The ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Faculty Senate passed the following at its Meeting # 89 on September
27, 1999:
MOTION APPROVED (unanimous)
==============
The ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Faculty Senate moves to amend the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Grade Appeals Policy as
indicated below.
EFFECTIVE: Immediately
RATIONALE: These proposed changes to the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Grade
Appeals Policy are intended to bring Senate policy in
compliance with the new Board of Regent's policy and
University Regulations.
[[ ]] = Deletion
CAPS = Additions
ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ GRADE APPEALS POLICY
I. Introduction
The University of ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ is committed to the ideal of academic
freedom and so recognizes that the assignment of grades is a
faculty responsibility. Therefore, the University administration
shall not influence or affect an assigned grade or the review of an
assigned grade.
The following procedures are designed to provide a means for
students to seek review of final course grades alleged to be
arbitrary and capricious. Before taking formal action, a student
must attempt to resolve the issue informally with the instructor of
the course. A student who files a written request for review under
the following procedures shall be expected to abide by the final
disposition of the review, as provided below, and may not seek
further review of the matter under any other procedure within the
university.
II. Definitions
A. A "grade" refers to final letter grades A, B, C, D, F, [[NB ]]
and Pass. The I (incomplete) designates a temporary grade,
FOR ONE YEAR not a final grade, so it is not subject to appeal
UNTIL IT BECOMES FINAL.
B. For the purpose of this procedure, "arbitrary and
capricious" grading means:
1. the assignment of a course grade to a student on
some basis other than performance in the course, or
2. the assignment of a course grade to a student by
resorting to standards different from those which were
applied to other students in that course, or
3. the assignment of a course grade by a substantial,
unreasonable and unannounced departure from the
instructor's previously articulated standards.
C. "Grading errors" denotes errors in the calculation of
grades rather than errors in judgment.
D. [[All references to duration in "days" refers to university
working days, which exclude weekends, holidays and days in
which the university is officially closed.]] AS USED IN THE
SCHEDULE FOR REVIEW OF ACADEMIC DECISIONS, A CLASS DAY
IS ANY DAY OF SCHEDULED INSTRUCTION, EXCLUDING SATURDAY
AND SUNDAY, INCLUDED ON THE ACADEMIC CALENDAR IN
EFFECT AT THE TIME OF A REVIEW. FINAL EXAMINATION
PERIODS ARE COUNTED AS CLASS DAYS.
E. "Department head" for the purposes of this policy denotes
the administrative head of the academic unit offering the
course (e.g., head, chair or coordinator of an academic
department, or the campus director if the faculty member is in
the College of Rural ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ).
F. THE "DEAN/DIRECTOR" IS THE ADMINISTRATIVE HEAD OF
THE COLLEGE OR SCHOOL OFFERING THE COURSE OR PROGRAM
FROM WHICH THE ACADEMIC DECISION OR ACTION ARISES.
FOR STUDENTS AT EXTENDED CAMPUSES THE DIRECTOR OF
THE CAMPUS MAY SUBSTITUTE FOR THE DEAN/DIRECTOR OF
THE UNIT OFFERING THE COURSE OR PROGRAM.
G. "FINAL GRADE" FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS POLICY IS THE
GRADE ASSIGNED FOR A COURSE UPON ITS COMPLETION.
H. A "GRADING ERROR" IS A MATHEMATICAL MISCALCULATION
OF A FINAL GRADE OR AN INACCURATE RECORDING OF THE FINAL
GRADE.
I. THE NEXT REGULAR SEMESTER IS THE FALL OR SPRING
SEMESTER FOLLOWING THAT IN WHICH THE DISPUTED ACADEMIC
DECISION WAS MADE. FOR EXAMPLE, IT WOULD BE THE FALL
SEMESTER FOR A FINAL GRADE ISSUED FOR A COURSE COMPLETED
DURING THE PREVIOUS SPRING SEMESTER OR SUMMER SESSION.
THE SPRING SEMESTER IS THE NEXT REGULAR SEMESTER FOR AN
ACADEMIC DECISION MADE DURING THE PREVIOUS FALL SEMESTER.
III. Procedures
A. Errors by an instructor in determining and recording a
grade or by the university staff in transcribing the grade are
sources of error that can be readily corrected through the
student's prompt attention following the normal change of
grade procedure.
1. It is a student's obligation to notify the instructor
of any possible error immediately by the most direct
means available. If this is through an oral conversation
and/or the issue is not immediately resolved, it is the
student's responsibility to provide the instructor with a
signed, written request for review of the grade, with a
copy to the unit department head and the dean of the
college or school in which the course was offered.
2. Notification must be received by the instructor
and/or department head within [[20]] 15 days from the
first day of instruction of the next regular semester
(i.e., fall semester for grade issued at the end of the
previous spring semester or summer session; spring
semester for grade issued at the end of the previous
fall semester).
