As the parent of a college student, I want to echo the advice already given. It is better if a student who experienced a problem first-hand tries to resolve it, but if for some reason they're unable to, then they shouldn't hesitate to ask others, like parents, for advice and help.

My son encountered a challenging situation with a teacher in his Freshman first semester, and was told that the "chain of command" should be to first involve his advisor and then the Assistant Provost, except the offending teacher happened to be his assigned advisor! My son apparently tried to contact the Assistant Provost for an appointment, but he didn't say what it was about, so his request was "pushed aside." I contacted the Assistant Provost's office as well as the President's Secretary, and indicated that the school does a good job recruiting students, but seems to ignore them after they've enrolled. When teachers/advisors fail in their role, it was not clear who to contact....That got their attention, and my son's situation has since been resolved, and he has a new advisor...

I'm "reading between the lines" but your situation sounds too serious to worry about "chain of command" reporting. It seems like a reason to go straight to the President's Office, but be sure you have all your facts clearly identified beforehand. Sites like www.ratemyprofessor.com can "alert" other potential students to avoid a particular instructor for whatever reason, but if it's as serious as you imply and he's found guilty of ethical misconduct, I hope the professor is removed from any teaching position.

Jimhgo: One of the questions here is are you a parent or a student?

If you're a student, you have choices: you can go to the school's ombudsman, the Dean of your own department or even university counsel.

If you're a parent of a student: you could get involved but I suggest that first you ask your student to try one of the above pathways. If they don't work, then you may contact (in writing) the President or Chancelor of the institution directly.

It's always better to help a student try and resolve these types of situations on their own first.

Hi Jimhgo,

GreatSchools is primarily a K-12 education resource for parents, but as the parent of a college student, I'd suggest you contact the university first. Perhaps you can go to the dean of the college, and speak to someone there.

I don't expect you to give away more information, but it's difficult to say where to go from there. If it's a private university, you might have to talk to a lawyer. If it's a public university, you could go to the state system that runs it, perhaps SUNY?

Good luck, and let us know how it works out.