Kaylee Loofbourrow, UT:10 News Reporter
March 15, 2019
March 15, 2019
TOLEDO, Ohio - Undergraduate students who feel their grades do not reflect what is outlined through syllabi or University of Toledo policies can file an academic grievance.
The grievance petitions the overall grade of a class on the premise that a violation has occurred and is filed with the Undergraduate Academic Grievance Counsel (UAGC).
One reason students may come to the counsel is if their grade isn’t reflecting a made up exam or assignment although they have an excusable excuse, Michael Kistner, chair of the UAGC, said.
Students must speak with instructors first when problems occur; however, if a resolution has not been reached, the students can go up the chain of command, Kistner, said.
They next go to the chair of the department, then dean of college, before finally filing a detailed petition with the counsel.
In order to do so, the student must fill out an application, which states they have talked with the instructor, chair, and dean and have not found a resolution as well as provide a report of what they feel was not done correctly in their grade.
Kistner gathers the information and presents it to the other eight members of the counsel who then reviews it.
UGAC consists of five faculty members and four current students.
The council makes the final decision and from start to finish, the entire process can take an entire semester.
“Going through the different levels, and then filing out the actual petition, getting the information and then bringing the counsel together to, to, discuss and make a decision,” Kistner said.
If ruled in favor of the student the instructor has ten days to make the grade changes; if ruled in favor of the professor, the student’s grade remains untouched.
Kistner says he receives 20 inquires each semester but only six are actually filed; however, students such as mechanical engineering student Keaton Gargac who did not the process existed.
“I just had assumed that whenever we filled out those –uh- end of the semester like teacher evaluations that those where kind of our way of like getting to the higher ups”
Students have until the last day of classes of the next semester or session to file a grievance:
-If grieving a grade for the fall semester, applications are due by the last day of the spring semester.
-If grieving a grade for the spring semester, applications are due last day of the summer session.
-If grieving a grade for the summer session, applications are due by the last day of the fall semester.
Currently, students who want to grieve a grade from last fall have until April 26 file.
The grievance petitions the overall grade of a class on the premise that a violation has occurred and is filed with the Undergraduate Academic Grievance Counsel (UAGC).
One reason students may come to the counsel is if their grade isn’t reflecting a made up exam or assignment although they have an excusable excuse, Michael Kistner, chair of the UAGC, said.
Students must speak with instructors first when problems occur; however, if a resolution has not been reached, the students can go up the chain of command, Kistner, said.
They next go to the chair of the department, then dean of college, before finally filing a detailed petition with the counsel.
In order to do so, the student must fill out an application, which states they have talked with the instructor, chair, and dean and have not found a resolution as well as provide a report of what they feel was not done correctly in their grade.
Kistner gathers the information and presents it to the other eight members of the counsel who then reviews it.
UGAC consists of five faculty members and four current students.
The council makes the final decision and from start to finish, the entire process can take an entire semester.
“Going through the different levels, and then filing out the actual petition, getting the information and then bringing the counsel together to, to, discuss and make a decision,” Kistner said.
If ruled in favor of the student the instructor has ten days to make the grade changes; if ruled in favor of the professor, the student’s grade remains untouched.
Kistner says he receives 20 inquires each semester but only six are actually filed; however, students such as mechanical engineering student Keaton Gargac who did not the process existed.
“I just had assumed that whenever we filled out those –uh- end of the semester like teacher evaluations that those where kind of our way of like getting to the higher ups”
Students have until the last day of classes of the next semester or session to file a grievance:
-If grieving a grade for the fall semester, applications are due by the last day of the spring semester.
-If grieving a grade for the spring semester, applications are due last day of the summer session.
-If grieving a grade for the summer session, applications are due by the last day of the fall semester.
Currently, students who want to grieve a grade from last fall have until April 26 file.