7160.42 Student Appeals and Petitions Procedures
    The appeals procedure for master’s students in the Robinson College of Business will follow different courses depending on the nature of the student’s appeal. The various types of situations and the appropriate appeals avenues are as follows:

Admissions Appeals
    At the master’s level, a person who wishes to appeal an admission decision first discusses the matter with a master’s counselor. If the question is not settled there, a written appeal must be submitted to the director of master’s admissions and advisement within 15 workdays of the date of the denial. (Workdays are counted as Monday through Friday except university holidays.) The director will present the appeal to the master’s admissions committee, which will examine the facts presented. The director, on behalf of the committee, will make a recommendation to the associate dean, who will render a written decision to the applicant normally within 15 workdays of the date the applicant’s letter was received by the director.

Appeal of Course Grades
    The process of appealing a course grade is as follows:
    1.  A student should first review the situation with the instructor who assigned the grade. If the question is not resolved, the student may appeal (in writing) to the department chair of the instructor who assigned the grade, sending a copy of the letter to the instructor. The letter must include all points which the student considers to be germane to the appeal; additional points not contained in the initial letter cannot be considered subsequently. The written appeal must be sent to the department chair within 30 calendar days of the first day of classes of the semester immediately following the semester in which the grade was given. If the final grade assignment occurred at a time other than the normal grade reporting process at the end of the semester, the written appeal must be sent to the department chair within 30 calendar days of the date the final grade was assigned. Normally, the chair’s decision will be conveyed to the student, in writing, within three weeks of the date the student’s written appeal was received.
    2.  A student who believes that the appeal was handled in an arbitrary, capricious, or discriminatory manner at the departmental level may appeal in writing to the associate dean. The written appeal must be received within 14 days of the date of the letter from the department chair to the student, and it must indicate specifically why the student believes that due process was not exercised at the department level. The associate dean will examine the facts and review the appeal with the dean of the college. The dean will then render a written decision for the college within 45 days of the date of the letter from the department chair.
    3.  A subsequent appeal requires a written statement to the vice president for academic affairs indicating the basis of the appeal. The statement must be received within 14 days of the date of the dean’s letter to the student.

Appeal of Suspensions and Exclusions from Master’s and Certificate Programs
    Suspended or excluded master’s-level students with questions about their status should first discuss their situation with a master’s counselor in the Office of Graduate Student and Alumni Services. Following this discussion, students who believe they have extenuating circumstances may submit written appeals of their suspension or exclusion to the director of master’s admissions and advisement. The director will review the information submitted in support of the appeal and the student’s total record. The director then will make a recommendation to the associate dean for master’s programs, who will make the decision regarding acceptance or denial of the appeal. The student will receive a written response from the college normally within 15 workdays of the date the letter of appeal is received. (Workdays are counted as Monday through Friday except university holidays.) Having been enrolled in too many courses relative to job requirements or other responsibilities or having continued to enroll while experiencing personal, work, or health problems very rarely constitutes such extraordinary circumstances.
    Requests for such consideration must be submitted in writing to the director as soon as possible. In the case of one-semester suspensions, appeals must be received in time for the college to review the appeal before classes begin for the next semester. Normally, a minimum of two workdays is needed. Students should hand deliver or fax their letters to GSAS.
    Students should write their appeals completely, but concisely, and include all facts relevant to their case. For any situation or claim that can be documented, proper documentation should be submitted with the petition. Specific dates of the beginning and ending of particular problems should be included. Only circumstances described in the written and signed appeal as initially submitted will be accepted from the student; oral appeals are not permitted, nor are requests to submit additional information after the appeal has been reviewed. Appeals must be dated, signed, and include the student’s home address, telephone numbers (work and home), and e-mail addresses (if any). In reviewing appeals, relevant faculty members and/or administrators will be consulted if needed.
    Other appeals not specifically covered in the foregoing procedures should normally follow the pattern outlined for the appeal of a course grade or the appeal of a suspension, whichever is more appropriate.

Student Petitions Procedure
    Requests from, or on behalf of, students for waiver of specific requirements of the college or substitution of courses in the master’s programs should be submitted in writing to the Office of Graduate Student and Alumni Services four weeks prior to the event to which the petition relates. No guarantee can be made that decisions on petitions will be made before registration if they are submitted close to the beginning of, or during, a registration period.
    Using the college’s petition form is encouraged; students must follow the directions given on the form for presenting a properly prepared petition. Letters are acceptable if they give clearly and completely the facts relevant to the petition. For any situation or claim that can be documented, proper documentation should be submitted with the petition. Only circumstances described in the written and signed petition will be accepted from the student; oral petitions are not permitted, nor are requests to submit additional information after the petition has been reviewed.
    Appropriate faculty and/or administrative staff, as determined by the dean of the college, will review the petitions. Students will receive a written response from the dean or dean’s designee normally within 15 workdays from the date the petition is received. (Workdays are counted as Monday through Friday except university holidays.)