For the most part, college is supposed to be a positive experience, but sometimes that experience can be ruined by tainted teachers or staff.

If you are experiencing any form of harassment, exclusionary behavior or discrimination, here are the methods you can use to report inappropriate behavior and hopefully rectify the situation.

According to their website, Iowa State’s “primary goal is to prevent discrimination and harassment and stop such behavior if it occurs. To that end, Iowa State University has adopted informal and formal processes through which discrimination and harassment complaints can be resolved.”

Iowa State’s main method in accomplishing this goal is through the Office of Equal Opportunity or OEO.

To file a complaint, you must first go to the OEO located at 3410 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or through appointment.

Informal complaints can also be submitted by email to [email protected].

For all formal complaints with the OEO, an intake form, found on the OEO section of the Iowa State website, must be submitted as a written and signed complaint.

During and after the formal complaint process, professional staff members from the OEO will be available to talk to the complainant about the respective processes as well as answer any questions the complainant has.

“The formal investigation process may include, but is not limited to, interviews with the Complainant, the Respondent, and witnesses identified as having information relevant to the report made; the examination of written statements by the parties; and the examination of all other relevant documents and evidence,” according to the intake form.

For more information on the the complaint process and which avenue to take for conflict resolution, one of 15 trained OEO Information Advisors are available to help complainants through the process.

People can also file complaints to external agencies like the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil RIghts.