Students wishing to file a complaint about a course grade or a
grade received for a particular piece of work in a course should first
attempt to settle the matter through discussion with the instructor. If
the two parties cannot resolve the issue at that level, the student may
specify in writing the basis for the complaint and request a review by
the director of the program offering the course.
A
written complaint about a grade for work completed while the course is
in progress must be submitted to the program director no later
than two weeks after notification of the grade. When the issue is a
final course grade, the student must submit a written complaint about
that grade to the program director no later than six weeks
after the official grade becomes available to the student. Written
notification of the action taken by the program director is
sent to the student within four weeks of the date the student filed his
or her appeal. This four-week time limit, however, does not include
weeks in which classes are not in regular session.
A student
who wishes to appeal the decision of the program director must
make an appeal in writing to the Office of the Dean. In response to
such an appeal, a representative of the dean of the School of
Management and Labor Relations (SMLR) will attempt to resolve informally the
dispute. Should the issue remain unresolved, the matter is referred to
a committee of three faculty members appointed by the dean of SMLR.
The committee typically bases its judgment on written submissions only. The panel will solicit a written response to the
student's written statement from the director of the degree program
whose action is being appealed. The committee may consult with anyone
it chooses in making a recommendation in the matter. In extraordinary
cases, it may ask third parties among the faculty to review previous
decisions by the faculty involved in the dispute.
If the
committee chooses, it may call upon the student and/or a faculty member
or members for written or oral responses to questions raised by the
committee. While the student may request an appearance before the
committee, the panel itself decides whether to hear from the student
directly. The members of the committee may grant the student's request
for an appearance if it seems to them that unusual circumstances
warrant it. The determination of the existence of unusual
circumstances is made by the faculty committee, which may limit the
time involved. Normally, an appearance by a student should not exceed 30
minutes in most cases. While action within the faculty committee normally is final,
the dean of SMLR may override
the committee's recommendation.
