This process includes any appeal of a final grade (pass-fail or letter grade) for a classroom course, field experience, clinical, student teaching, practicum, internship or externship. Appeal of removal from a course in the middle of a term (involuntary withdrawal) would be subject to departmental procedures, not the grade appeal process, unless a failing grade was issued. Students considering an appeal of a final grade are encouraged to meet informally with their instructor before submitting a written appeal.

NOTE: Time deadlines in the following procedures are intended to provide a framework for the grade appeal process and may be extended, as circumstances warrant, by the Director of Student Rights and Community Standards or by the Associate Provost.

6.5.1    Department Grade Appeal Process.

       a.  Meeting with instructor:  A student wishing to appeal a final grade must inform the instructor or, in his or her absence, the department chairperson, within ten (10) business days after the final grade is posted by the Registrar's Office. The student's request for review of the grade must be submitted in writing (via letter or email) to the faculty member.  The faculty member or, in his or her absence, the department chairperson, must respond via letter or email with a decision regarding the student's grade within five (5) business days after receipt of the request.

        b. Resolution by department chair: If the matter cannot be resolved with the faculty member, the student may notify the department chairperson within five (5) business days after the date of the instructor's response. This notification shall be made via letter or email to the department chair and should outline the nature of the dispute. The department chairperson will then attempt to resolve the dispute.  If resolution is successful, the department chair shall inform the student and the faculty member of the nature of the resolution in writing. If the matter cannot be resolved, the department chairperson shall notify the student via letter or email. Either notification must be made within five (5) business days of the student's contact with the department chair. The student may then choose to proceed with a university appeal.

6.5.2    University Grade Appeal Process

        a. Notification of intent to appeal. If the matter cannot be resolved satisfactorily at the departmental level, the student may request consideration of a grade appeal hearing. To do so, the student must submit a formal appeal of the grade in writing to the Office of Student Rights and Community Standards within five (5) business days after notification from the department chairperson, clearly stating the basis for appeal and providing supporting argument. The Director of Student Rights and Community Standards or his/her designee shall solicit a written response from the instructor. Within five (5) business days after receipt of the written appeal in the Office of Student Rights and Community Standards, the director or designee, in collaboration with the associate provost or designee and the vice president of the Student Government Association, will make a decision on whether to refer the appeal to the University Grade Appeal Committee for a hearing. The decision to refer or not to refer shall be based upon the student's compliance with grade appeal procedures, the written request for appeal and the criteria cited within the written appeal. If the decision is not to forward the appeal to a hearing, the matter is concluded.

        b. Basis for Grade Appeals.  The University Grade Appeal Committee will only address those appeals for which a procedural or fairness issue is in question.  The criteria for a grade appeal are:

1) An obvious error in the calculation of the grade.

2) The assignment of a grade to a particular student by application of more exacting or demanding standards than were applied to other students in the course.

3) The assignment of a grade to a particular student on some basis other than performance in the course.

 4) The assignment of a grade by a substantial departure from the instructor's previously announced standards.

NOTE: This appeal procedure is not to be used for a review of the judgment of an instructor in assessing the quality of a student's work.

University Grade Appeal Committee

The University Grade Appeal Committee hears grade appeals referred to it by the Office of Student Rights and Community Standards.  It is composed of fourteen (14) members; seven (7) shall be students and seven (7) shall be University faculty members.

      a. Student Membership.  The student membership will include one undergraduate or graduate student appointed by each of the seven college deans for a one year appointment to assume their committee responsibility at the start of the fall semester and serving for twelve-month term.  A student member may serve an unlimited number of terms.

       b. Faculty Membership.  The faculty members, one from each of the seven colleges, shall be designated by the faculty of each individual college, assuming responsibility at the start of the fall semester and serving for a twelve-month term. A faculty member may serve an unlimited number of terms.

6.5.4    Hearing Procedures

       a. Quorum.  To conduct a hearing for a grade appeal, a hearing panel composed of five (5) members of the University Grade Appeal Committee, of whom at least two (2) must be students and two must be faculty. The Office of Student Rights and Community Standards shall assume responsibility for assembling the panel. A hearing may proceed with a minimum of four (4) members present.    

        b. Hearing Board Moderator and Advisor.  The hearing shall be moderated by the associate provost or designee. The Director of Student Rights and Community Standards or designee will be present at all hearings as a non-voting procedural consultant to the Hearing Panel and will make a record of the proceedings.

        c. Notice of Hearing.   If a hearing is to be held, the student and the faculty member who assigned the grade being appealed will be notified in writing of the date, time, and place of the hearing at least five (5) business days in advance.  In case of an absent instructor, the department chairperson, with consent of the absent instructor, shall appoint a faculty member from the department or himself or herself to represent the instructor at the hearing. The Panel may delay judgment if neither the faculty member nor a representative is available for the hearing, if such a presence, in the opinion of the Hearing Panel, is necessary to the decision.

