• Professional Development programming is provided to CLA graduate students throughout the academic year and posted on the CLA events page.
• Follow @CLA_grad  on X to keep up with upcoming programming, Temple updates, news and more! 

• Charles Library is located on Temple University’s Main Campus  
     - Visit the University Libraries website for online access to library resources
     - Check out the Graduate User Guide (PDF), which helps students navigate through the university’s library services.
     - Visit the University Libraries website, Staff Directory page, to find a librarian who specializes in your discipline. You can also find specific research guides
• CLA Research Administration—Support for graduate student research 
• Center for the Humanities at Temple (CHAT)—CHAT fosters innovative research in the humanities and humanistic social sciences 
• Public Policy Lab—Provides interdisciplinary forum for discussion of contemporary policy issues
• Student Success Center offers writing and research groups and retreats for graduate students 

Academic Success and Career Resources

• The Career Center offers career and professional development resources tailored to graduate students
• The Student Success Center offers university-wide academic support for students including tutoring, colloquia, writing and research groups and retreats

Graduate Student Union, Funding and Benefits

• Temple University graduate school website
• Health insurance information
• Temple University Graduate Student Association (TUGSA)—Graduate student employee union 
• University financial support—Information on funding sources including fellowships, assistantships, externships and internships, grants, and more
   - Fellowship Advising

IT and Technology Assistance

• College of Liberal Arts IT and Tech Center—Request technical assistance for your classroom or office from the Get Help page on the Information Technology website

University Officers

• Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, Advocacy and Leadership (IDEAL) - IDEAL provides cultural development to students and faculty in order to create an inclusive campus community
• International Student Affairs - International student services and programs
• Wellness Resource Center - Temple University’s health promotion office that offers resources and programming to foster a healthy campus environment 

The student grievance officer for the College of Liberal Arts is Mandy Gibson (gibson@temple.edu), 215-204-8504. 

Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972 requires that each college or university establish due process for the resolution of academic grievances. This is to protect students from prejudiced and capricious academic evaluation. All undergraduate students enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts have a right to appeal grades which they deem unfair and unreasonable. The student must provide evidence indicating a mistake, fraud, or bad faith on the part of an instructor.

Students will not be able to grieve a grade unless it is accompanied by such evidence.

Approved by the CLA Executive Committee October 8, 2009.  Approved as amended by the Collegial Assembly, December 10, 2009.

The procedures outlined in this document are only for the resolution of academic grievances of undergraduate students related to courses taught in CLA. Non-academic grievances (e.g., related to housing, affirmative action, student financial services, disability services, and so forth) should be referred to Student Affairs at the Student Activities Center (215-204-8531).

An academic grievance is a grievance related to the evaluation of academic work in a course. This may include, but is not limited to, a grade, attendance, and compliance with course guidelines. In a review of academic cases, policies stated on a course syllabus will be understood to have been viewed and accepted by the student concerned. All undergraduate students enrolled in courses offered by the College of Liberal Arts (henceforth CLA) may grieve any academic matter in which they believe they have been treated unfairly. At any time a student may withdraw their grievance, thereby halting the grievance process. Once the grievance has been halted it cannot be reinstituted on the same basis.

All grievances must be settled within the semester of filing the Stage I grievance with the department or program.* Students wishing to file a Stage I grievance regarding a fall semester course must do so by February 15 of the calendar year following the end of the given fall semester. Students wishing to file a Stage I grievance regarding a spring semester course or a summer session course must do so by October 1 of the same calendar year in which the courses were taken.** Students cannot appeal grades after they have graduated.

The CLA Grievance Procedure will be provided to students by all departments and programs when a student indicates a grievance may be made, and it should also be available via the CLA website and in the Undergraduate Bulletin. All documents and hearings related to a student grievance will be treated as confidential.

* Grievance hearings for Stage II and Stage III of the Grievance Process will not be held during the summer session except if the grade being grieved will affect the student’s: 1) warning or probation status, 2) participation in a study abroad program in the fall semester immediately following the given summer term, 3) participation in the CLA Internship Program in Harrisburg, PA or Washington, DC in the fall semester immediately following the given summer term, or 4) graduation in August of that very year.

** If circumstances warrant, students may appeal for an extension of time to file a grievance. Appeals should be in writing and sent to the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts for consideration.

Attempting Informal Resolution

A student who has a grievance should contact the instructor of the course and ask for specific clarification on the issue concerned. If that instructor is no longer in the employ of Temple University or is, for other reasons, unavailable, the student will meet with the department or program chair or a designee. Should the parties reach an agreement about the dispute, they will write and sign a document showing the steps each party will take to resolve it. Copies of the signed agreement will then be distributed to the student, the instructor, and the department chair or program director. If one or another party is unable to come to an agreement, the student will contact the department chairperson, program director, or a designee, who will attempt to find a resolution to the problem. If no resolution can be found, the student may file a formal grievance in accordance with Stage 1 of the Grievance Procedure, as described below.

