Disciplinary Procedures & Appeals

Alleged code of student disciplinary board, academic review board, ethics violations, academic dishonesty, and plagiarism: See Hilltopics.

Due Process for Settling Grievance

Students, faculty, and staff are bound by administrative policies that clearly detail the proper procedures to be followed in the event that individual parties cannot resolve matters in a mutually acceptable fashion.

These procedures are referenced in Hilltopics and students are to assume full responsibility in understanding the information. The CON has a specific set of steps that are to be followed by faculty, students, and staff when attempting to resolve a grievance or address an academic issue (excluding final grade appeals), a clinical issue, or a student’s mental physical health concern that is not emergent in nature.

When a situation, either real or perceived, is identified that requires attention of a student, faculty, or staff member, the individual with the grievance or issue will speak directly with the party involved. If a mutually agreeable plan of action can be developed at this point, no further action is necessary. When each party satisfactorily fulfills all portions of the mutually agreed upon plan, the situation is considered resolved. If either party does not fulfill any portion of the mutually agreed upon plan to the satisfaction of the other party, the situation will progress to number 2.
Within 5 business days of the determination that a situation is not resolved or a party to the situation is not responsive to any request to resolve it, the individual who has the grievance will notify in writing, (1) the party with whom he/she has the grievance and the (2) course coordinator if the grievance is of a clinical or didactic nature. All parties will make an arrangement to meet face-to-face or over video conferencing technology within 5 business days following this notification. Each party is to be present with any materials which support their side of the grievance. If this meeting yields a satisfactory resolution for all individuals involved, no further action is necessary. If no mutually agreeable resolution is reached or if any party does not fulfill any portion of the mutually agreed upon plan to the satisfaction of the other party, the situation progresses to number 3. If one of the parties of the grievance at the level of involvement is the course coordinator, the situation is immediately elevated to number 3.
Within 5 business days of the determination that a situation is not resolved at the second level of the due process, the individual who has the grievance will notify in writing, the Program Chair. Within 5 business days of notification, the Program Chair will call a meeting between the parties that have the grievance. If this meeting yields a satisfactory resolution for all individuals involved, no further action is necessary. If no mutually agreeable resolution is reached or if any party does not fulfill any portion of a mutually agreed upon plan to the satisfaction of the other party, the situation will progress to number 4.
Within 5 business days of the determination that a situation is not resolved at the third level of the due process, the individual who has the grievance will notify in writing the Assistant Dean of Under Graduate Programs. Within 5 business days of notification, the Assistant Dean of the Undergraduate Program will call a meeting between the parties that have the grievance. If this meeting yields a satisfactory resolution for all individuals involved, no further action is necessary. If no mutually agreeable resolution is reached or if any party does not fulfill any portion of a mutually agreed upon plan to the satisfaction of the other party, the situation will progress to number 4.
Within 5 business days of the determination that a situation is not resolved at the fourth level of the due process, the individual who has the grievance will notify in writing the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Within 5 business days of this notification, the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs will call a meeting between the parties who have the grievance. Each party is expected to be present with any and all materials that they possess which make a case for their side of the grievance. If this meeting yields a satisfactory resolution for all individuals involved, no further action is necessary. If no mutually agreed upon plan is reached or if any party does not fulfill any portion of a mutually agreed upon plan to the satisfaction of the other party, the situation will progress to a formal hearing by the Academic Review Board in the College of Nursing.

Final Grade Appeal Process

Students may appeal a final grade that has been assigned to them for any nursing course in accordance with the Undergraduate Grade Appeal Process described in Hilltopics.

Before starting the appeal process, a student must furnish evidence that the situation meets the criteria as set forth in Hilltopicsfor allowable appeals. If the student can clearly furnish evidence that their situation meets the criteria for an appeal, then the student should follow the plan as outlined below.

To appeal a grade, the student should take the following steps:

First, consult with the instructor and the course coordinator and if an agreement cannot be reached, appeal to the Chair of the program in writing no later than 5 business days after grades are made available by the Registrar’s Office. The letter must describe the nature of the appeal and the rationale for the appeal using the criteria set forth in Hilltopics.
The Chair of the program will review the circumstances surrounding the assignment of the grade and determine if the grade should be changed. If the Chair of the Program recommends that a grade be changed and the faculty member elects NOT to do so, and if an agreement cannot be reached, appeal to the Assistant Dean of the Undergraduate in writing no later than 5 business days.
The Assistant Dean of the Undergraduate Programs will review the circumstances surrounding the assignment of the grade and determine if the grade should be changed. If the Assistant Dean of the Undergraduate Program recommends that a grade be changed and the faculty member elects NOT to do so, the Assistant Dean of the Undergraduate Program may refer the matter to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and/or the Dean for further review and resolution. If the matter cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of all parties the Dean will refer the matter to a grievance committee consisting of three nursing faculty members and 3 nursing students. Ordinarily these members will be members of the CON Academic Review Board. However, if any of these members have conflicts of interest, the Dean or designee may appoint student or faculty alternates.
- The Assistant Dean of the Undergraduate Program will chair the committee as a nonvoting member. A two-thirds vote to recommend upholding the grade or changing it is required. The committee forwards its recommendation to the Dean with rationale for its decision. The Dean will recommend to the faculty member who awarded the grade that 1) the original grade has been retained or 2) that the grade be changed. The final decision about the grade rests with the faculty member who awarded it.
- During deliberations the committee may at their discretion or choice, interview or hear testimony from any person directly involved with the case such as the student who received the grade and is appealing, the faculty member who awarded the grade, and other faculty members who taught the student in any component of the course. The committee may also request to review any or all tests or other written materials submitted by the student to meet course requirements as well as any or all materials written by faculty to document the extent to which course objectives were achieved.
- Persons not directly involved with the case such as parents, spouses, attorneys, may NOT be present during any part of the deliberations or testimony. Persons who provide testimony may not be present before or after they present their testimony.

If the issue is still unresolved at the College of Nursing level, the student may initiate a formal appeals process at the Undergraduate Council Level. The procedure for this process is stated in Hilltopics and the student is referred to that publication for guidance and steps in that process.

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