A written complaint must include information regarding the action being complained of and the date it
occurred, the grounds upon which the appeal is based, and the relief requested. The complaint must be
based on one or more of the following grounds:
1. Procedural error or violation of official policy by academic or administrative personnel;
2. Judgments improperly based upon non-academic criteria including, but not limited to,
discrimination or harassment on the basis of sex, race, national origin, color, age, religion, sexual
orientation, or disability;
3. Specific mitigating circumstances beyond the student’s control not properly taken into account in
a decision affecting the student’s academic progress. A written complaint must be received by the
Chair within 30 days from the time the student knew or could reasonably be expected to have
known of the action that is the subject of the complaint. The department should complete its
investigation and notify the student of the outcome of the complaint within 60 days of the date it
was received.
If the complaint is about an action taken by the Chair, the complainant may elect to take the complaint
directly to the Graduate Advisor. In such a case, the time limits set out in the preceding paragraph still
apply.
The time frame for filing a written complaint may be extended by the department if the student has been
involved in continuing efforts toward informal resolution, and the informal resolution process was initiated
within thirty days of the time the student knew or could reasonably be expected to have known of the action
that is the subject of the complaint. All time frames referred to in this procedure refer to calendar days.
Summer and inter-semester recesses are not included within these time frames.
Upon receipt of a written complaint, the Chair will assign an individual (or appropriate ad hoc committee)
to investigate the complaint and make a recommendation to the Chair regarding the outcome of the
complaint. The investigation will include an interview with the complainant, a review of any relevant
written materials, and an effort to obtain information from available witnesses (i.e., interviews or written
statements or documents). The Chair will notify the student in writing of the outcome of the complaint. A
written complaint under this procedure satisfies the requirement of a unit level resolution process pursuant
to the Graduate Appeal Procedure.