Report #358

Appearances:

For the Student Appellant:
Ms. F.G. (the Student)

For the School of Graduate Studies:
Dr. Brian Corman
Dr. Jeanne Watson
Ms. Sari Springer
 

School of Graduate Studies – course grade appeal – program coordinator acted outside her scope of authority and recommended changing the grade from B+ to A- – course instructor re-read the paper and confirmed B+ – another faculty member re-read the paper and confirmed B+ – Student was treated incorrectly due to the procedural error – Divisional Appeal Board assigned a grade of CR – Committee could not raise the grade as the paper had been re-read twice by experts in the field and it had no authority to change a grade – CR designation was the most appropriate remedy as it helped the Student in that it would not reduce her average – appeal dismissed

Appeal from a grade of B+ in a course. The program coordinator recommended changing the grade from a B+ to an A-, misleading the Student to believe that the coordinator actually had the power to do so. The course instructor re-read the paper and confirmed the B+. Upon appeal by the Student, another faculty member re-read the paper and also confirmed the B+. The Student further appealed, and the Divisional Appeal Board ordered to change the grade from a B+ to a CR, reasoning that the Student had been treated incorrectly because of the procedural error made by the program coordinator. The Committee confirmed this finding, stating that it could not raise the grade as it had been re-read twice by faculty members who are expert in the field. The Committee found that the CR designation was the most appropriate way to remedy the procedural error because it helped the Student in that it would not reduce her average in any way. The Committee dismissed the Student’s complaints about the admission process and allegations of discrimination by the Department due to lack of evidence. Appeal dismissed.