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.

The student should discuss the problem with the respondent.
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

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.
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.
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.
The student may withdraw the grievance at any point in the proceedings by requesting in writing to the Provost or the Provost’s designate.
The Provost or the Provost’s designate may grant an extension of the time limit of this procedure for good cause.
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