Academic Grievance Policy and Procedure
Policy
The purpose of Carroll College’s Academic Grievance Policy is to resolve academic grievances of students regarding actions of the faculty, or other college employee/s, that may have bearing on a student’s academic record. For purposes of this policy the term “faculty member” will refer to the person(s) the complaint is against (be they faculty or other college employee).
An Academic Grievance is a complaint by a student alleging that a faculty member has caused the student to suffer some specific harm related to the academic matter within the authority of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Office. Carroll College’s Academic Grievance Procedure applies to all undergraduate and graduate degree programs, certificate programs, and all courses offered by Carroll College, regardless of the delivery method (i.e. face-to-face instruction, hybrid, or fully online).
Grounds for academic grievance relating to a student’s academic record may include one or more of the following:
- The absence of documented course requirements and expectations (e.g. syllabus);
- Assigning a course grade through a substantial, unreasonable, and unannounced departure from the instructor’s previously articulated standards (e.g. syllabus);
- Miscalculation of the final grade or miscalculation of grade(s) for underlying course components that impact the final grade;
- Grading a student on some basis other than performance in the course (i.e. absence of justification);
- Grading a student by resorting to unreasonable standards different from those which were applied by the same instructor to other students in that same course;
- Other matters concerning an academic record or progress
However, complaints that concern the following are not covered by this policy:
- Matters of academic judgment (see below);
- Appealing an alleged academic integrity violation (see Academic Integrity Policy);
- Matters that fall under policies in Faculty and Employee Handbooks or other college-wide policies;
- Appealing academic standing (i.e. suspension);
- Appealing the content of a policy or regulation of the College or a department
The evaluation of a student’s academic performance and/or the assignment of a grade as a result of that evaluation shall be considered a matter of academic judgment, and therefore not subject to the Academic Grievance Policy except where the grade has been determined in an arbitrary and capricious manner or where the procedure used in the evaluation is found to be in violation of College or departmental policy. Course grades are determined by faculty in accordance with information found in the course syllabus. Faculty are expected to include in the course syllabus the basis for determining final grades, including if plus/minus grading will be used and the impact of in-class participation, attendance, and/or other related expectations on the final course grade.
Confidentiality:
The proceedings of the academic grievance process are to be kept confidential from anyone not directly involved in the academic grievance process, except as permitted by FERPA, or as necessary to conduct the academic grievance process.
Waivers and Extensions of Time:
On written application, and for good cause shown, the Office of Academic Affairs may grant a waiver of any step or an extension of any deadline contained in this policy. The decision to grant such a waiver or extension shall be in writing and shall be provided to the parties involved. The written decision shall become a permanent part of the grievance file.
Burden of Proof:
The burden of proof is on the student, unless the decision is one being appealed by the faculty member, in which case the burden of proof is on the party who filed the appeal.
Sequential Courses:
If a student is grieving a failing grade in a sequential (i.e. pre-requisite) course, the student will be allowed to sit in the next course in the sequence during the following semester during the time the grievance is pending.
Procedure
Step 1: Attempting Informal Resolution Prior to Instituting a Formal Grievance
When a student believes an academic grievance has occurred, the student must first attempt an informal resolution by communicating with the involved faculty member. A formal academic grievance will not be reviewed unless this step has been completed.
Final grade appeals must be submitted before the end of the add/drop period of the following required term (e.g. if an undergraduate received a final grade in the fall semester, the student has until the end of the add/drop period of the spring semester to file an appeal; for undergraduates, spring and summer semester appeals must be received by the end of add/drop in fall. For post-baccalaureate or graduate students, the following required term may include summer or winter, depending on the program.)
Through their appeal, the student must demonstrate that despite their instructor’s evaluation of their performance as below the objective standard to earn a grade, they did in fact meet the standard for that grade, as set forth in the documented course requirements (e.g. syllabus).
For other types of academic appeals the student must contact the faculty member as soon as possible after the alleged action but no more than fifteen (15) weekdays (excluding school breaks or holidays) after the alleged grievance has occurred.
The faculty member has five (5) weekdays (excluding school breaks or holidays) to respond to the student’s grievance.
The faculty member and student may agree on an informal means of resolving the matter.
Should the instructor fail to respond in five (5) weekdays (excluding school breaks or holidays), the student should communicate with the department head or designee for assistance in resolving the matter.
In the event that the faculty member has left the College permanently or is on a temporary leave such as a sabbatical, the student should communicate with the department head or designee for assistance in resolving the matter.
Following the informal process above, a student may decide to file a formal grievance and has fifteen (15) weekdays (excluding school breaks or holidays) following final communication with the faculty member or department head as described above to do so.
Step 2: Formal Academic Grievance Procedure (optional)
If the issue is not able to be resolved informally as described above, the student may file a formal academic grievance in writing. The following information must be submitted to the appropriate department head or chairperson of the faculty member or, if the respondent is a chairperson, to the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs (AVPAA). All documentation submitted by the student will also be made available to the faculty member.
The written formal academic grievance shall be signed and dated by the student and must include all of the following:
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the nature of the grievance and the rule, procedure, or policy violated;
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the date(s) when the alleged violation occurred;
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all steps that have been taken to try to resolve it informally;
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the name(s) of the person(s) who have knowledge of the subject matter of the grievance;
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copies of any supporting documents which the student believes to be relevant to the grievance;
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and a statement describing the desired outcome of the grievance.
