Grievance

GRIEVANCE POLICY AND PROCEDURES

REVISED AUGUST 12, 2026

Approved as revised by CEC March 26, 2024

The College of Education Grievance Committee (CGC) is established by the College’s Bylaws, as approved by the faculty in May 2016. It is comprised annually of three elected tenure-track faculty; one elected member of the specialized faculty ranks; two graduate students elected by enrolled graduate students; and one undergraduate student elected by enrolled undergraduate students. Student members serve when the grievant is a student with the same status.

Students are encouraged to discuss perceived unfairness or situations that may be perceived as unfair and to resolve disagreements insofar as possible at the level where they occur (e.g., at the department level). If such efforts at resolution are unsuccessful and/or if one or more of the parties involved believes that an additional review is necessary, the grievance procedures in this policy and set of procedures offer a process for the CGC members to ascertain the facts of the case and to make recommendations  toward resolution.

Student allegations of capricious grading or evaluation as well as charges of academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism or improper attribution or citation) that cannot be resolved at the departmental level, will be heard by the CGC. The procedures in such cases will follow the Student Code §3-107.

General principles and procedures

1. The Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs or the Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, dependent upon student rank, will be the first point of contact for submission of any written complaint. As the primary intake officer, the Associate Dean will ensure that all potential grievances are handled according to these procedures and in an expeditious and timely manner. In the event that the primary intake officer has a potential conflict of interest with a grievance, the other academic Associate Dean will oversee the grievance process as outlined below for the Associate Deans.

2.  All complaints must be submitted in writing and (1) outline the details of the matter, (2) provide relevant supporting documentation, (3) outline the informal and departmental processes that have been exhausted, and (4) specify the requested remedy.

3.  All documentation related to the grievance will be entered into and archived in the relevant campus system.

4.  The Chair is responsible for ensuring that a record of the CGC deliberations, investigation, hearings, and recommendation(s) is forwarded to the appropriate Associate Dean.

5. Any and all conflicts of interest or potential conflicts of interest that could impact a CGC committee member’s role in hearing a specific grievance shall be disclosed to the Associate Dean handling the case at the start of the process. If it is determined by the Associate Dean, in consultation with the CGC members, that there is a potential conflict of interest with a particular grievance under consideration, an elected alternate will serve in the adjudication of the particular grievance under consideration.

Should the Chair of the CGC have a conflict of interest with a particular grievance, the CGC will select an alternate tenured faculty member from their elected committee members to serve as Chair for this grievance. If there is a tenured faculty member on the CGC who can serve as an alternate chair for the grievance at hand, an elected alternate will fill the slot on the CGC vacated by the chair and will participate in the adjudication of the grievance under consideration. If there is no alternate tenured faculty member already on the CGC who can serve as chair for the grievance at hand, a special election will be held to elect a chair who would serve only for the grievance at hand.

6.  The CGC will determine whether it has jurisdiction over a complaint or whether the complaint is the subject of a different policy or process on campus and whether informal or departmental processes have been exhausted. If the CGC decides that a matter should be redirected to an appropriate campus office, then the Associate Dean handling the case should assist the Grievant in consultation with the CGC Chair. Grievances that are outside the scope of these procedures are addressed by the  provisions of the University Statutes.

7.  The CGC will suspend the investigation of a complaint upon request of the grievant.

8.  The CGC will forward its findings and recommendation(s) for remedy (if any) to the Associate Dean handling the case, who will forward it to the Dean. The Dean of the College makes a final determination.

9. All deliberations of the CGC are strictly confidential. Committee minutes and records are considered confidential and open to inspection only as required by law. Retention of the committee’s records will be maintained in the Dean’s Office or the involved Associate Dean’s Office in accordance with Campus and College record retention policies, depending on the nature of the grievance.

Specific Steps and Timeline in the Grievance Procedure for Graduate and Undergraduate Students

These procedures apply to graduate and undergraduate students, as well as to former students who have graduated in the preceding five (5) years. Any graduate or undergraduate student enrolled in classes in the College or working as a graduate assistant within the College may file a complaint, regardless of the program in which they are enrolled. 

1.  A student may initiate the grievance process by submitting a written statement of the grievance to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs or the Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, as outlined in the General Principles and Procedures section of this document and the Student Code §3-107.

2.  Within five (5) business days of receiving a written grievance by an Associate Dean, the appropriate Associate Dean will transmit the grievance statement to the CGC Chair.

3.  Within ten (10) business days of receiving the written grievance statement, the Chair will convene a meeting of the CGC to review the statement and complete the following tasks in this order:

a.  determine whether the CGC has jurisdiction over the matter,

• If it is determined that the CGC does not have jurisdiction, the CGC Chair will notify the    appropriate Associate Dean, who will inform the Grievant and refer the student to the appropriate office or procedure to pursue resolution.
• If CGC determines that it does have jurisdiction, the decision that the CGC will be reviewing the case will be communicated to the Grievant and to the Dean of the College by the appropriate Associate Dean. The CGC will proceed with handling the grievance.

b.  determine whether all informal and/or departmental processes have been exhausted, and/or

• If the CGC determines that these processes have not been exhausted and that there is still potential for remedy at a lower level, the CGC may ask the Associate Dean handling the case to refer the Grievant back to that level for additional review or evidence.
• If the CGC determines that these processes have been exhausted or that there are potential conflicts at the lower levels that required the CGC to handle the case, the CGC will proceed with handling the grievance.

c.  determine whether any conflicts of interest exist with any committee members.

• Any conflicts of interest will be handled as noted in the General Principles and Procedures above.

d.  determine the appropriate investigation procedures and parameters, including (1) determining the number and names of primary interested parties to the case, keeping the case as small and focused as possible to respond fully to the grievance submitted; and (2) determining what, if any, additional evidence and/or hearings are needed to ascertain the facts of the case and to make recommendations toward resolution.

e.  ask the Associate Dean handling the case to inform the primary interested parties of the grievance and to supply the primary interested parties a copy of the written statement and with the requirements of the grievance process, including the requirement to maintain full confidentiality of all materials and proceedings.

 4.  To attempt to resolve the matter as quickly as possible, the CGC will move quickly to establish times to gather additional material, meet with all interested parties, and hold any needed hearings between the CGC and the primary interested parties. The goal is that this process will be completed within ten (10) additional business days after the processes above have been completed and at times when all parties are available.  Allowance must be given to situations in which information from multiple parties is needed and in situations in which scheduling is challenging. If it is not possible to complete this work within the additional ten (10) business days allotted, the CGC will provide a rationale and request a reasonable extension from the Associate Dean handling the grievance case.

5.  The CGC will follow the hearing procedures as outlined in the Student Code §1-403(c).

6.  Within four (4) business days of the completion of evidence collection (including documents, interviews, and any hearings held), the Chair will report the CGC’s recommendation(s) in writing to the Associate Dean handling the grievance case. Within two (2) business days after receiving the report from the CGC, the Associate Dean handling the case will share the report with the Dean. Within five (5) business days of receiving the report, the Dean will make and communicate the final decision on the recommendations to the Associate Dean handling the case. Within two (2) business days after receiving the Dean’s final decision, the Associate Dean handling the case will communicate the CGC’s findings and the Dean’s decision in writing to all involved individuals (the Grievant, the CGC, and any other identified primary interested parties). The Dean’s decision is final.