Graduate Student Policies and Procedures
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Complaint/Grievance Procedures
The Code of Student Life is published each year in The Daily Iowan.
Grievances are handled by the Office of the Dean of Students, by the
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences if the student is employed as
a teaching assistant, or by the Graduate College if the student is a
research assistant. Copies of the grievance procedures are available
from the Graduate College in 201 Gilmore Hall.
In addition, graduate assistants employed by The University of Iowa
are covered by a collective
bargaining agreement.
A student who has a complaint is responsible for following the procedures
described below. Complaints may concern inappropriate faculty conduct
(including inappropriate course materials), incompetence in oral communication,
inequities in assignments, scheduling of examinations at other than
authorized and published times; failure to provide disability accommodations,
or grading grievances. For complaints involving the assignment of grades,
it is College policy that grades cannot be changed without the permission
of the department concerned.
The student ordinarily should attempt to resolve the matter with the
instructor first. If the complaint is not resolved to the student's
satisfaction, the student should consult the course supervisor (if the
instructor is a teaching assistant). In the School of Music, if the
matter remains unresolved after consultation with the course supervisor,
the student should address the Associate Director of Graduate Studies.
The Associate Director maintains regular office hours throughout the
academic year and appointments can be made through the Academic Office,
room 1002, 335-1604.
If the complaint remains unsolved, the student submits a written complaint
to the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs through the Graduate College.
A graduate student who elects to pursue a complaint or grievance through
the Graduate College AGP is first advised by the Associate Dean of the
different possible ways to proceed. The student then elects whether
to first pursue a complaint using an informal process or whether to
file a grievance and to proceed by a more formal process. Details about
these processes are available from the Graduate College Administrative
Office.
If the complaint involves sexual harassment, these procedures need
not be followed. The University policy on sexual harassment and consensual
relationships in the instructional context can be found in "Policies
and Regulations Affecting Students," available at the Campus Information
Center, in the Office of Affirmative Action, and in September as a supplement
to The Daily Iowan.
The Office of the University Ombudsperson responds to problems and
disputes brought forward by all members of the University community
-- students, staff and faculty -- that appear irresolvable through existing
channels. Before consulting the ombudsperson, an attempt should be made
to resolve problems by following the procedures described above.
Last updated
12-oct-07
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