If there is a concurrent conduct process underway (i.e. Athletic, Academic Integrity, Student Conduct) the student should note it and briefly state if it is related to the academic grievance in any way. Depending on the nature of other said processes, the Office of Academic Affairs may determine that they must be concluded before the academic grievance process can proceed.
From this point on, in the absence of credible and relevant new evidence, the student’s pursuit of the academic grievance must remain consistent in content and scope with this submission, and faculty will be expected to respond only to the issues raised in the written academic grievance.
Within five (5) weekdays (excluding school breaks or holidays) of receipt of the formal academic grievance, the department chairperson shall meet with all parties involved, either individually or together, and shall attempt to facilitate an appropriate resolution of the matter.
The department chairperson shall render a written decision within five (5) weekdays (excluding school breaks or holidays) from the date of the last meeting. This decision shall be provided in writing to the student and the faculty member.
Grievance Resolution:
An Academic Grievance is resolved when:
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The student requests in writing that the grievance be withdrawn; or
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When both parties sign a statement that a resolution has been achieved; or
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The student or other party with a right of appeal fails to advance the grievance or appeal in the required time frames; or
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The final appeal step of the grievance policy is completed.
Step 3: Final Appeal of Formal Academic Grievance (optional)
If either the student or the faculty member is dissatisfied with the decision issued by the department head, they may make a final appeal of the decision to the AVPAA, unless the AVPAA was standing in for the department head as the decision-maker, in which case the grievance shall proceed to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs (SVPAA) for final review. For exceptions, see below.
The final appeal shall be in writing and shall state the reasons for disagreement with the decision rendered at the conclusion of Step 2, in addition to all the requirements of the original written grievance outlined above.
The final appeal shall be signed and dated by the person submitting the appeal and must be presented to the AVPAA/SVPAA within five (5) weekdays (excluding school breaks or holidays) from the receipt of the written decision from Step 2. The appeal documentation will be made available to all parties involved.
Within five (5) weekdays (excluding school breaks or holidays) of receipt of the appeal, the AVPAA/SVPAA shall convene meetings of all parties involved and shall attempt to facilitate an appropriate resolution of the matter.
The AVPAA/SVPAA's decision shall be issued in writing within five (5) weekdays (excluding school breaks or holidays) from the date of the final meeting, and shall be provided to the student, faculty member, and department head (if applicable). The decision of the AVPAA/SVPAA is final (for an exception, see below) and shall contain the reasons for his/her decision.
Final decision exception: At the SVPAA’s professional discretion, there may be occasions where the formal grievance process (Step 2) begins with the SVPAA or the SVPAA cannot participate in the Final Appeal step (Step 3). To ensure due process in either of these exceptional cases, the Final Appeal shall proceed to an academic grievance appeal committee. The academic grievance appeal committee shall consist of five members. Committee members shall not act as advocates for any party to the grievance. The members of the committee shall be selected as follows:
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One tenured faculty member shall be selected by the SVPAA
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One tenured faculty member shall be selected by the SVPAA from a list of three tenured faculty members submitted by the complainant, after consultation with the respondent
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One tenured faculty member shall be selected by the SVPAA from a list of three tenured faculty members submitted by the respondent, after consultation with the complainant
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One professional staff member from Academic Affairs or the Saint’s Success Center
shall be selected by the SVPAA
In the event that a grievance appeal committee must be constituted in the summer for a program with required coursework in the summer, faculty with summer appointments will be used to populate the committee. If that is not possible or appropriate, the SVPAA will identify faculty who are not on contract but are available to serve on the committee. If a faculty member serves on an appeal committee while not on contract, they will receive a small stipend from the Office of Academic Affairs.
The SVPAA shall appoint one faculty member to act as chairperson of the committee. The duties of the chairperson shall be as follows:
1. Schedule appropriate times and places for committee meetings and hearings;
2. Inform committee members and the parties to the grievance of the times and places of committee meetings and hearings they are required to attend, and supply them with copies of all documents relating to the grievance and all appeal thereof;
3. Arrange for the recording of the committee’s hearing;
4. Maintain committee records; and
5. Inform the SVPAA of the committee’s decision.
The academic grievance committee must meet within five (5) school days after committee members have been appointed. At this meeting, the committee shall review the grievance to include appeals and responses, and may request parties for additional information in writing or to appear in order to answer questions from the committee.
Within five (5) school days after completion of the committee’s review, the committee shall make its decision and transmit its decision in writing to the SVPAA. The committee’s decision shall be reached by a simple majority vote.
The decision of the committee shall contain the reasons for the committee’s decision. The committee’s written decision shall be furnished to the parties to the grievance by the SVPAA within five (5) school days of receipt by the SVPAA. The decision of the committee is final. This does not preclude other outside legal action to be taken by either party.
Records of the Formal Academic Grievance:
Upon final resolution of a formal academic grievance, all records relating to the grievance shall be forwarded to the Office of Academic Affairs, who shall maintain these records in a separate file and for a period of seven (7) years from the date on which the grievance was filed.