Stage I

• The student presents a written statement outlining the grounds for the grievance to the Academic Grievance Officer, Mazur Hall 1214.
• The student statement will be provided to the faculty member concerned, with a copy to the chairperson of the department (or director of the program) and the department’s or program’s director of undergraduate studies (if one has been designated by the department or program).
• The Chair, or a designee, will arrange to meet with the student and the instructor within seven (7) calendar days of the receipt of the written grievance.
• The Chair, or a designee, will prepare a written record of the meeting and will provide all parties including the CLA Academic Grievance Officer with copies.
• This document and related correspondence is regarded as confidential and will only reside in the Academic Grievance Office’s file unless the grievance proceeds to Stage II.

Stage II

• If the grievance is not resolved to the student’s satisfaction, the student will indicate this in writing to the chairperson of the department (or director of the program) within seven (7) calendar days from the date of the Stage I meeting. This begins Stage II.
• The Stage II process must be completed within twenty-one (21) calendar days of the date of filing the Stage II appeal.
• The department or program will convene a Department or Program Grievance Committee consisting of three full-time faculty members and two undergraduate students majoring in the department or program offering the course for which the student has filed a grievance. If the instructor of the given course is a member of the Department or Program Grievance Committee, the department chairperson or program director shall designate an alternate committee member to hear the grievance.
• At a formally instituted hearing, the student and instructor may offer explanations of the situation, and the Committee members may ask questions of each. The Committee may also call upon other instructors or students to ask questions of them if necessary and appropriate.
• The student and the instructor of the course may provide additional materials, and the committee may request additional materials. The CLA Academic Grievance Officer provides the members of the Department or Program Grievance Committee with copies of all documents related to the grievance, attends the committee’s meetings, and provides procedural assistance.
• A copy of the Committee’s written decision will be provided to the student, instructor, department chairperson or program director, and the CLA Academic Grievance Officer within seven (7) calendar days of the Committee meeting.

Stage III

Only after all methods for settlement at the department level have been exhausted can the student appeal the department decision to the CLA Grievance Committee.

The CLA Grievance Committee

The CLA Grievance Committee shall consist of 2 undergraduate student members chosen from the current pool of student liaisons, and 3 full-time faculty members elected to staggered three-year terms. In the event that a member of the Grievance Committee is either a grievant or a grieved against, that member shall withdraw from the Grievance Committee for the consideration of that grievance, and a substitute shall be appointed by the Dean. It shall be the duty of the Grievance Committee to receive information from parties involved in a grievance and conduct any hearings it deems necessary. The Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or her designee may also attend any hearings and review any documentation collected by the Grievance Committee. To initiate this process:

• The student must file an appeal letter to the CLA Academic Grievance Officer requesting a review of the grievance. This letter must be received within seven (7) calendar days of the date of the letter informing the student of the decision of the Department or Program Grievance Committee. A copy of the original student grievance statement must accompany this letter.
• The CLA Academic Grievance Officer will send a copy of the appeal letter to the chairperson of the department or director of the program.
• The CLA Academic Grievance Officer will forward copies of all previous proceedings to the CLA Grievance Committee for review and arrange a meeting of the Committee.
• The Grievance Committee shall prepare a written report with recommendations for the resolution of the grievance. This report may include majority and minority opinions, should any members of the Grievance Committee so desire.
• The Grievance Committee report shall be sent to the student, the faculty member, the department chairperson or program director, the Dean, the CLA Academic Grievance Officer, and the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
• After reviewing the opinions of the CLA Grievance Committee the Dean of the College will communicate the decision to the student.

This decision of the Dean of the College may be appealed to the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies, within seven (7) calendar days after the decision of the Dean, but only on the grounds that procedural defects substantially prevented the student from obtaining a full and fair hearing on the merits of the case. Appeals to the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies shall be in writing and delivered via the office of the CLA Academic Grievance Officer.

Policy Notes

First approved by CAS faculty meeting, April 17, 1979. Revised by the CAS Grievance Committee February 6, 1998; revisions approved by the College Executive Committee and distributed to the CAS Collegial Assembly March 19, 1998; language changed to reflect College of Liberal Arts September 1, 1998. Revised October 17, 2005 and approved by the CLA Executive Committee. Revised and approved by the College of Liberal Arts Collegial Assembly as amended February 20, 2007.  Revised and approved by the College of Liberal Arts Collegial Assembly as amended December 10, 2009.

