Formal Student Academic Grievance Meeting Procedures
Step One: Preliminary Committee Meeting
- The Preliminary Committee Meeting provides background information and ensures that
committee members understand the student's written academic grievance and procedures
to be followed at the Student Academic Grievance Meeting.
- The Chair:
- Establishes the time and place of the meeting.
- Directs the committee secretary to ensure that the student and the faculty member
receive copies of the student's written academic grievance, the faculty member's written
response, and the report from the dean.
- Schedules a Preliminary Committee Meeting of the Academic Standards Committee within
ten (10) academic calendar days of being directed to convene the Formal Academic Grievance
Meeting.
- Ensures through the Facilitator that, if there are questions the committee wants clarified
by the student and/or faculty, the student and/or faculty have a chance to respond
in writing prior to the Formal Academic Grievance Meeting.
- The Facilitator:
- Provides the documentation that then becomes the complete academic grievance file.
- Attends this meeting and provides a step-by-step briefing of the student’s academic
grievance procedure.
- The Secretary:
- Supplies each committee member with a copy of the complete academic grievance file,
which is confidential.
- Collects the file at the end of the meeting.
- Reading copies will be made available to committee members in the Office of the Vice
President of Student Services or through other secure methods.
- All committee members:
- Are expected to attend all meetings related to the academic grievance.
- A quorum of the members must be present to proceed.
- If a member cannot attend all meetings or has a conflict of interest, that department
sends a surrogate.
- The surrogate becomes the department representative for the academic grievance meetings
and any subsequent student appeal meetings.
- The surrogate is defined as someone who has read and understands the student academic
grievance file.
- Are informed of the nature of the formal academic grievance. Questions may be prepared
for the Academic Grievance Meeting.
- Review the procedures used in the assignment of the grade but not the actual grade
assigned.
Step Two: Student Academic Grievance Meeting
- The Formal Student Academic Grievance Meeting is held within five (5) academic calendar
days of the Preliminary Committee Meeting at a time that considers the needs of the
student, faculty member, facilitator, and the committee members.
- The meeting is a closed meeting and is not considered a formal hearing. The proceedings
of the student initiated academic grievance remain closed unless all parties agree
to an open proceeding. No recording of the proceeding is allowed.
- Attending the meeting are: all members or surrogates of the Academic Standards Committee
who were present at the Preliminary Committee meeting, Facilitator, student, faculty
member concerned (if the faculty member chooses to attend), any supporting witnesses
to the event being grieved as requested by the student, the faculty member, or the
committee, and any additional people called to assist the committee in reaching a
prompt, fair resolution of the academic grievance, will also attend during their testimony.
- The committee secretary provides each committee member with a copy of the complete
academic grievance file. The files are returned to the secretary at the conclusion
of the meeting.
- All committee members who attended the preliminary committee meeting are to attend
this meeting.
- The Facilitator updates the committee on the academic grievance and remains to assist
the student through the process.
- The student is invited in to explain the academic grievance. The committee may ask
questions for clarification. Upon completion of the question and answer period, the
student and facilitator are excused.
- The faculty member [if present] is invited in to respond to the student’s academic
grievance. The committee may ask questions for clarification. Upon completion of the
question and answer period, the faulty member is excused.
Step Three: Academic Grievance Decision
- After the committee has heard the academic grievance, it arrives at a decision prior
to adjournment.
- Each member of the committee votes as the representative of their area. The chair
votes as the representative of their department.
- The vote is by secret ballot.
- A decision passes by a simple majority vote of members present.
- A tie vote means the same number of members has voted in the affirmative as in the
negative. Since a majority vote is required to pass a motion, an equal or tie vote
means that because it failed to receive a majority vote the motion is lost [Sturgis
128].
- The Vice President of Student Services writes the letter informing the student and
the faculty member of the committee’s decision within five (5) academic calendar days
of the decision.
- Copies of the decision are provided to the student, named faculty member, Academic
Standards Committee Secretary, Facilitator, Department Chair, Division Dean, Vice
President of Student Services, and Vice President of Instruction.
Step Four: Academic Grievance Solution
When the committee finds in favor of the student:
- In accordance with the LCC Faculty Contract: Faculty Rights Section; faculty members
of the Academic Standards Committee consult with the instructor of record and determine
a grade.
- Subsequently, the Chair acting as the representative of the faculty members of the
Academic Standards Committee directs the Registration Office to change the grade on
the student’s transcript.
- The Registrar sends the student an updated transcript.
Step Five: Student Appeal of Committee Decision
- Students may not appeal a decision of the committee by resubmitting a Student Academic
Grievance Petition form without additional new information that may affect the previous
decision.
Step Six: Student Appeal of Due Process
- A student with an appeal of due process:
- Appeals the due process of the committee to the Vice President of Instruction within
five (5) academic calendar days of receiving the letter from the Vice President of
Student Services.
- Informs the Vice President of Student Services of the decision to appeal.
- Prepares a written appeal to the Vice President of Instruction stating why the decision
of the Academic Standards Committee did not provide due process during the academic
grievance meeting.
- The Facilitator assists the student through the appeal process.
- The Vice President of Student Services:
- Informs the previously assigned Facilitator who assists the student through the appeal
process.
- Informs the Vice President of Instruction of the appeal and provides the Vice President
with a copy of the student’s academic grievance file.
- Acts as the liaison between the Vice President of Instruction and the Academic Standards
Committee.
- Reviews the Academic Grievance Meeting proceedings to ensure that the student received
due process through the academic grievance proceedings.
- The Vice President of Instruction determines whether due process has been met and
so informs the Vice President of Student Services. If the Vice President of Instruction
determines due process has not been met, the Vice President of Instruction informs
the Vice President of Student Services, who informs the chair of the Academic Standards
Committee.
- The chair reconvenes the committee within ten (10) days of being informed that due
process has not been met.
- The committee reviews the academic grievance and takes the appropriate steps to correct
the due process deficiencies.
- The Vice President of Instruction reviews the actions of the committee.
- The Vice President of Student Services informs the student and the faculty member
of the decision within five (5) academic calendar days.
- Copies of the decision are provided to the student, named faculty member, Academic
Standards Committee, Facilitator, Department Chair, Division Dean, Vice President
of Student Services, and Vice President of Instruction.
- Upon resolution of student’s right to due process, no further student appeal within
the college is provided.