190.3 Appeals Committee Operating Procedures

190.3 Appeals Committee Operating Procedures

A. Background

The Appeals Committee is a faculty committee established by Article V, Section 5(g), of the faculty constitution. It is charged with receiving and ruling upon appeals from students who believe that extenuating circumstances warrant their being granted an exception to any academic regulation.

B. Policy

The Appeals Committee, through the office of the Associate Academic Dean, receives and rules on appeals from all students wishing to request an exception to academic regulations. Although a further appeal by the student to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean and to the President of the University is possible, the Appeals Committee is normally the final ruling on such appeals.

C. Guidelines

1. The committee holds one regular meeting each month, at which time it will consider all appeals received in the office of the Associate Academic Dean by the deadline to be set by the committee at the beginning of each term.

2. The members of the Appeals Committee should expect to meet in the days just before and after the spring and summer commencements to consider all appeals concerning graduation. In the period between the spring commencement and the beginning of the Fall academic term, a quorum of at least four voting members may be constituted from the memberships of both the outgoing and newly elected Appeals Committee.

3. Emergency meetings can and will be called when exceptional circumstance warrant them, but the burden of proof is upon the appealing student to show why his or her case requires special treatment.

4. Where appropriate, appeals received from students will be referred to involved faculty members or departments so that their comments may be made a matter of record in the case. Any later decision in such a case will be reported for information to a faculty member so involved.

5. The deliberations of the Appeals Committee are confidential. Any resulting decision, however, is a matter of record and will be maintained in a file in the office of the Associate Academic Dean. This file may be consulted by any faculty member needing specific information.

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