The Grade Grievance Procedure applies to all students enrolled at Mid Michigan College. It can be used by any student who has evidence, or believes that evidence exists, that a course grade was assigned or a similar evaluation was made as a result of prejudice, caprice, or other improper conditions, such as mechanical error. In appealing, the student must support the allegation that an improper decision has been made and must specify the remedy sought.
During this process, the burden of proof is on the student, except in the case where the grade was assigned due to a case of alleged academic dishonesty, where the instructor must support the allegation.
Filing a Grade Grievance
The grade grievance is initiated by selecting the Instructor Concern & Grade Grievance link on the MidCares webpage and providing the required information. The grievance must be initiated no later than 60 days after final grades for the course were posted. Once the grievance is initiated, an investigator (usually the Academic Dean responsible for the course in question) will be assigned to the case. The investigator will follow the following process.
Informal Resolution
- When possible, the investigator will attempt to reach an informal resolution to the grievance by mediating communications between the involved parties. If both parties agree to the informal resolution, the process ends here. If an informal resolution is not reached within 30 days of the filing of the grievance, the investigator will inform the Provost, who will initiate the formal/administrative resolution process.
Formal/Administrative Resolution
- The Provost will investigate or appoint an investigator to interview the involved parties, examine any documentation provided by the parties, and interview any witnesses suggested by the parties. Using a preponderance of evidence standard, the Provost will make a determination within 30 days of the start of the formal resolution process. If either party is dissatisfied with the determination, they may file an appeal with the Provost within 14 days of the date of the determination. If no appeal is filed, the process ends here.
Appeals
- Within 14 days of the filing of the appeal, the Provost will appoint a Faculty Appeals Committee made up of at least three faculty members. The faculty appeals committee will hold a hearing in which both the student and the faculty who assigned the grade will be allowed time to state their case. No one other than the student or the faculty member may speak at this hearing, but written accounts from witnesses will be accepted if notarized or verified by the investigator assigned to the appeal. If the student or the faculty member who assigned the grade is not available for a face-to-face hearing, technology such as Skype, Zoom, or a conference call may be used. At the conclusion of the hearing, the committee will consider the evidence presented to them and will vote to both accept the appeal and assign a new grade or deny the appeal. The results of this decision will be reported in writing to the student, the faculty who assigned the grade, the affected Dean, and the Provost. The decision of the committee is final and may not be appealed further.