The following shall be the official policy of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication regarding grade appeals. 

When a student believes that a grade has been improperly assigned, and discussions between the instructor and the student have not led to any resolution of the problem, then:

1. The student shall have the option of making a formal written appeal to the Assistant Dean of the SJMC.  The appeal must specify the remedy desired by the student, and it must be submitted within 45 days of the end of the academic term in which the course was taken.

2. The Assistant Dean will meet with the student and with the faculty member who taught the course.  The instructor will be asked to submit a formal, written response to the student’s written appeal.   If the Assistant Dean is unable to broker a solution mutually acceptable to both student and instructor, then:

   1. The Dean shall appoint an ad hoc Student Ethics committee, which will review the dispute.  The committee shall consist of two impartial faculty members competent in the subject matter of the course in question.  The Assistant Dean will chair the committee and provide the committee with the student’s written appeal and the written response from the faculty member.

3. Within 45 days, the committee will submit a report and recommendation to the Dean, and the Dean will recommend to the instructor either 1) that the originally assigned grade stand; or 2) that a new grade be assigned.

4. In cases where a change of grade is recommended and the instructor does not wish to accept the recommendation of his/her colleagues, the Dean shall make the final decision.