Academic Related Appeals Process

All grade related appeals will be handled in the manner provided below and will apply to both graduate and undergraduate appeals.

Formal appeals must be filed within thirty (30) calendar days of the aggrieved incident. However, before a formal appeal is filed, the student should first attempt to solve the problem on an informal basis utilizing the following procedure:

1. The student should speak to the instructor with whom he/she has a complaint.
2. Should step one not provide a satisfactory resolution of the issue, the student should schedule a mediation meeting with the Coordinator of Student/Faculty Relations.
3. Only after the above steps have been followed should the student request that the Coordinator of Student / Faculty Relations notify the applicable Department Chair or Division Chair that steps one and two have not resolved the problem.
4. The student should write a letter to the applicable Department Chair or Division Chair carefully describing the reason(s) for his/her complaint. This letter should clearly state what circumstance has created the aggrieved incident and what redress the student seeks.

Within fourteen (14) calendar days of the receipt of the written complaint, the Coordinator of Student / Faculty Relations will refer the matter to the Faculty Resources and Development Committee (FRDC). The chair of FRDC will appoint an ad hoc Appeals Committee to hear the appeal consisting of three of its members and two students appointed by the Associated Students of University of Providence. In the matter of graduate student appeals, students will be graduate students. This Appeals Committee will choose a chair from among its members. In cases of conflict(s) of interest, the chair of FRDC will recruit faculty members from outside FRDC. The Coordinator of Student/Faculty Relations will facilitate the process and serve as a non-voting Hearing Officer in academic related appeals.

The hearing should take place within 14 days of the committee appointment. The parties must mutually agree on any extensions.

At least seven (7) calendar days in advance of the hearing, the Hearing Officer will notify all parties involved in the appeal of:

1. The time and place of the hearing
2. The nature of the complaint
3. The composition of the committee

At least 48 hours prior to the hearing each party will:

1. Provide the Hearing Officer with all pertinent documentation.
2. Provide a list of witnesses if either party chooses to call witnesses. A list of these witnesses will be provided to the appeals committee when documentation is provided. Each witness must provide a written statement to the committee no less than 48 hours prior to the hearing.
3. The student will name a faculty advocate (typically the Faculty Advisor) to attend the hearing with the student to help the student prepare for the hearing. If the student does not select a faculty advocate, then one will be assigned by the hearing officer.

During the Hearing

1. All parties are permitted to be accompanied by someone for the purpose of support and advice. That person will not be allowed to offer testimony to the committee. In addition, that person may not address the committee or otherwise participate in the hearing process.
2. The Chair will call witnesses at the appropriate time and dismiss them after completing their testimony.
3. Both parties will be in the hearing room at the same time.
4. Procedure¹
   1. A maximum of 10 minutes is allowed for student
   2. A maximum of 5 minutes is allowed for each student witness
   3. A maximum of 10 minutes is allowed for instructor
   4. A maximum of 5 minutes is allowed for each instructor witness
   5. A maximum of 5 minutes student is allowed for rebuttal
   6. A maximum of 5 minutes is allowed for instructor rebuttal
5. An audio recording will be made of all testimony.

¹

Committee members may ask questions at any time during the hearing. Their questions and answers are not included in the time limits listed above.

Appeals Committee hearings are private and all parties will be dismissed while the committee deliberates. Only committee members who have heard all of the evidence may vote. Within ten (10) calendar days of the hearing’s conclusion, the Coordinator of Student/Faculty Relations will forward its findings in writing to all parties concerned including the applicable Department Chair or Division Chair. The committee’s decision is final.

All proceedings and findings of the Appeals Committee are confidential. Committee members’ individual notes will be collected and destroyed at the end of proceedings. No record is made of the closed session deliberations of the committee. The applicable Department Chair or Division Chair and the Coordinator of Student / Faculty Relations will securely store the reports for a period of six years after which they will be destroyed.

Failure to Appear

If a student fails to respond to three communications (in the form of written notification, telephone, e-mail, or oral requests) attempting to schedule a meeting, or fails to attend a scheduled meeting, a decision based upon available information may be rendered in absentia.