Student Grievance Process

The director of graduate studies (DGS) is the first appropriate channel of redress for various kinds of grievances. If the complaint cannot be resolved by the DGS, the student may appeal to the department chair. The chair will hear the complaint, review all material and the DGS decision, and then uphold or overrule it in writing as the chair sees fit. If a student does not accept the departmental decision, s/he can appeal to the associate dean of the Graduate School. All documentation of the grievance will be required. The associate dean will make a judgment in writing to the student and department. If further appeal is desired, the student may request that the dean of the graduate school hear the case, OR appoint a Judicial Board to hear the case. By either route, this shall be the final avenue of appeal and the decision binding. 

If the student feels s/he will not receive a fair hearing in the department, or their grievance is such that raising it in the department could, in their view, jeopardize their graduate careers, they should go directly to the associate dean of the Graduate School. The Graduate School will protect the confidentiality of student complaints as fully as possible.