The purpose of the Graduate School Ombuds-Committee is to provide mediation services when disagreements or differences of opinion arise between a graduate student and his or her adviser or graduate program that (a) cannot be successfully resolved at the program level, (b) are serious enough in nature to jeopardize the student's ability to complete his or her training, and (c) do not relate to issues that fall under other policies.* The GSOC will consist of three experienced faculty members appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School for a period of two years.** Rationale: It is recognized that disagreements between students and their advisers occur during training. In most cases, such problems can and should be worked out by the student, the adviser, and the program, possibly with the assistance of the student's dissertation committee. If this is not possible, however, the situation should be brought to the attention of the Associate Dean or the Dean's Designee, who will, in turn, inform the GSOC. The GSOC will then assist the student, adviser, and program to develop a strategy to resolve the situation. The GSOC will provide all parties an opportunity for full consideration of their positions and ensure that all relevant Graduate School rules and guidelines are followed. Procedures: - The student must first inform the director of his or her graduate program that a serious problem exists. It is the director's responsibility to review the situation and to attempt to resolve it according to the rules and guidelines of the program and any Graduate School rules or guidelines that are applicable.
- In the event that the adviser is also the program director, the program should select another faculty member or form a committee of faculty members from within the program to mediate the problem.
- If efforts at the program level fail to resolve the situation, or if the program fails to act, the student may then contact the Associate Dean or the Dean's Designee. The student should present the problem to the Associate Dean or the Dean's Designee in writing, describing the situation in detail, and outlining what was done at the program level to attempt to resolve it.
- The Associate Dean or the Dean's Designee will provide the student's information to the GSOC. The GSOC will request information, also to be submitted in writing, from the program director, stating the program's position and describing the efforts that were made to resolve the situation. The adviser may also provide input at this time, but such input must be submitted through the program director.
- The GSOC will review all relevant material provided by the student and program director. The GSOC may request additional information and meet with the parties who are involved. Upon completion of its review, the GSOC will make recommendations for resolution of the situation in writing to the student, the adviser, the program, and the Associate Dean or the Dean's Designee.
- The final decision as to the appropriate resolution of all cases will rest with the Dean of the Graduate School.
- If a GSOC member has been involved in a matter before it reaches the GSOC, the member will not participate in the deliberations. The Associate Dean or the Dean's Designee will name one alternate member to the GSOC for the matter.
*Note, for example, that instances of alleged arbitrary and capricious grading, sexual harassment, student academic misconduct, and other misconduct are dealt with under other Graduate School policies or university policies. **Initially, the three faculty members will be appointed to staggered terms, as follows: one to a term of one year and two to a term of two years. This will provide for overlapping terms in subsequent years. top |
