Definitions and Concepts
Reasonable and Customary Academic Judgment
Faculty and academic administrators are said to be exercising “reasonable and customary judgment” when they are faithfully following published criteria and procedures. Reasonable and customary judgments also include those academic decisions made within a faculty member’s recognized areas of expertise.
When an academic administrator decides at Step II of this policy, that a faculty member’s decision was “reasonable and customary,” and thus not qualifying for appeal, the student will be so advised. A student may appeal the administrator’s decision by complying with Step III of this policy. The faculty governance units at that level may sustain the Step II decision or ask the administrator to review the initial appeal.
Academic Policies and Procedures
The Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog is the primary source of published academic and admissions standards. Additionally, institutional and college generated student guides and handbooks, program/course guides (which students have access to) and faculty generated course syllabi are also sources of documented academic standards. Verifiable, in-class verbal instructions relative to grading criteria/assignments may be considered in an appeals process; however, faculty are cautioned that primary consideration will be given to documented instructions and that decisions influenced by other than published criteria are subject to review in accordance with this policy.
A policy or procedure may not be appealed; only appeals based on academic decisions under a policy and procedure may be heard. This does not prevent students from petitioning for reform of academic policies and procedures outside of the academic appeals process. In such cases, the student should be directed to the individual or academic unit responsible for developing the decision in question.
An Academic Unit
For this policy, an academic unit is defined as a division, department, program or other subdivision of a college.
Academic Administrators
Academic administrators include the Senior Academic Officer (Provost and Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Faculty Development), the college deans and the individual college department heads, program director or administrator designated by the college deans, all of whom are responsible for academic decision makers (other administrators [registrar, admissions, etc.], faculty and staff) who administer the faculty generated admissions standards and academic standards. At the college department/program level, the administrator must have responsibility for the curriculum/program in which the student (appellant) was enrolled at the time of the academic decision under appeal; this academic administrator will attempt to resolve contested academic decisions at Steps II of the appeals process.
Academic Decisions
An academic decision is a decision made by a faculty member; a faculty admissions team; a faculty governance unit; an academic administrator (as defined above); or by an academic agency staff member (i.e. registrar, admissions, assessment) acting in accordance with academic policies and procedures.
Discriminatory Practices
In order for an academic decision to be appealed on discriminatory grounds, the student must contend in writing, that the decision was influenced by factor(s) that relate to any of the parties involved being a member of a protected class. Protected classes are defined in federal and state laws and regulations or in University policies.
For more information about protected classes, please go to eeoc.gov/laws/types.