Level I: The objective of the Graduate Student Grievance Process (GSGP) is to achieve a fair and equitable
resolution of complaints or grievances at the earliest possible time at the lowest possible level. A graduate
student who elects to pursue a complaint or grievance through the GSGP must first attempt to resolve the issue
with the, faculty member, supervisory committee, or administrator involved. If the conflict remains unresolved,
the graduate student should make a written appeal to the department head or immediate supervisor, and, if
pertinent; with any relevant departmental faculty member or Departmental Grievance Committee. §Within
fifteen days of receipt of the written appeal, the department head or immediate supervisor will schedule a
meeting of a Departmental Grievance Committee, The department head will also notify the student and all
concerned faculty members of the date and time of the meeting of the Departmental Grievance Committee.
During the meeting of the Departmental Grievance Committee the students and relevant faculty members,
individually, may present pertinent information related to the dispute. Each side has twenty minutes to present
relevant facts about the case. Within seven days of the hearing, the Departmental Committee will produce a
written document that denotes the findings of the committee as well as recommended resolution(s). The
document should be signed by all participating parties to confirm their receipt. Copies of the signed document
will be provided to the complainant (via certified mail), relevant faculty members, and the College Dean in the
conflict resolution session. The official copy shall be sent to the Graduate School to be retained in the student's
file.
NOTE: If the complaint involves the department head or chair, the student should discuss the conflict with their
respective College Dean who will appoint another faculty member within the student’s department or from a
related area to discuss the problem. The outcome of this conflict resolution process shall be a written document.
The document should be signed by all participating parties to confirm their receipt. Copies of the signed
document will be provided to the complainant (via certified mail), relevant faculty members, and College Dean
in the conflict resolution session. The official copy shall be sent to the Graduate School to be retained in the
student's file. §Departmental Grievance Committees usually consist of at least 3 graduate faculty members from
the department or a related department and the Director of Institutional Research who will serve in an ex-officio
capacity. Departmental Grievance Committees may also but are not required to contain at least one student.
Grievances filed by students on the Departmental level must-contain a letter outlining the problem as well as the
student's suggested resolution.
Level II: If the student is not satisfied with the outcome within the Department and wishes to appeal the
decision, he or she must petition, within ten days of receipt of the conflict resolution letter by providing
notification to the respective College Dean. Notification must be made in the form of a letter that details the
issue(s) in question as well as the student’s suggested resolution. Upon receipt of the letter, the College Dean
will notify the student in writing, within fifteen days, informing him or her of the date and time of a college-
level hearing. College-Level Grievance Committees will consist of at least three faculty from the College (to
exclude faculty from the department or class from which the issue arose), the College Dean or their designee
(who will serve as chair), and the Director of Institutional Research. The Committee may also include one or
two graduate students from the College (excluding students from the department or class from which the issue
arose). College-Level Grievance Committees (CLGC) may decide to conduct a further review of the case, with
the option of calling in parties to the dispute. The College Dean will, in that case, solicit documents pertinent to
the case (at a minimum, the original grievance to the department, documentation used by the department reports
relevant to the case). The Dean of Graduate Studies, or his or her designee, will be present at all College-Level
Grievance Committee meetings. The College-level Grievance Committee releases the results of its findings
within ten days of holding its meeting. The College Dean will notify the student (via certified mail), and the
department chair of the Committee’s verdict. The official copy of the decision shall be sent to the Graduate
School to be retained in the student’s file.
NOTE: The Director of Institutional Research serves as an ex-officio member. The role of the Director of
Institutional Research’s participation is to ensure that all decisions rendered by College-level committees, fall
within SACS accreditation guidelines.