1. Graduate Assistants are supervised in their teaching and other departmental duties by members of the faculty and by the Director of Graduate Studies. The Chair of the Department is responsible in the end for ensuring the quality of their work. This policy is designed to provide a means by which Graduate Assistants can appeal for assistance or for an independent opinion in cases of conflict or disagreement between a Graduate Assistant and the immediate faculty supervisor, or the Graduate Director, or the Chair.

2. The GA should try to resolve the conflict or disagreement with the relevant supervisor, whether it be the immediate faculty supervisor, the Graduate Director, or the Chair. If the GA is not satisfied with the result, the GA may appeal to the Department but not before discussing the matter with the Graduate Director and the Chair.

3. Under Policy VII, the Department is to designate a person or persons to receive appeals and academic grievances from students. Called the “Appeals Officer(s)”,  these person(s) shall also be designated under the present policy to receive complaints from GAs regarding the supervision of their teaching or other departmental duties. When the Department Chair or Graduate Director becomes aware that a GA has a complaint or grievance, the Chair or Graduate Director shall notify the student that she/he has the right to have the matter investigated by the Appeals Officer(s).

4. The role of the Appeals Officer(s) is to hear complaints, gather information, talk with both students and faculty, mediate disputes when possible, and identify appropriate channels for solving problems, whether within or outside the department.

5. If the matter is not then resolved, the GA shall state the full particulars of the appeal in writing and submit them to the Appeals Officer(s) who shall then call a meeting of the Graduate Committee to consider the appeal. When meeting for this purpose, the Committee shall be chaired by (one of) the Appeals Officer(s) and neither the GA's immediate supervisor, nor the Graduate Director, nor the Department Chair will be involved in the deliberations of the Committee. Nevertheless, these three individuals as well as the GA whose appeal is being considered shall have the right to appear before the Committee. The Committee shall consider all relevant facts. Notes shall be kept on proceedings at this level.

6. If the Graduate Committee decides that the facts support the student's appeal, moral suasion may be brought to bear on the faculty member(s) or departmental   officer(s) whose conduct is the subject of the appeal. If, on the other hand, the Committee regards the findings as not supporting the appeal, that decision should be transmitted unequivocally to the student.

7. The Chair of the Department has the final responsibility and authority within the department for determining the circumstances under which Graduate Students are permitted to teach or to perform other departmental duties.

8. If the matter is not resolved at the departmental level, the student is free to appeal to the Graduate College.

9. The appeal procedure must be started by the end of the fifth week of the academic term following the term in which the conflict or disagreement arose, with the exception that conflicts or disagreements arising in Spring semester must be appealed by the end of the fifth week of the following Fall semester.