academic catalog - Mt. Sierra College

Mt. Sierra College Student Services
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Academic Grievance Procedure
Except in cases where capricious, malicious, incompetent or unfair grading can be clearly demonstrated, faculty members
shall have final authority in the assignment of a grade. However, there may be times that a student believes that he or she has
not received an appropriate grade. The student should first contact the Registrar’s Office to verify that the grade has been
recorded accurately. If so, the student should follow the following steps in the prescribed order:
1. Meet with the faculty member who assigned the grade. The student should present evidence that supports the claim that
the grade assigned was inappropriate;
2. If the faculty member determines that the grade assigned was in error, the faculty member shall submit a “Grade
Change” form to the Registrar. All academic records will be changed to reflect the revised grade;
3. If the faculty member is no longer on the Mt. Sierra College staff, the appropriate Department Chairperson shall appoint
a qualified faculty member to review the work submitted by the student. If a grade change is deemed warranted,
the Department Chairperson, based upon the recommendation of the qualified faculty member, shall submit a “Grade
Change” form to the Registrar;
4. If a dispute still exists, the student shall submit a written request for review to the appropriate Department Chairperson.
If the dispute involves a grade assigned by the Department Chairperson, the written request shall be submitted to the
Dean or his/her designee. The Department Chair, Dean or his/her designee shall review the case. If there is concern
about the grading process, the faculty member will be requested to re-evaluate the student’s performance and consider
assigning a new grade;
5. If a dispute still exists after review by the appropriate Department Chairperson, the student may submit a written request
to the Dean or his/her designee for review. After a review is conducted, the Dean may request the faculty member to
review the student’s performance and consider assigning a new grade, if deemed appropriate;
6. Unless it can be clearly demonstrated that the grade assigned was done in an unfair, capricious, or incompetent way, the
grade assigned by the faculty member will be upheld;
7. If it is determined that the grade assigned was done in a capricious, unfair or incompetent way, the Department
Chairperson shall appoint a qualified faculty member to review the work of the student and recommend an appropriate
grade. The Dean must approve this appointment. The Dean must approve the revised grade. Once approved, the Dean
will submit a “Grade Change” form to the Registrar and all academic records will be adjusted. The decision of the Dean
is final.
Non-Academic Grievance Procedure
Students may grieve actions taken as a result of the imposition of discipline, violations of College Policy (including violations
of the College’s policy on academic integrity) or other actions by college staff or other students that are deemed inappropriate
by the student. The following procedural due process shall be followed:
1. The student shall submit a written request to the Dean for either a review of the case or an appeal of action taken by the
College against the student for violations of College Policy;
2. Upon receipt of the written the request, the Dean or his/her designee shall appoint an Appeals/Review Committee to
review the appeal or allegations. The committee shall be comprised of one general education faculty member appointed
by the Dean or his/her designee, one faculty member appointed by the Department Chairperson of the major department
of the student filing the request for appeal, and two students appointed by the Dean or his/her designee. The Dean or
his/her designee shall chair the Appeals/Review Committee;
3. The Committee shall consider all relevant testimony and supporting documentation presented by the student filing the
request for appeal or review. Legal counsel cannot represent the student;
4. Based upon a thorough review of all relevant evidence and testimony, the Appeals/Review Committee shall make a
recommendation to the Dean. This shall take place within 10 business days from the filing of the request for appeal or review.
The Dean will render a written decision;
5. If the student believes that there are extenuating circumstances or that all of the evidence presented was not appropriately
considered, the student may submit a written appeal to the College President. The President shall review the appeal and
render a written decision. The decision of the President is final.
Complaints
Schools accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) are required to have a procedure
and operational plan for handling student complaints. If a student does not feel that the school has adequately addressed a
complaint or concern, the student may consider contacting the Accrediting Commission. All complaints considered by the
Commission must be in written form, with permission from the complainant(s) for the Commission to forward a copy of the
complaint to the school for a response. The complainant(s) will be kept informed as to the status of the complaint as well as
the final resolution by the Commission. Please direct all inquiries to:
Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
2101 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 302
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 247-4212
A copy of the Commission’s Complaint Form is available from the office of the College President and on the Comission’s
website, http://accsc.org.
Mt. Sierra College Student Services
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