PhD Student Handbook

Grievances and Appeals

It is expected that students and faculty will use their normal contacts in class and individual conferences to resolve any differences that may arise in their work together. Where faculty or students find such normal channels fail to resolve differences that will affect the status of the student, either or both may ask for consideration of such differences by the Graduate Group Chair. The decision of the Chair shall stand, unless either or both parties wish to appeal the decision further. If there is such an appeal, the following policies and procedures will prevail:

A written appeal of the Chair’s decision may be made through the Chair to the Dean of the School of Social Policy and Practice who will determine if a review by the Committee on Academic Standing is warranted. If dissatisfied with the decision of the Dean or the Academic Standing Committee, the student may then appeal a decision to the Provost of the University.

When differences between a student and Advisor, Chairperson, or Committee are such as to require consideration by the Committee on Academic Standing, the aggrieved student may select a student representative to present the student's case to the committee and to speak or intervene on her/his behalf during the appeals process. The representative will be free to intervene on the student's behalf at any point in the appeals process. The representative will only attend meetings of the committee if explicitly requested to do so by the appealing student. It will be the appealing student's full responsibility to request the services of the representative. The representative will serve only in an advisory and advocacy role and will not vote on the final committee decision.

The Graduate Group Chair may not vote on a committee decision if he/she is a member of the appealing student's Dissertation Committee.