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Academic Regulations

Grade Appeals Committees

2. Grade Appeals Committees

2.1. Each department and extra-departmental program (hereafter referred to as program) shall form a department/program grade appeals committee. If department/program faculty members are unable to serve in sufficient number to form a grade appeals committee, the chair of the council of the relevant college shall appoint the required number of grade appeals committee members from the ranks of college faculty. A department/program grade appeals committee shall include at least one student member appointed by the Associated Students, Incorporated.

2.2. Each college and the university shall have a standing grade appeals committee, each of which shall include at least one student member appointed by the Associated Students, Incorporated.

2.3. For courses located in a college but not in a department (college-based courses), a first-level grade appeals committee must be formed. The council of the relevant college shall appoint the first-level grade appeals committee from among the faculty members of that college. If review beyond the first-level grade appeals committee is necessary, the appeal next shall go to the regular college-level grade appeals committee.

2.4. For courses not located in a college or department/program (university-based courses), the Curriculum and Educational Policies Council must create a first- and second-level grade appeals committee by appointing each committee from among its members.

2.5. For courses cross-listed between or among different units, the unit with the prefix under which the student took the course shall handle the grade appeal.

2.6. Committee members, at any level, shall not participate in any way in an appeal of a grade decision in which they have been involved personally. Such participation includes, but is not limited to, assignment of the grade in question, involvement in the class in question, or grading any student work for the class in question.

2.7. No committee member may serve on a committee at more than one level of a single appeal.

2.8. The committee chair at the department/program level and at the college level shall inform all parties of the composition of the grade appeals committee and of the right to peremptory challenge. The student and the instructor involved in any given appeal shall each have one (1) peremptory challenge to remove one (1) committee member from service for that particular appeal. Departments/programs and colleges must replace any removed members within a timely fashion. If peremptory strikes of members are exercised by either party, the committee shall have an additional ten (10) instructional days to review the file and render its decision.

2.9. A grade appeals committee deliberating an appeal during any level of the process shall consider all information submitted and may, if necessary, obtain clarification in writing from the student, the instructor, and/or committees at other levels of the process. The committee may request information to help it understand the basis for assignment of the grade. If either party does not supply appropriate grade appeal information within a reasonable time (see 2.11.) when requested by a committee, then that committee may base its decision on the corresponding information supplied by the other party.

2.10. Committees shall consider only information available to all parties. All parties to an appeal shall be notified by the committee chair in writing of all responses and deadlines at all points of the appeal process and shall have full opportunity to comment in writing.

2.11. Distribution of materials submitted in an appeal shall allow reasonable time for response by the involved parties before committees render their decision. "Reasonable time" for responses shall generally be understood to be ten (10) instructional days from receipt of a response.

2.12. After making its determination, the committee hearing the appeal shall prepare a written statement of its decision, including an explanation of its reasoning and a response to the specific issues upon which the appeal is based. The chair of the committee shall place a copy of the decision statement in the appeal file and shall send copies of the statement to all parties involved.

2.13. Chairs of department/program and college grade appeal committees shall provide a written report to their dean at the end of each semester detailing the number and disposition of cases heard.


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