Grade Grievances and Appeals
The involved faculty member reserves final judgment on all matters pertaining to student grading unless the administration is proceeding against the faculty member pursuant to Dismissal for Cause (Section 2.4.7) or Action Short of Dismissal (Section 2.4.8). If a faculty member has left the university and is unwilling or unable to respond to a request for a grade change, the Chair or the Dean may change the grade at their own discretion based on their evaluation of the situation.
Appeals Process
Any student who believes that he or she has received an unfair final grade or final evaluation should do the following:
- Confer with the instructor to resolve the disagreement.
- If justifiable question remains in the student's mind, he or she may confer with the chair of the faculty's department. The chair may investigate the matter, mediate between the student and the instructor or take other reasonable action.
- If there is no resolution after meeting with the chair, the student may present the case to the Dean of the school in which the course is offered. The Dean may consult with the departmental chair and the faculty member and decide whether or not to begin an investigation of the faculty's grading practices.
- There are no further appeals beyond the Dean.
Appeals Timing
Students have until the end of the following semester to challenge a grade. Grades cannot be appealed beyond the end of that semester.