administrator writes out his/her decision and the basis for it and informs all parties what was decided.

The student or teacher may challenge this by proceeding to a third level. For this to happen, the student or teacher must file a written appeal and a meeting is held with a vice president and all involved.

If the issue is resolved, all sign a written statement outlining the resolution. If it remains unresolved, a hearing panel is created.

Although some teachers can become annoying during the last few weeks of a semester, no student should file a complaint unless the problem is serious.

For more information on student complaints, refer to a copy of the student handbook, which is free to students in the ASBC office in Campus Center.