These procedures have been developed for students who wish to appeal an academic matter, including final course grades, comprehensive or preliminary exam results, or dismissals. Appeals beyond the department may go to the director of graduate affairs and the CLA Graduate Committee and then to the graduate-school level (see Academic Appeals to the Graduate Board).

Procedures for Appealing Academic Matters

Students should first attempt to resolve academic matters in which they feel they have been unfairly treated through communication with the instructor, advisor and/or graduate director. These attempts should be initiated within twenty (20) class days* from the time at which the student was initially notified of the action being grieved (e.g., receipt of a final course grade, preliminary exam results, academic dismissal from program).

If a student wishes to file a formal grievance, they must do so within forty (40) class days, regardless of the status of the informal attempts at resolution.

Initiating the Appeal

A student must initiate the formal grievance procedure at the department level within forty (40) class days from the time the student was initially notified of the action being grieved. To file a formal appeal, the student should submit a signed, written statement to the department chair or, if that person is involved in the grievance, to the graduate director. The statement should include the following.

• Contact information (name, TUid, address, phone number)
• A thorough statement of the specific action being grieved along with the student’s understanding of the rule, policy or practice that was violated
• Supporting documentation
• A description of efforts at resolution
• The remedy being sought

Department Level

Upon receipt of the statement and supporting evidence, the chair or graduate director will, when possible, appoint a committee of three department graduate faculty, with one member designated as the appeals officer who will chair the committee. The committee members cannot be a party to the dispute, and must act to ensure confidentiality of all materials and conversations surrounding the grievance. The committee reviews all submitted documentation, and asks all interested parties to provide relevant written and oral information related to the grievance. When necessary, the committee may seek additional information from other sources. The appeals officer is responsible for maintaining copies of all written documentation as well as an accurate account of any information provided orally.

Within fifteen (15) class days of receiving the initial documentation, the appeals officer will provide a written report that explains the committee’s findings, conclusions, the decision rendered and the justification for that decision. This written report will be sent to the student, the chair, and the graduate director. The appeals officer will inform the student of the procedure to appeal the department’s decision to the college level.

College Level

If the student is not satisfied with the outcome within the department and wishes to appeal further, they must appeal within ten class days of notification to the director of graduate affairs. All documentation previously submitted at the department level, with the addition of the department’s findings, should be sent electronically and in hard copy.

The director of graduate affairs will designate one of the two students serving on the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Graduate Committee as the grievance ombudsperson. The ombudsperson must not be in the appealing student’s home department. The ombudsperson will attempt to ascertain the facts of the case through the review of submitted documents and interviews with any relevant parties involved at the department level. The ombudsperson will submit a summary to the director of graduate affairs and to the Graduate Committee within twenty-one (21) class days of assignment to the case.

The Graduate Committee will decide whether to conduct a further review of the case, with the option of calling in parties to the dispute. The director of graduate affairs or a designee will be present at meetings. The pertinent documentation will be provided to the members of the Graduate Committee’s Subcommittee on Appeals and Grievances, which shall consist of at least three members of the Graduate Committee who may not be in the student’s department. The subcommittee will decide within fifteen (15) class days of its decision to review a case whether to uphold the department’s decision. The director of graduate affairs will notify the student, the department chair and the dean.

Addenda

• Any member of the CLA Graduate Committee who is also a member of the department from which the grievance arises shall withdraw from consideration of the grievance.
• All documents in the grievance or appeals process shall be treated confidentially. All records shall be cumulative and shall be forwarded to the next higher level of appeal.
• Records of all conversations and transactions should be kept by the department, the student ombudsperson and the relevant committees.
• The senior associate dean for academic affairs in CLA, with the advice of the CLA Graduate Committee, is the final authority on academic grievances and appeals, except in cases of academic dismissal, where the student may appeal the CLA decision to the dean of the graduate school.

A student may rescind the grievance at any point by submitting a written request to the same administrator who received the original request. Upon receipt, the administrator will notify all involved parties that the grievance has been withdrawn.

All appeals are in accordance with the general principles set forth in the graduate school policies.

University Level

In cases of academic dismissal, if the student is not satisfied with the outcome of an appeal, they must (within 10 class days) forward the appeal in writing to the vice provost of the graduate school. Petitions may be forwarded without departmental approval. Accumulated records shall be forwarded by the vice dean, together with an explanation of the recommendation. The vice provost of the graduate school will make a decision regarding the grievance, which decision shall be final and binding on all parties.

Approved: Dec. 1997, updated: April 2017

*Note: Grievances will only be heard during the fall and spring semesters, when the university is in session. Grievances will not be heard during the summer.