Graduate Student Grievance Procedure

It is the goal of Graduate Studies and Research to provide students with an expeditious, fair, equitable, and consistent procedure for resolving their grievances and non-academic complaints.

Graduate Student Grievance Procedure
It is the goal of Graduate Studies and Research to provide students with an expeditious, fair, equitable, and consistent procedure for resolving their grievances and non-academic complaints.

These grievance/non-academic complaint procedures are meant to guide the student through the process.

Students should make every effort to resolve the issues informally before filing a complaint or seeking redress beyond the Academic Unit in which the alleged offense has occurred.

Steps To File A Grievance:

 

  1. The student shall submit his or her grievance package, in writing, within 30 days or 10 days into the next semester.  The grievance packet should be stamped by the graduate coordinator or academic dean of the college to indicate the date and time the grievance was initiated.
  2. The grievance process can start or stop at any level.  However, the graduate coordinator should act as the facilitator.
  3. If the professor and graduate coordinator cannot find a satisfactory solution, then the matter will be forwarded to the graduate committee or graduate faculty within the college.
  4. The graduate committee, consisting of graduate faculty, will forward a report indicating its decision to the dean of the college.
  5. If the dean is not able to resolve the matter, the issue is forwarded to the graduate council committee in an effort to resolve the issue..
  6. The graduate council sub-committee should submit a report to the Graduate Studies and Research dean.
  7. The Graduate Studies and Research dean will review all of the documents provided on the issue and make a decision.
  8. If the student is not satisfied with the decision of the Graduate Studies and Research dean, then the student may refer the matter to the provost for a decision. 
  9. The provost shall review the student’s grievance and make the final decision.
  10. A written recommendation is required at each step.
  11. The student, professor, the graduate coordinator, the dean of the college and the Graduate Studies and Research dean should be provided with copies of the written recommendation at each step.

 

GRIEVANCE FORMS