Academic Grievance Policy Appendices

Appendix A

Departmental Grievance Committee Membership

The cognizant department chair, or the chair of the departmental Grievance Committee, shall assemble, from a pool of individuals comprising the Departmental Grievance Pool, a Departmental Grievance Committee comprised of no fewer than two faculty members and two undergraduate students or a larger number of participants maintaining this same ratio. The departmental representatives in the Grievance Pool shall be selected by the respective faculty and student constituencies in an appropriate democratic fashion, and in no case shall these representatives be appointed by the departmental or decanal administration. If deemed appropriate, the Departmental Grievance Pool may also serve as the Departmental Academic Integrity Pool.

The members of the Grievance Pool and the Grievance Committee shall be selected so that no member is involved in a disproportionate number of grievances. Each principal to the dispute shall have the option of requesting, without stipulating a reason, the replacement of one member of the Committee appointed to hear the grievance. If any principal finds the replacement member inappropriate, the party shall transmit, within five academic days of the naming of the committee, a written statement of the grounds for this “challenge for cause” to the cognizant department chair who shall rule on its merits and either retain or replace the committee member so challenged. Each committee member selected shall have the option of disqualifying him/herself from the Committee by stipulating reasons why he or she feels unable to deal with the grievance in an unbiased fashion.

Appendix B

Confidentiality of Proceedings

Once the department chair, college or school dean or the Vice Provost for Educational Affairs initiates a grievance hearing, principals and committee members shall have the obligation to maintain the confidentiality of the proceedings and of all materials or testimony presented in hearing proceedings, until a decision is formally transmitted to the principals involved in the grievance.

If a breach of confidentiality by either principal (as defined above) is formally brought to the attention of the Grievance Committee, upon a majority vote of the committee, it may choose to consider this breach a case of possible misconduct. If a committee member is charged with a possible misconduct, such charge will be heard at the next highest level Grievance Committee. Such consideration shall take precedence over the pending grievance, and a misconduct hearing shall be conducted, and findings shall be transmitted, in writing, to the principals and committee members, and shall be placed in a supplemental file of the grievance proceedings. Such findings may then be considered in the subsequent review of the grievance.

Appendix C

Decanal Grievance Committee Membership

The cognizant college or school dean, or the chair of the school or college Grievance Committee, shall assemble, from a pool of individuals comprising the college or school Grievance Pool, a Decanal Grievance Committee comprised of no fewer than two faculty members and two undergraduate students or a larger number of participants maintaining this same ratio. In those college/schools comprised of multiple academic departments, the Decanal Grievance Committee shall not include representatives from the department(s) involved in the grievance. The college or school Grievance Pool shall include two representatives, as appropriate, from each department: one faculty member and one undergraduate student. The departmental representatives in the Grievance Pool shall be selected by the respective faculty and student constituencies in an appropriate democratic fashion, and in no case shall these representatives be appointed by the departmental or decanal administration. If deemed appropriate, the Decanal Grievance Pool may also serve as the Decanal Academic Integrity Pool.

The members of the Grievance Pool and the Grievance Committee shall be selected so that no member is involved in a disproportionate number of grievances. Each principal to the dispute shall have the option of requesting, without stipulating a reason, the replacement of one member of the Committee appointed to hear the grievance. If any principal finds the replacement member inappropriate, the party shall transmit, within five academic days of the naming of the committee, a written statement of the grounds for this “challenge for cause” to the cognizant academic dean who shall rule on its merits and either retain or replace the committee member so challenged. Each committee member selected shall have the option of disqualifying him/herself from the Committee by stipulating reasons why he or she feels unable to deal with the grievance in an unbiased fashion.

Appendix D

Vice Provostal Grievance Committee Membership

The Vice Provostal Grievance Committee shall be comprised of no fewer than two faculty members and two undergraduate students (all from outside the cognizant academic department[s]) or a larger number of participants maintaining this same ratio. The departmental representatives comprising the Vice Provostal Grievance Pool shall be selected by the respective faculty and student constituencies in an appropriate democratic fashion, and in no case shall these representatives be appointed by the departmental or decanal administration. If deemed appropriate, the Vice Provostal Grievance Pool may also serve as the Vice Provostal Academic Integrity Pool.

The members of the Vice Provostal Grievance Pool and the Vice Provostal Grievance Committee shall be selected so that no member is involved in a disproportionate number of grievances. Each principal to the dispute shall have the option of requesting, without stipulating a reason, the replacement of one member of the committee appointed to hear the grievance. If any principal finds the replacement member inappropriate, the party shall transmit, within five academic days of the naming of the committee, a written statement of the grounds for this “challenge for cause” to the Vice Provost for Educational Affairs who shall rule on its merits and either retain or replace the committee member so challenged. Each committee member selected shall have the option of disqualifying him/herself from the committee by stipulating reasons why he or she feels unable to deal with the grievance in an unbiased fashion.

Panel Development

The Vice Provost for Educational Affairs shall encourage departments to nominate faculty and student representatives for the departmental and decanal pools and to encourage departments to facilitate development of faculty and student representatives in order to ensure a suitable pool of personnel for departmental, decanal, and Vice Provostal grievance hearings.