Grievance Procedures and Reporting Misconduct and Crime

Grievance Procedure for Graduate Students in Communication Arts

Any graduate student who feels that they have been treated unfairly by a faculty or staff member has the right to complain about the treatment and to receive a prompt hearing of the grievance, following these grievance procedures. The complaint may concern course grades, classroom treatment, advising, teaching assistant and project assistant concerns, and other issues (for specific information about sexual harassment and sexual violence, please see the relevant section below). To ensure a prompt and fair hearing of any complaint, and to protect both the rights of the student as well as the person to whom the complaint is addressed, the Communication Arts Department will use the procedures described below.

The person against whom the complaint is directed must be an employee in the Department of Communication Arts. Any graduate student may use these procedures unless the complaint is subject to other campus rules or contracts. Graduate students should adhere to the following steps in sequence when they have a grievance:

1. If possible, the student should first talk with the person against whom the grievance is directed. Alternately, if it seems more appropriate, the student should contact the department’s sexual harassment officer, the minority liaison, a faculty member, or the graduate coordinator. Most issues can be settled at this level. If the complaint is not resolved satisfactorily, the student may continue to step 2.
2. The student should contact the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). If the complaint is against the DGS, the student should contact the graduate coordinator, who will refer the complaint to another member of the Graduate Committee. Upon receipt of the complaint, the DGS or committee member will speak separately with the student and the person named in the complaint. The DGS or committee member will attempt to resolve the complaint satisfactorily. If the complaint is not resolved satisfactorily, either party may continue to step 3.
3. The student or person against whom the complaint is filed may submit a written request for a hearing to the DGS or a committee member. Upon receipt of a written request, the DGS or committee member will seek a written response from the other party. Also, within 30 days of receiving a written request, the DGS or committee member will schedule a hearing of the full Graduate Committee, which will meet separately with the student and the person against whom the complaint is filed. Should any member of the Graduate Committee be named in the complaint, they would not participate in the committee meeting with the student. The Graduate Committee will render a decision regarding the grievance. If the complaint is not resolved satisfactorily, the student may continue to step 4, while the faculty or staff member may appeal to the department chair.
4. Within 10 days of the conclusion of a Graduate Committee grievance hearing, the student may file an appeal with the Graduate School. The appeal should be directed to the Associate Dean for Graduate Education. The Associate Dean’s office is located in 231a Bascom Hall, 608-262-2433. The Associate Dean will contact the parties involved as well as members of the Graduate Committee in addressing the appeal.

State law contains additional provisions regarding discrimination and harassment. Wisconsin statute 36.12, sec. 1 reads: “No student may be denied admission to, participation in or the benefits of, or be discriminated against in any service, program, course or facility of the system or its institutions because of the student’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, disability, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status or parental status.” The UW-System also opposes discrimination based on gender identity or expression (https://www.wisconsin.edu/regents/policies/discrimination-harassment-and-retaliation/).