3. The instructor is responsible for notifying the
student in writing of his or her final judgment
concerning the grade in question within [[10]] 5 days
of receipt of the request, and for promptly submitting
the appropriate change of grade form to the Director
of Admissions and Records if an error occurred.
4. If the student does not receive a response from the
instructor or the unit department head by the required
deadline, the student must seek the assistance of the
dean of the college or school in which the course was
offered.
5. If the instructor is no longer an employee of the
university or is otherwise unavailable, the student must
bring the matter to the attention of the unit department
head who will make every effort to contact the
instructor BY THE 15TH CLASS DAY OF THE NEXT REGULAR
SEMESTER..
a. If the instructor can not be contacted but
course records are available, the department head
WILL EFFECT RESOLUTION WITHIN 5 CLASS DAYS OF
NOTIFICATION BY THE STUDENT. THE DEPARTMENT
HEAD may correct a grading error through the
regular change of grade process on behalf of the
instructor.
b. If the instructor can not be contacted and
course records are either unavailable or
indecisive, the student may request a review
following the procedure outlined below.
c. If the instructor can be contacted and elects
to participate, then a constructive participation
is to be welcomed by the review committee. The
procedures of Paragraph III.A.5.a. or Paragraph
III.A.5.b. will be instituted if the instructor
withdraws from participation.
6. There may be extenuating circumstances when the
deadlines cannot be met due to illness, mail disruption,
or other situations over which the student may have no
control. In such a case, upon request from the student,
the dean of students, after review of supporting
documentation provided by the student, may recommend
to the grade appeals committee that the deadlines be
adjusted accordingly. An extension of the deadline will
be limited to one semester but every effort should be
made to complete the appeal process within the current
semester.
B. If no such error occurred, the remaining option is by
review for alleged arbitrary and capricious grading, or for
instances where the course instructor is unavailable and
satisfaction is not forthcoming from the appropriate
department head.
1. This review is initiated by the student through a
signed, written request to the department head with a
copy to the dean of the college or school in which the
course was offered.
a. The student's request for review may be
submitted using university forms specifically
designed for this purpose and available at the
Admissions and Records Office.
b. By submitting a request for a review, the
student acknowledges that no additional
mechanisms exist within the university for the
review of the grade, and that the university's
administration can not influence or affect the
outcome of the review.
c. The request for a review must be received
no later than [[45]] 20 days after the first day
of instruction in the next regular semester (i.e.,
fall semester for grade issued at the end of the
previous spring semester or summer session;
spring semester for grade issued at the end of
the previous fall semester). OR WITHIN 5 DAYS
OF RECIPT OF NOTIFICATION OF THE PROCESS BY
THE DEAN/DIRECTOR OF THE COLLEGE OR SCHOOL
IN WHICH THE COURSE WAS OFFERED.
d. The request must detail the basis for the
allegation that a grade was improper and the
result of arbitrary and capricious grading and
must present the relevant evidence.
2. It is the responsibility of the department head to
formally notify both the instructor who issued the grade
and the dean of the unit's college or school that a
request for a review of grade has been received.
3. If the instructor of the course is also the
department head, the Dean of the College will designate
another department head within the college to act as the
department's representative for all proceedings. If the
instructor of the course is also the Dean of the College,
the Provost will designate another Dean within the
University to act as the college's monitor of all
proceedings.
4. The dean will appoint a 5 member review
committee composed of the following:
a. One tenure-track faculty member from the
academic unit in which the course was offered
(other than the instructor of the course).
b. Two tenure-track faculty members from
within the college or school but outside of the
unit in which the course was offered. If
available, one of these two members will be
selected from the members of the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Faculty
Appeals and Oversight Committee.
c. One tenure track faculty member from
outside the college or school in which the course
was offered. If available, this member is to be
selected from the members of the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Faculty
Appeals and Oversight Committee.
d. [[At the option of the student whose grade is
being reviewed, t]] The fifth member to be appointed
by the dean will be a NON-VOTING student
REPRESENTATIVE. [[or another tenure track
faculty member outside the college or school
in which the course was offered. If the fifth
member is a faculty member, this member will be
selected from the members of the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Faculty
Appeals and Oversight Committee if one is
available.]]
e. The campus judicial officer or his/her
designee shall serve as a nonvoting facilitator
for grade appeals hearings. This individual
shall serve in an advisory role to help preserve
consistent hearing protocol and records.
5. The committee must schedule a mutually agreeable
date, time and location for the appeal hearing within 10
working days of receipt of the student's request.
a. During this and subsequent meetings, all
parties involved shall protect the confidentiality
of the matter according to the provisions of the
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
and any other applicable federal, state or
university policies.
b. Throughout the proceedings, the committee
will encourage a mutually agreeable resolution.
c. The mandatory first item of business at this
meeting is for the committee to rule on the
validity of the student's request. Grounds for
dismissal of the request for review are:
1) This is not the first properly
prepared request for appeal of the
particular grade.
