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Grade Challenges

Students who think that their work has been improperly evaluated or who think that they have been unfairly treated in any academic decision may use the following grievance procedures.

If you cannot resolve the issue using steps 1 and 2 below, you MUST complete one of the Challenges to Academic Decisions forms below and submit it to the Provost along with your written petition.

Please note:  For the purposes of a grade challenge the "next semester" does not include the summer term.  If the grade was issued in the spring term, the next semester is the following fall term.

Undergraduate Student Procedure:

  1. A student must first contact and hold a personal conference with the appropriate faculty member, administrator, or decision-making unit involved no later than twenty-one (21) calendar days after the first class day of the next semester (at the off-campus centers, ten (10) days after grades are received) to see if the problem(s) can be resolved.

  2. If the problem cannot be resolved through action 1, and if the student wishes to proceed further, he or she must submit a written explanation of the problem to the chair of the appropriate division or school, who will attempt to assist the student and the faculty member, administrator, or decision-making unit in bringing the problem to a satisfactory conclusion. If the chair of the division or school is being named in the petition, the student shall proceed to step 3 of the process. This step shall be completed within fifteen (15) calendar days following the completion of step 1

  3. If the problem cannot be resolved through action 2, and if the student wishes to proceed further, he or she must submit a written petition to the Provost, who will attempt to assist the student, the faculty member, administrator, or decision- making unit, and the chair of the division or school in bringing the problem to a satisfactory conclusion. This step shall be completed within fifteen (15) calendar days following completion of step 1 and/or step 2 as appropriate

  4. If the problem cannot be resolved through action 3, and if the student wishes to proceed further, he or she must submit a written petition to the Undergraduate Council through its chairperson, the Associate Provost for Curriculum. The student submitting the petition has a right to appear before the Committee, as does the faculty member, administrator, or decision-making unit. The Undergraduate Council will designate the time and place for the meeting. The student has the right of counsel at the hearing, including legal counsel, to act as an advisor, but the student must represent himself/herself. (An education major appealing a matter pertaining to the teacher education program may, however, be represented by legal counsel speaking on behalf of the student.) This step shall be completed within thirty (30) calendar days following the completion of step 3. Records of these proceedings will be recorded as provided by the provisions stipulated in the McKendree University Student Handbook, section 2.00 Records.

A simple majority vote of the Undergraduate Council will constitute a decision. The voting will be by secret ballot. The Associate Provost for Curriculum, who serves as Chairperson of the Undergraduate Council, chair of the division or school, and any member of the Undergraduate Council who is named in the petition, shall not be entitled to vote on the matter. Parties involved in the dispute may not be in attendance whenever the Undergraduate Council discusses and votes on the complaint. Within five (5) calendar days of the meeting, the parties involved in the dispute shall receive written notification of the decision of the Undergraduate Council.

Within fourteen (14) calendar days from the date that the parties involved are informed of the committee’s decision, either party may appeal the committee’s decision to the President of the university. The President has the authority to rule in favor of the appealing party or accept the committee’s decision. However, if the President decides to rule in favor of the appealing party, the President shall schedule a meeting with the Undergraduate Council to discuss the rationale for the ruling. The appealing party may be present at this meeting. This meeting shall take place before official notification of the President’s decision is provided in writing to the parties involved. Within fourteen (14) calendar days the President shall provide the parties involved with official notification of the decision.

Every effort shall be made to expedite and complete this process according to the time frames established by this policy. In all cases, students must await a written response from the respective action step before proceeding to the next step.

 

Undergraduate Challenges to Academic Decisions form  This is a fillable PDF file.  Please save it to your computer before editing.

 

Graduate Student Procedure:

  1. A student must first contact and hold a personal conference with the appropriate faculty member, administrator, or decision-making unit involved no later than twenty-one (21) calendar days after the first class day of the next semester (at the off-campus centers, twenty-one (21) days after grades are received) to see if the problem(s) can be resolved.

  2. If the problem cannot be resolved through action 1, and if the student wishes to proceed further, he or she must submit a written explanation of the problem to the program director, who will attempt to assist the student and the faculty member, administrator, or decision-making unit in bringing the problem to a satisfactory conclusion. If the program director is being named in the petition, the student shall proceed to step 3 of the process. This step shall be completed within fifteen (15) calendar days following the completion of step 1.

  3. If the problem cannot be resolved through action 2, and if the student wishes to proceed further, he or she must submit a written petition to the Provost, who will attempt to assist the student, the faculty member, administrator, or decision-making unit, and the chair of the division in bringing the problem to a satisfactory conclusion. This step shall be completed within fifteen (15) calendar days following completion of step 1 and/or step 2 as appropriate.

  4. If the problem cannot be resolved through action 3, and if the student wishes to proceed further, he or she must submit a written petition to the Graduate Council through its chairperson, the Associate Provost. The student submitting the petition has a right to appear before the Committee, as does the faculty member, administrator, or decision-making unit. The Graduate Council will designate the time and place for the meeting. The student has the right of counsel at the hearing, including legal counsel, to act as an advisor, but the student must represent himself/herself. (An education major appealing a matter pertaining to the teacher education program may, however, be represented by legal counsel speaking on behalf of the student.) This step shall be completed within thirty (30) calendar days following the completion of step 3. Records of these proceedings will be recorded as provided by the provisions stipulated in the McKendree University Student Handbook, section 2.00 Records.

 A simple majority vote of the Graduate Council will constitute a decision. The voting will be by secret ballot. The Associate Provost, who serves as Chairperson of Graduate Council, director of the program, and any member of the Graduate Council who is named in the petition, shall not be entitled to vote on the matter. Parties involved in the dispute may not be in attendance whenever the Graduate Council discusses and votes on the complaint. Within five (5) calendar days of the meeting, the parties involved in the dispute shall receive written notification of the decision of the Graduate Council.

Within fourteen (14) calendar days from the date that the parties involved are informed of the committee’s decision, either party may appeal the committee’s decision to the President of the University. The President has the authority to rule in favor of the appealing party or accept the committee’s decision. However, if the President decides to rule in favor of the appealing party, the President shall schedule a meeting with the Graduate Council to discuss the rationale for the ruling. The appealing party may be present at this meeting. This meeting shall take place before official notification of the President’s decision is provided in writing to the parties involved. Within fourteen (14) calendar days the President shall provide the parties involved with official notification of the decision.

Every effort shall be made to expedite and complete this process according to the time frames established by this policy. In all cases, students must await a written response from the respective action step before proceeding to the next step.

 

Graduate Challenges to Academic Decisions form  This is a fillable PDF file.  Please save it to your computer before editing.