Grievance Procedures: Scope & Coverage

Definition of a Grievance

A grievance may arise when a graduate student believes that his/her status as a graduate student, or university appointment based on student status, has been adversely affected by an incorrect or inappropriate decision or behavior. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Inappropriate application of a department, College, or University policy;
2. Being unfairly assessed on a preliminary committee;
3. Being required to engage in excessive effort on assistantships;
4. Being improperly terminated from student-based University appointment (teaching or research assistantships, etc.);
5. Being improperly terminated from a program;
6. Being required to perform personal services unrelated to academic or assistantship duties;
7. Being required to meet unreasonable requirements for a graduate degree that extend the normal requirements established by the campus or by the department/College and are inconsistent with the scholarly standards in the discipline;
8. Being the subject of retaliation for exercising his/her rights under this policy; or
9. Being the subject of professional misconduct by a student’s graduate supervisor or other faculty or staff member.

Practices or actions by a student’s supervisor, other faculty member, or other member of the University community that seriously deviate from ethical or responsible professional standards in the supervision of graduate student work may constitute professional misconduct in violation of University policy.