GRIEVANCE POLICY
Although
rare, disagreements can arise that may affect a student's progress towards
the completion of the degree. The parties involved in such a dispute
should make a good faith effort to discuss and resolve the disagreement.
The following guidelines may be helpful.
Step 1.
Identify the problem; clearly define what happened and what you perceive
is needed to resolve the issue.
Step
2. Approach the other person or group involved with the dispute
one-on-one. Set up a mutually agreeable time to talk; listen and ask to be
listened to; use "I" statements when speaking; avoid assigning blame or
leveling accusations.
Step 3.
If these steps do not culminate in a resolution, the parties involved with
the dispute should agree to approach an impartial third party, a
mediator, who will respect confidentiality and with whom the situation
can be discussed. The Program Director will suggest such a third party if
asked. The mediator may be able to help the parties involved reach a
resolution.
Step 4.
If no resolution is found then you may submit the disagreement to the
Graduate Program for arbitration. Please follow these procedures:
a)
Each party in the dispute should submit a written description of
the disagreement to the Program Director and the Chair. Please include a
description of the actions taken to resolve the dispute to date and the
name of the mediator who was involved.
b)
The Graduate Program Director will review the written documents.
This group will make a determination as to whether or not the disagreement
is Program-related and thus appropriate for arbitration at the Program
level.
c)
If the dispute is found to be Program-related, the Graduate Program
Director, together with the Graduate Program Admissions and Advisory
Committee, will act as an arbitrator. If the dispute involves the Program
Director or any member of the Program Admissions and Advisory Committee,
then that individual will be excused from the deliberations.
The Committee may request additional information from the parties
involved. The Program Director and the Admissions and Advisory Committee
will meet to discuss the problem within 14 calendar days following receipt
of the written document or following the receipt of any additional
materials. In the event that a quorum of the Committee is not available
within this time period, the Committee will meet as soon thereafter as a
quorum can be gathered. The Committee may also ask the parties in the
dispute to appear before the committee to provide additional information.
d)
The result of the Committee's deliberations will be communicated in
writing to the parties involved in the dispute within seven (7) calendar
days after the meeting.
Step 5.
To Chair for final review of arbitration before proceeding to Appeals
Board.
If a
party involved in the dispute is not satisfied with the outcome of the
arbitration process, an appeal may be submitted to the Graduate School
Appeals Board. Please see page 24-26 of the Graduate Student Handbook for
specific information about the appeals process.