Graduate Student Grievance Procedures
School of Human Ecology
Any student who feels that he or she has been treated unfairly by a SoHE faculty or staff member has the right to complain about the treatment and to receive a prompt hearing of the grievance, following the grievance procedures outlined below. To insure a prompt and fair hearing of any complaint, and to protect both the rights of the student and the person at whom the complaint is addressed, the procedures below are used in the School of Human Ecology.
The person whom the complaint is directed against must be an employee of the School of Human Ecology. Any graduate student or graduate applicant may use these procedures unless the complaint is covered by other campus rules or contracts.
Note: These procedures do not cover appeals of admissions decisions or other decisions made by departmental or SoHE committees. For information on appeals of decisions, students should contact the chair of the committee or the chair of the department that made the decision.
Students are encouraged to keep written documentation of their experience of unfair treatment both before and during the grievance proceedings.
Graduate student grievance procedures:
STEP 1. The student should first consider talking directly with the person(s) against whom the grievance is directed.
Some issues can be settled at this level, and some cannot be. Although students are encouraged to talk directly with the person(s) involved, we recognize that this may not always be possible. If the complaint cannot be resolved satisfactorily by talking with the person(s) involved, the student may continue to Step 2.
NOTE: In cases of sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, or racial discrimination, students may choose to bypass these procedures and report the conduct directly to either of the following offices (see endnote 1):
Assistant Dean Bruce Hellmich (SoHE sexual harassment officer) 1300 Linden Drive, Room 142 263-4594 |
The Office for Equity & Diversity 179-A Bascom Hall 263-2378 Wisconsin Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1 |
STEP 2. Does the complaint involve someone in a SoHE academic department (Consumer Science, Design Studies, Human Development & Family Studies, or Interdisciplinary Studies)?
Yes The student should contact the chair of the department (see contact information below). The student will submit the grievance to the chair in writing. This must be done within 60 calendar days of the alleged unfair treatment. The department chair will refer the matter to the department's Graduate Program Committee or to another appropriate departmental committee (standing or ad hoc) for review. The committee will share the student’s written complaint with the person at whom the complaint is directed, and will obtain a written response from this person. This response will be shared with the student filing the grievance. The committee chair will provide a timely written decision to the student on the action taken by the committee (the departmental decision). If either party is unwilling to accept the departmental decision, the department chair will refer the matter to the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs (see contact information below). The Associate Dean will bring the grievance to the SoHE Graduate Program Council (GPC) for review. (NOTE: if the grievance is against the department chair, the written complaint should be referred to the chair of the department's graduate program committee; contact information given below.) |
No The student should contact the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs (see contact information below). The student will submit the grievance to the Associate Dean in writing. This must be done within 60 calendar days of the alleged unfair treatment. The Associate Dean will refer the grievance to the SoHE Graduate Program Council (GPC) for review. |
STEP 3. SoHE Graduate Program Council review.
To insure fairness, the GPC chair may appoint a subcommittee of GPC members to review the complaint (e.g., excluding faculty from the student’s department). The GPC may ask for additional information from the parties involved and may hold a hearing at which both parties will be asked to speak separately in closed session. The GPC will then make a written recommendation to the Associate Dean who will render a decision and submit it to the Dean of the School for final approval. The Associate Dean will provide the Dean’s final decision in writing to the student and to the person against whom the grievance was filed. Unless a longer time is mutually agreed upon by the individuals involved, this written decision shall be made within 30 working days from the date when the written grievance was filed with the Associate Dean’s Office.
Students not willing to accept the final decision of the Dean may appeal to the Graduate School's Associate Dean for Admissions and Academic Services (see http://www.wisc.edu/grad/guidelines/glossindex.html#97)
Questions about these procedures can be directed to:
William Aquilino
Associate Dean for Graduate Programs & Research
School of Human Ecology
1300 Linden Drive
(608) 262-0871
aquilino@wisc.edu
Contact Information (Department Chairs and Graduate Program Chairs):
|
Consumer Science & Interdisciplinary Studies |
Design Studies |
Human Development & Family Studies |
Department Chair: |
Prof. Cynthia Jasper 1300 Linden Drive Room 390 262-2384
|
Prof. Diane Sheehan 1300 Linden Drive Room 233 262-1119
|
Prof. Linda Roberts 1430 Linden Drive Room 203 263-2290
|
Graduate Program Chair: |
Prof. Lydia Zepeda 1300 Linden Drive Room 334 262-9487
|
Prof. Roberto Rengel 1300 Linden Drive Room 240 265-5209
|
Prof. Shep Zeldin 1300 Linden Drive Room 431 263-2383
|
Endnote-1:
State law contains provisions regarding discrimination and harassment. Wisconsin Statutes 36.12 reads, in part:
“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 or centers because of the student’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, disability, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status or parental status.”
In addition, the UW-System prohibits discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression.
Students have the right to file discrimination and harassment complaints with the Office for Equity & Diversity, 179-A Bascom Hall, 263-2378, Wisconsin Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1. http://oed.wisc.edu/
