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2021-2022 Catalog and Student Handbook

Academic Grievances

Marietta College is committed to the highest principles of academic and personal integrity and a sensitive regard for the rights of others. Essential to these rights are the individual responsibilities of faculty and students.

Faculty are responsible for clearly communicating their grading policies, testing procedures, and expectations of student performance at the beginning of each course, as described in the Faculty Manual. Students are responsible for following these policies and fulfilling those expectations. Although students have the right to their opinions about course content and delivery, they remain responsible for learning the content of the course.

Definitions for Academic Grievance

  1. Complaint: An informal claim made by a student that an instructor has carried out his or her responsibilities improperly.
  2. Grievance: A written allegation by a student that an instructor or other representative of the College has carried out his or her responsibilities improperly.
  3. Respondent: The instructor or other person identified by the affected student as causing or contributing to the complaint or grievance.
  4. Time Limit: The limit is defined as the semester following that in which the incident took place. The summer term does not count as a semester.

Procedures for Academic Grievances

A student should not assume that petitioning a complaint or grievance means that the petition will be granted. The student should continue to attend classes and fulfill the requirements of the course in which the student is currently enrolled.

An aggrieved student should follow the following procedures:

Step 1

It is recommended that a student consult with his or her academic advisor before and while initiating a complaint or grievance. In cases where the academic advisor is the subject of the complaint or grievance, the student should consult the Provost.

  1. The student should discuss the problem with the respondent.
  2. If a problem is not mutually resolved, the student should speak with the immediate supervisor (usually the department chair) of the respondent. If the respondent is a supervisor of the department chair, the student should speak with the Provost or the person to whom the Provost has delegated this responsibility, hereafter referred to as the Provost’s designate.

Step 2

  1. If the complaint is not satisfactorily resolved in Step 1, the student has the right to file a grievance with the Provost or the Provost’s designate. This written allegation must describe the grievance, a summary of the circumstances surrounding it, the related evidence, and what has already been done in attempting to resolve it.
  2. The Provost or the Provost’s designate will convene a grievance committee and a hearing shall be scheduled within 15 days after receipt of the written grievance.
    1. The grievance committee will be composed of three members of the full-time teaching faculty, one chosen by the student, one chosen by the respondent, and one chosen by the Provost or the Provost’s designate. All three members selected for the committee will be based in the instructor’s academic division. In cases where the instructor is not represented by an academic division, the Provost or Provost’s designate will facilitate the selection process.
    2. The grievance committee will hear testimony from the student, the respondent, and whomever else it deems appropriate.
    3. The grievance committee will maintain confidentiality concerning any information presented in the hearing.
    4. There will be no legal counsel present in the hearing of the grievance committee.
    5. At the discretion of the Provost or the Provost’s designate, the committee will have access to all materials it feels is relevant to the case.
  3. Within 15 days after completion of the hearing, the grievance committee will submit its recommendation to the Provost or the Provost’s designate for his or her resolution. A copy of the resolution will be sent to the respondent, and the student. A file of the recommendation and resolution is kept in the Provost’s office.
  4. The student may withdraw the grievance at any point in the proceedings by requesting in writing to the Provost or the Provost’s designate.
  5. The Provost or the Provost’s designate may grant an extension of the time limit of this procedure for good cause.
  6. The student or the respondent may appeal to the Provost (if the Provost has not handled the case himself or herself), and then to the President of the College if either finds the resolution of the matter unsatisfactory

504 Grievance Policy and Procedure

If a student has a question or concern related to the compliance with a particular provision of Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, informal consultation with the College’s 504 Officer, Kristin English, can be used to address those concerns.

If a student decides to file a formal grievance, the following procedure should be followed:

  1. Level One: The student will file a formal written grievance with the 504 Compliance Officer, Kristin English. All formal grievances must include a written statement regarding the nature of the complaint and the desired resolution.

    Formal grievances will be promptly investigated and a decision will be rendered within 14 calendar days of the receipt. If the student is not satisfied with the response at level one, they can submit an appeal to the Director of the Academic Resource Center (ARC).

  2. Level Two: If a student wishes to appeal the decision reached at level one, they need to submit an appeal in writing to Amanda Haney-Cech, Director of the Academic Resource Center.

    The appeal must state the nature of the complaint, actions taken up to this point; the reason the student feels the decision was wrong, and a desired resolution. The Director of the Academic Resource Center will render a decision within 14 calendar days of receipt. If the student is not satisfied with the response at level two, an appeal can be made to the Provost.

  3. Level Three: If a student wishes to appeal the decision reached at level two, they need to submit an appeal in writing to Dr. Janet Bland, Provost.

The appeal must state the nature of the complaint, actions taken up to this point, the reason the student feels the decision was wrong, and a desired resolution. The Provost will review and render a decision within 30 working days of the receipt. The decision by the Provost is final.

If the student is not satisfied with the services provided by the College, and is unsuccessful in resolving the issue through the internal process, the student may explore other resolutions. Using the grievance procedure outlined above is not a prerequisite to the pursuit of other remedies, including filing a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights, within the U.S. Department of Education:

The United States Department of Education

Office of Civil Rights

600 Superior Avenue, East, Suite 750

Cleveland, Ohio 44114

Questions regarding the Marietta College process or how to obtain a copy of the Complaint Resolution form can be directed to the Academic Resource Center at (740) 376-4700 or (740) 376-4406 (fax).

The 504 Officer is Kristin English, and she may be reached at the Academic Resource Center at (740) 376-4467 or (740) 376-4406 (fax).

This policy and these procedures shall be distributed to all employees and added to the student and faculty handbook.