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Women's Studies Department

Grade Grievance Procedures for the Department of Women's Studies
(May 1975)
(Revised: June 1982)
(Reaffirmed: September 1986)

The student at her/his option, should communicate in writing with the instructor of the course in question, stating her/his reasons for requesting a change in grade. This written complainant must be filed immediately after the supposed abuse.

The instructor must reply promptly (in seven days). She/he may reply in writing, stating her/his reasons for the assignment of the grade in question or in an informal discussion at a meeting called by a director or associate director. In either case, the chosen arrangement must be confirmed in writing.

If the differences cannot be resolved informally, a departmental review committee will proceed promptly (within two weeks) to a formal review. The departmental review committee will be named by a director or associate director and constituted of two student representatives, two instructors, and a director or associate director. Departmental reviews will be held at a time convenient for all participants.

All disputed course work and correspondence should be available to student, instructor, and members of the review committee. It is the student's responsibility to produce the original copy of all disputed course work and the instructor's responsibility to produce all grading records. The instructor and the complainant should appear before the committee at the same time.

The review committee should judge the complaint on the basis of testimony and written evidence. If the review committee finds that the instructor has not acted fairly or properly, it should attempt to persuade the instructor to change the grade. If the instructor should refuse to do so, on grounds of academic freedom, the review committee can recommend administrative action which will remove the grade by other means, or it may prepare a letter setting forth its view to be sent to the student and entered in her/his file. If the review committee finds that the instructor has acted properly, it should so inform the complainant in writing.

A report stating what procedures were followed and what decision was reached should be sent to the Office of the Assistant Dean for Student Academic Affairs, 1402 Mason Hall Angell, within a week.