Grievance Procedure for Graduate Students

At Manhattanville, grievance procedures exist for students who feel they have received truly biased or unfair treatment by a faculty member.

If the student and faculty member cannot resolve the problem through direct discussion in a mutually satisfactory manner, the student should bring the matter in writing to the attention of the appropriate department chair (or the Associate Dean for Graduate Advising if the faculty member and chair are one and the same.) This must happen within one semester of the claimed instance.

If the matter cannot be resolved at this level, the student has the right to bring the issue in writing to the Associate Dean for Graduate Advising. This must be done within five business days of the latest communication with faculty or chair. The Associate Dean will convene the Graduate Review Committee, who will make a determination. The Associate Dean will communicate the results in writing to the student.

If the issue remains open, the student may appeal in writing within five business days of receipt of communication from the Associate Dean to the Dean of the School of Education, who will form a grievance committee for a formal hearing. The members of the committee will be the Provost, an Associate Dean, and one faculty member, either from the college or the School of Education. The Dean of the School of Education will serve ex-officio. The decision of the grievance committee will be conveyed by letter to the concerned parties.

The decision of the grievance committee may be appealed to the President only on the basis of procedural unfairness or new evidence that might result in a different decision. Such an appeal must be made in writing within 5 business days after receipt of the letter from the grievance committee.