Policy

The Graduate Student Contract Grievance Board is composed of four members as follows: two faculty members of the Graduate Council appointed by the Chair of the Graduate Council, and two graduate students appointed by the President of the Graduate Student Senate. Each member of the Board will serve for a period of one year. In the event that a member of the Board is a representative of the college from which a grievance is being submitted for consideration by the Board, that member will be replaced by a representative from another college. Such changes in Board membership will be recommended by the Chairperson of the Grievance Board to the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies and the President of the Graduate Student Senate. The secretary of the Graduate Council will serve as non-voting secretary of the Grievance Board.

The Graduate Student Contract Grievance Board will consider only those cases which pertain to a graduate student's status as the holder of a Graduate Associate contract (such as teaching associate, graduate associate, etc., hereinafter referred to as contract personnel). Before the Graduate Student Contract Grievance Board will consider a grievance brought by contract personnel, he/she must have presented the grievance in writing and have fully discussed the grievance with the Chairperson of his/her departmental graduate committee or the Chairperson of the department, and with the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies without receiving satisfaction from either within a period of one month. Grievances of a purely academic nature should be referred to (a) the dean of the appropriate college (for grade appeals, or (b) the Office of Judiciaries (for academic misconduct).

All meetings of the Grievance Board will be held in closed sessions with only members and parties in a grievance present. Individuals and/or departments who are parties in a grievance heard by the Board will be present at all meetings of the Board at which evidence bearing on the grievance is to be heard. During the proceedings of the Board, either party will be permitted to have an academic advisor and/or legal counsel of his choice. The burden of proof regarding any grievance rests upon the individual or individuals bringing the grievance.

Individuals and/or departments of the University grievance heard by the Board will be given not less than one week nor more than one month to prepare for the hearing. All parties will be notified in writing as to the time and place of the hearing. All matters upon which a decision may be based must be introduced into evidence at the proceedings before the Board and decisions should be based solely on such matters.

A recorded and written summary will be made of all proceedings of the Board. The written summary of the proceedings and the recommendations of the Board will be submitted to the President of the University for final disposition. Information copies of the written summary and recommendation will also be sent to the contract personnel, the chairperson of his/her department, the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies and the Provost. A copy of the recording will be available upon request to any of the above named parties. The requesting party will bear the cost of the copy.

Interpretations of these procedures will be made jointly by the Graduate Council and the Graduate Student Senate. Alterations of these procedures may be proposed by the Graduate Council and the Graduate Student Senate acting jointly, through normal channels, for approval by the President.