Student Academic Appeals

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.