         d. Presentation of Case.  The presentation of the case is the responsibility of the student and the burden of proof is on the student. The instructor shall be provided an opportunity to respond to the student's claim and to present evidence in support of his or her original grade decision.  Each presentation is not to exceed 15 minutes in length. Both sides will also have an opportunity to call witnesses with information pertaining to the appeal criteria cited by the student. 

         e.  Access to Information.  The Hearing Panel will have access to pertinent information in the case and may request additional information from either party or call additional witnesses as needed to render a decision.

         f. Multiple Appeals.  If two (2) or more members of a class appeal their grades, the Panel may elect to hear the appeals individually or collectively.

         g. Disqualifications; Challenges.  Any panel member shall disqualify himself or herself if he or she has a conflict of interest with the case or with the student or believes he/she may have a personal bias.  The student or instructor may challenge a panel member on the grounds of conflict of interest or personal bias.  The burden of proof is on the challenger. The decision regarding disqualifying a challenged member shall be made by a majority vote of the remaining members present.  If a challenge is upheld, the associate provost or designee has the discretion to either appoint another person to fill the vacancy or direct that the vacancy not be filled.  In the latter case, a quorum shall thereafter consist of three-fourths (3/4) of all remaining members of the panel.

       h. Conduct of Hearing.  The hearing shall be conducted in an informal manner and without reference to rules applicable to a court of law concerning the examination of witnesses and admissibility of evidence, but with a view toward providing the Panel with a complete understanding of the facts involved.  Irrelevant, immaterial, and unduly repetitious evidence may be excluded. The hearing and deliberations of the committee shall be private.

        i.   Advisors. The student and the faculty member shall each have the right to have one person of his or her choice present as an advisor in the hearing. That person must be a student, faculty or staff person of the University or (in the case of the student) his or her parent. The advisor may not participate directly in the hearing and is only present to consult with or support the student or faculty member involved.

        j.  Continuances.  The Panel, by majority vote, may continue the hearing to a later time or times.

        k. Additional Rules.  Procedural rules not inconsistent with these procedures may be established by the Panel from time to time to insure that the hearing is conducted in a fair and orderly manner.

         l. Confidentiality of Appeal Hearing. Panel members shall not retain in their possession any personal files, materials received during the appeal procedure, or notes taken during the meetings of the University Grade Appeal Committee.

No party, panel member, or other participant or observer in the appeal procedure shall reveal any facts, documents, or testimony gained through participating in or observing the hearing to any other person, unless required by a court of law to do so or upon the advice of the University's legal counsel.

       m. Hearings During Summer Session and Breaks.    To insure the functioning of the

University Grade Appeal Committee during Summer Session and at other times when regular classes are not in session, the Associate Provost or his/her designee may convene a hearing with a minimum of three persons chosen from the pool of the committee membership who are available.  Should a minimum of three be unavailable from the pool, the Associate Provost or designee may select additional faculty, or student members to participate in the hearing process.

6.5.5 Findings.  Decisions of the Hearing Panel shall be made by majority vote.  Upon

completion of the hearing, the Associate Provost will communicate the panel's decision via letter to the student, the instructor, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the instructor's department chairperson within two (2) business days of completion of the hearing.

       a. Findings of the Panel.  The Panel may render one of two decisions:

1) That a grade which has been appealed be changed with specific designation of
      the new grade;

2) That a grade which has been appealed remain the same.

If the decision of the panel is that the grade be changed, the instructor shall have five (5) business days in which to file a grade change with the Office of the Registrar or request a review by the Provost (see 6.5.5b). In the event the instructor takes no action, the Provost shall process a change of grade form.

      b. Provost's Determination. If either party believes that there have been procedural errors or that they did not receive a fair hearing, they may request a review by the Provost that shall be limited to an examination of the process and procedures followed. The Provost shall communicate the final decision to all parties in writing.

            The review may be resolved in one of the following ways:

1)  The Provost will determine that there were no procedural errors, in which case the original decision is upheld. If that original decision was to change the grade, the Provost shall notify the faculty member that a change of grade form     is to be submitted it to the Office of the Registrar. The instructor shall have five (5) business days in which to file a grade change with the Office of the Registrar or inform the Provost of intent not to do so. In the event the instructor takes no action or chooses not to change a grade, the Provost shall process a change of grade form.  

2)  The Provost will determine that there were procedural errors, in which case the
grade appeal may be remanded back to the original Panel for further
consideration.

         c. Transcript notation. If a grade has been changed by the Provost, the transcript shall reflect the following:

            Original grade of ___ was overruled by the Provost upon recommendation of the University Grade Appeal Panel.