The School of Social Work wishes to resolve all student grievances. The Student Grievances Process shall be followed when concerns or issues arise regarding a course or instructor. The Student Grievances Process is a sequential four-step course of action: (a) students shall meet with the instructor to attempt to resolve the matter; (b) should the matter remain unresolved, students shall seek out their faculty advisor for guidance and potential mediation; (c) should further problems still exist, students shall consult with the MSW program director; (d) only in extenuating circumstances or when students have followed the aforementioned process and the matter remains unresolved should student grievances be heard by the Associate Dean for Educational Programs and/or the Academic Concerns Committee.
The Academic Concerns Committee hears student grievances under the following policies and procedures. Within two weeks of receipt of a written intent to grieve, the Committee Chair will acknowledge receipt of the grievance and clarify that the Committee shall be authorized to act by vote.
Jurisdiction
The procedures herein prescribed shall be available to current and former students in the School of Social Work. Grievances shall be filed in a timely manner - generally within one month (and no longer than 1 year) from the situation prompting the grievance. When longer periods have passed, the grievant may be asked to sufficiently explain the latency of the complaint prior to the Committee accepting jurisdiction. These procedures shall be available with respect to complaints including, but not limited to, those that allege (a) a violation of rules and regulations of the School of Social Work; (b) unfair, unreasonable, or otherwise improperly applied rules or regulations of the School of Social Work; (c) discriminatory or capricious grading practices or field education evaluations.
It is recognized that there may be complaints regarding institutional administrative relations rather than specific individual grievances. The Committee shall not have jurisdiction over these matters. Such cases may include: (a) matters concerning relations between the School administration and community field sites; (b) matters concerning relations between the School and the University administration; (c) matters concerning relations between the School and other departments within the University system.