The following are the policies for handling grade appeals in the Department
of Mathematics.
The student is urged to work out differences with the instructor. The chair may
discuss the situation with the faculty member and perhaps make suggestions for
resolving differences. The student is advised of his or her right to make a formal
appeal if the situation cannot be resolved, and the procedure below is explained.
A formal appeal consists of a written statement from the student to the department
chair describing the dispute with the instructor and explaining why the student
believes that he/she is entitled to a higher grade.
If the student makes a formal appeal, an ad-hoc, 3-person committee of faculty,
knowledgeable about the course in question, is appointed to hear the appeal. The
student may name one of the faculty, if he or she desires.
The committee interviews the student, the faculty member, and any others
involved, collecting as much relevant information as possible, such as copies of
the student’s graded tests, projects, and homework, and the faculty member’s
course outline, and grade book. After considering all relevant material, the
committee makes a recommendation as to the fairness of the grade in question,
and any suggestion for changing the grade.
In the event that the appeals committee recommends changing a grade, the faculty
member is urged to consider the recommendation but is not obligated to follow it.
If the student is still not satisfied after the departmental process described above,
he or she may appeal to the Education Policy Committee of the College of Arts
and Sciences, according to College and University quidelines.