Academic Grievance Procedure

All academic grievances including dissatisfaction with a grade must be addressed first to the faculty member, then to the Department Chairperson and subsequently to the Dean of the College or the Dean of Nursing for Nursing courses.

When all other means of resolving a problematic situation have been exhausted, a student may request a grievance hearing for certain course related issues. Requests for a hearing should be made in writing to the Dean of the College or the Dean of Professional and Graduate Studies. When jurisdiction is in doubt, a student may notify and/or consult with either the Provost/Dean of the Faculty or the Vice-President for Student Affairs. Requests for grievance hearings on course related decisions must be made as soon as possible.

The Grievance Committee may consider matters with regard to allegations that a student is being graded unfairly in the classroom. The grievance committee will only convene when all other means of resolving a problematic situation have been exhausted and one or more of the following apply:

• A final grade is clearly inconsistent with grades earned over the course of the term in the same course.
• Egregious computational errors are evident.
• The actual evaluation measure and grading criteria were not clearly articulated on the course syllabus.

Composition of the Grievance Committee
The Grievance Committee is composed of:

• The Administrative Vice President of Student Government
• The Vice President of the complainant’s class
• Two members of the faculty, one chosen by the student/complainant and one chosen by the Dean of the College or the Dean of Nursing
• One other member of the College community either an Academic Affairs or Student Affairs administrator

Charge of the Committee
The Committee shall meet, hear the complaint, call witnesses and conduct investigations as it deems appropriate, deliberate in private, and present its conclusions to the Provost/Dean of Faculty and the complainant. The decision of the Committee shall be binding, subject only to veto by the Provost.

Note: When an ex officio or selected member of the committee has privileged information or prior dealings with the case such that questions could be raised regarding his/her impartiality, an appropriate substitution may be made.