STUDENT GUIDE TO UNIVERSITY POLICIES

 

 

IV. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES AND SPECIAL PROBLEMS

 

  1. Statement of Policy

 

3.                  Categories of Grievances

 

b.   Grade complaints: a claim that an inappropriate grade has been assigned because of a faculty member’s bias or failure to follow an established standard for assigning a grade. The student must prove by clear and convincing evidence that an inappropriate grade was assigned because of a faculty member’s bias or failure to follow an established procedure for assigning a grade.  A grade complaint may not be based solely on a claim that a faculty member exercised allegedly erroneous academic judgment (i.e., a student may not complain that class standards are too high, reading is too heavy, the grade curve too low, and so on).

 

 

  1. Grievance Procedures

 

2.                  Grade Grievance and Other Related Academic Complaints

 

a.                  A student with a complaint should, where appropriate, first try to reach agreement with the faculty member. This concern will must be forwarded to the faculty member, in writing, within 10 business days of the end of the semester. Upon being notified of a student complaint, the faculty member must meet with the student to discuss the complaint within 10 business days.

 

 

h.         A student or faculty member who is not satisfied with the decision by the hearing panel may appeal to the Academic Appeals Committee of the Faculty Senate. This appeal must be submitted within 30 15 business days of the date on whcich which the hearing panel’s decision was sent. This Committee, on reviewing the case, may uphold the decision of the college committee without a hearing or decide the appeal should be heard.