Graduate School General Appeals Procedure(s)

Effective Date: September 1, 2020

Decisions of the Graduate School are made in the first instance by the relevant section Manager.

An appeal may be made of a Managerial decision if a student feels their concern has not been adequately or appropriately addressed, is not in accordance with OIST or Graduate School policy, or that not all relevant data had been considered.

Students may lodge an appeal of a decision with the Vice Dean of Graduate School within five (5) business days of notification of the decision. The appeal must be in writing and include a concise statement of the reasons for the appeal.

The Vice Dean will conduct an independent inquiry and may request further information at their discretion. Within five (5) business days of the date of appeal the Vice Dean will meet with the student for discussion. Students will be informed of the result of the appeal within ten (10) business days of this meeting.

Decisions of the Vice Dean of Graduate School may in turn be appealed to the Dean of Graduate School. An appeal may be made of the Vice-Dean’s decision if a student feels their concern has not been adequately or appropriately addressed, is not in accordance with OIST or Graduate School policy, or that not all relevant data had been considered.

Appeals must be lodged within ten (10) business days of notification of the decision. Again, the appeal must be in writing, and include a concise statement of the reasons for the appeal.

The Dean will conduct an independent inquiry and may again request further information at their discretion. Within ten (10) business days of the date of appeal the Dean will meet with the student for discussion. Students will be informed of the result of the appeal within twenty (20) business days of this meeting.

Confidentiality must be and will be maintained throughout the entirety of the appeals process.

Appeal of course or lab rotation results

An appeal may be made of a course/lab rotation grade or assessment if a student feels the result unduly fails to reflect what the grade or assessment should be.

The student should initially discuss the matter directly with the Professor involved within five (5) business days of official posting of the result.

If the matter remains unresolved, students may lodge an appeal of a decision with the Vice Dean of Graduate School within five (5) business days of the above discussion. The appeal must be in writing and include a concise statement of the reasons for the appeal.

Appeals must be lodged within ten (10) business days of notification of the decision. Again, the appeal must be in writing, and include a concise statement of the reasons for the appeal.

Confidentiality must be and will be maintained throughout the entirety of the appeals process.

Appeal regarding examination process

A student who has failed an examination may lodge an appeal. Grounds for appeal include incorrect application of the procedures, but objections to the evaluations in the assessment by the examiners, the decision of the Curriculum and Examinations Committee, and the composition of the examining panel are not a basis for appeal.

The examination is a confidential process, and this confidentiality must be maintained throughout any appeals process. The appeal must be in writing, include a concise statement of the reasons for the appeal, and be lodged with the Manager, Academic Affairs, within five (5) business days of communication advising the outcome of the qualifying examination.

The appeal will be referred to the Provost, who will determine the course of action to be undertaken, taking into consideration the grounds for the appeal stated by the candidate. This may include a review of the examination process.

The Provost will determine the outcome of the appeal as either:

ⅰ. The procedures for the qualifying examination were applied correctly, and the appeal is unsuccessful.

ⅱ. The procedures for the qualifying examination were not applied correctly, but the variation in procedures did not influence the outcome of the examination, and the appeal is unsuccessful.

ⅲ. The procedures for the qualifying examination were not applied correctly, and the variation in procedures did influence the outcome of the examination, and the appeal is successful. In this case, the Provost will determine further action to be taken, which may include re-examination.

The outcome of the appeal will be determined within twenty (20) business days of the date the written appeal was received by the Office of the Provost.

Appeal of Dean of Graduate School decision

Under circumstances where the student feels the Graduate School, or Graduate School policy, has not adequately or appropriately addressed the appeal, students may, after availing themselves of the appeals procedure above, make a final appeal to the Provost. Any such appeal must be made within five (5) business days of being informed of the Dean’s decision.

The Provost, after consultation with the Graduate School, may or may not, solely at his/her discretion, choose to independently investigate or review the appeal, including meeting with the appellant.

The Provost may request further information if required. Students will be informed of the Provost’s decision within twenty (20) business days of receipt of the appeal request.

When an appeal is successful, the Provost will recommend the course of action to be undertaken.

The result of an appeal to the Provost is final.

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