Grading Appeals

Students are responsible for maintaining standards of academic performance established for each course in which they are enrolled. Whenever students believe that their work has been improperly evaluated or that they have been treated in a capricious or prejudiced manner, they are expected to discuss this directly with the faculty member involved. If, after earnest inquiry, the matter remains unreconciled, the students may seek assistance through the following steps:

1. Appeal the question to the head of the department (unless the department head is a party to the grievance).
2. Submit the appeal to the dean of the academic college. The dean together with the department head will take all reasonable and proper actions to resolve the question at their level.
3. Should the aggrieved students believe that their rights were abridged at the departmental and college levels, they may file a request for review with the associate provost, making clear the substance of the appeal. The associate provost will consult with the dean, the department head, and the faculty member and student involved and make a recommendation regarding the issue: that the original evaluation and decision should stand; or that there appears to have been unfair evaluation or treatment by the instructor. In the latter instance, the associate provost will suggest that the instructor correct the wrong.