2) The actions of the instructor do not
constitute arbitrary and capricious
grading, as defined herein.
3) The request was not made within the
policy deadlines.
4) The student has not taken prior
action to resolve the grade conflict with
the instructor, as described under section III, A.
d. In the event that the committee votes to
dismiss the request, a written notice of dismissal
must be forwarded to the student, instructor,
department head and dean within five days of the
decision, and will state clearly the reasoning for
the dismissal of the request.
6. Acceptance for consideration of the student's
request will result in the following:
a. A request for and receipt of a formal
response from the instructor to the student's
allegation.
b. A second meeting scheduled to meet within
10 days of the decision to review the request.
1) The student and instructor will be
invited to attend the meeting.
2) The meeting will be closed to outside
participation, and neither the student nor
instructor may be accompanied by an
advocate or representative. Other matters
of format will be announced in advance.
3) The proceedings will be tape recorded
and the tapes will be stored with the
campus Judicial Officer.
4) The meeting must be informal, non-
confrontational and fact-finding, where
both the student and instructor may
provide additional relevant and useful
information and can provide clarification
of facts for materials previously
submitted.
7. The final decision of the committee will be made in
private by a majority vote.
[[a. The committee is not authorized to award a
grade (letter or pass/fail) or take any action
with regard to the instructor.]]
[[b.]] a. Actions which the committee can take if it
accepts the student's allegation of arbitrary and
capricious grading must be directed towards a fair
and just resolution, and may include, but are not
limited to, the following:
1) direct the instructor to grade again
the student's work under the supervision
of the department head,
2) direct the instructor to administer a
new final examination and/or paper in the
course,
3) direct a change of the student's
registration status (i.e., withdrawn,
audit, dropped) in the course.
B. THE ACADEMIC DECISION REVIEW COMMITTEE
PROCEEDINGS WILL RESULT IN THE PREPARATION
OF WRITTEN FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS.
CONCLUSIONS WILL RESULT IN ONE OF THE
FOLLOWING:
1) THE REQUEST FOR A GRADE CHANGE IS
DENIED.
2) THE REQUEST FOR A GRADE CHANGE IS
UPHELD; THE REVIEW COMMITTEE REQUESTS
THE COURSE INSTRUCTOR TO CHANGE THE
GRADE; AND THE COURSE INSTRUCTOR
CHANGES THE GRADE IN ACCORDANCE WITH
MAU RULES AND PROCEDURES.
3) THE REQUEST FOR A GRADE CHANGE IS
UPHELD; THE COURSE INSTRUCTOR IS EITHER
UNAVAILABLE TO CHANGE THE GRADE OR
REFUSES TO, AND THE REVIEW COMMITTEE
DIRECTS THE DEAN/DIRECTOR TO INITIATE THE
PROCESS SPECIFIED BY MAU RULES AND
PROCEDURES TO CHANGE THE GRADE TO THAT
SPECIFIED BY THE REVIEW COMMITTEE.
c. A formal, written report of the decision must
be forwarded to the student, instructor,
department head, dean and Director of Admissions
and Records within five days of the meeting.
d. The decision of the committee is final.
The ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Faculty Senate passed the following at its Meeting # 89 on September
27, 1999:
MOTION APPROVED AS AMENDED (unanimous)
=========================
The ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Faculty Senate moves to amend the Graduate Student
Admission requirements as follows:
[[ ]] = Deletions
CAPS = Additions
Graduate Admission Requirements:
You may be admitted to graduate status if you have a bachelor's degree
from an accredited institution with at least a 3.0 ("B") cumulative grade
point average in your undergraduate studies, and a 3.0 ("B") average in
your major, and the major is deemed suitable for continuation of studies
in the field of choice. SOME PROGRAMS REQUIRE THE GRE OR GMAT AND
OTHER SPECIAL CRITERIA FOR ADMISSION OF STUDENT'S TO THEIR
PROGRAM.
Results of the Graduate Examinations (GRE & GMAT)--Results of the GRE
OR GMAT are required from all applicants IF THEIR UNDERGRADUATE GPA IS
BELOW 3.0 AND THEY ARE SEEKING SPECIAL ADMISSION. [[except those
applying for the MBA program. If you are applying to the MBA program,
you are required to submit scores from the GMAT.]] Refer to the
admission requirements of the specific degree program for which you are
applying to determine what other tests might be required.
EFFECTIVE: Fall 2000
RATIONALE: The GRE and GMAT has become more difficult
to administer in ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ resulting in an increasing number
of waivers.
UA