Undergraduate Student Academic Grievance Process and Policy
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UToledo has an established undergraduate academic grievance policy and procedures, which are outlined below.
Read the Undergraduate Academic Grievance Policy and procedure.
What is an academic grievance?
The University recognizes a student's right to due process. An academic grievance is a complaint brought by a student regarding the University’s education and academic services.
Academic grievances must be based on a violation of a university rule, policy, or established practice.
Who Should Follow This Process/Policy?
The process and policy outlined on this web page is for all undergraduate students.
How Long Does A Student Have To File An Academic Grievance?
The student should discuss the grievance with the faculty member promptly. Normally, students wait until they receive a grade for the course before they approach the faculty member.
Timeframe by semester:
- For a grievance that occurs during the Fall semester, a grievance petition must be filed with the chair of the student grievance council no later than the last day of classes in the Spring semester
- For a grievance that occurs during the Spring semester, a grievance petition must be filed no later than the last day of classes in the final Summer session
- For a grievance that occurs during a Summer session, a grievance petition must be filed no later than the last day of classes in the Fall semester.
PROCEDURES
Follow these steps when pursuing an academic grievance:
STEP 1:
The student discusses the problem with the faculty member whom the student believes has taken improper action.
STEP 2:
If resolution is not achieved, the student discusses the problem with the chair of the faculty member’s department.
STEP 3: (optional)
If the student wishes, the student may seek informal counsel from the president of student government.
STEP 4:
If resolution is still not achieved, the student discusses the problem with the dean of the college or the college representative responsible for dealing with student academic grievances.
STEP 5:
If resolution is not achieved at the college level, the student needs to file a petition for academic grievance with the chair of the Student Grievance Council.
A petition form for academic grievance may be obtained by contacting the Student Grievance
Council Chair: Jennifer Joe
Phone number: 419-530-5094 Email: jennifer.joe@utoledo.edu
The aggrieved student prepares, alone or with assistance from the president of student government, a written a petition for academic grievances with the following information:
- student’s name,
- rocket number,
- semester,
- the course number and the section,
- the instructor name,
- written statement specifying the action that the student believes to have been improper,
- and any other information needed to explain the circumstances. Note faculty members will retain certain classroom and grading information for inspection by the student and the Student Grievance Council.
The student then dates and signs the petition and sends it directly (or through the president of student government) to the chair of the Student Grievance Council. The petition may be supplemented by other documents and/or personal testimony.
STEP 6:
The chair of the Student Grievance Council supplies copies of the grievance petition to:
- members of the council
- the faculty member whose action the student has questioned
- the chair of the faculty member’s department
- and the dean of the college
Any member of the council who has a conflict of interest in a particular case shall be disqualified from council deliberations and action on that case. The faculty senate has provided for the selection of an alternate faculty member or an alternate student member to serve in the absence of regular members.
STEP 7:
The Student Grievance Council requests the faculty member to reply to the council within a 10-school-day period with a written statement concerning the action referred to in the grievance petition. The statement may be supplemented by other documents and/or personal testimony. If the grievance refers to a course grade, the instructor should explain the components of the evaluation and their relative weight, supplying evidence such as papers and examinations if possible.
STEP 8:
After an initial meeting to review the information presented, members of the Student Grievance Council may ask the faculty member and/or the student to meet with the council for a confidential hearing. The council members may request testimony of other faculty and students.
The chair of the student grievance council shall make a formal recommendation, copies of which shall be sent to the student who filed the grievance, the faculty member, the chair of the faculty member’s department, and the dean of the college.
If the council members’ recommendation includes a request for action by the faculty member, the faculty member shall, within a 10-school-day period, inform the Student Grievance Council in writing of his or her response to that request. If the faculty member does not implement the recommendations of the student grievance council, the chair shall direct the executive vice president for academic affairs to do so.
What if the faculty member is away from the university?
If the student or the faculty member is not at the university during the semester in which a grievance petition must be filed and initial discussion between the student and faculty member is impossible, then the student submits a written grievance statement to the faculty member’s department chair.
This written statement then follows the same time frame and process as all other grievances.
Student Grievance Council:
The Student Grievance Council is a university committee appointed by the president or the president's designee. The Council is charged with protecting students' rights of freedom of expression and other rights in the classroom and against improper academic evaluation and improper disclosure. It does this by investigating and seeking to resolve academic grievances of individual students and by reporting to the Faculty Senate if any problem appears to require more than case-by-case action.
The council is composed of five faculty members and four student members, all voting members. Council members may be from the colleges with undergraduate programs and the University Libraries. Care should be taken when forming the council that a diversity of colleges is represented among its members.
Council appointments are for two year terms; all appointments are renewable.
Student Grievance Council Membership |
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| Name | College | Status |
| Jennifer Joe, Chair | University Libraries | faculty member |
| Alexus Maleiah Woodley | Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences | student member |
| Richard Becker | Natural Sciences & Mathematics | faculty member |
| Maria Coleman | Engineering | faculty member |
| Tavis Glassman | Health and Human Services | faculty member |
| Angelina Sanders | Judith Herb College of Education | student member |
| Cameron Prindle | John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation | student member |
| Lisa Kaiser | Engineering | student member |
| Sara Yaklin | Arts and Letters | faculty member |