Appeals

Conduct appeals

As stated in Board of Regents Policy 09.02.020, Regulation 09.02.040. University Student Conduct Procedures.

The respondent may appeal a decision to impose a minor sanction.

  1. Appeals may be made on the basis that:
    1. a procedural error was made during the process which significantly impacted the finding or sanction;
    2. the sanctions imposed are substantially outside the parameters of guidelines set by the university for this type of offense or the cumulative conduct record of the respondent;
    3.  there is new information that was not available at the time of the decision that, if introduced and credible would have significantly impacted the finding or sanction. Any party’s unwillingness to provide a statement or participate in the student conduct process will not satisfy this ground for appeal; or
    4. the decision is not supported by a preponderance of the evidence.
  1. Appeals must be submitted in writing within seven days of the day the decision is sent to the student, and in accordance with Major Academic Unit (MAU) rules and procedures.
  1. The MAU senior student services professional or designee will conduct a review of the record and will ordinarily render a decision within seven days of receipt of the appeal, barring extenuating circumstances. The MAU senior student services professional or designee may:
    1. uphold a decision and/or sanction;
    2. dismiss the case;
    3.  alter or lessen a sanction;
    4. refer the matter back for further review;
    5. authorize a new administrative review; or
    6. take such other action as the senior student services officer or designee deems appropriate.
  1. Except in cases referred for further proceedings, the decision of the MAU senior student services professional or designee constitutes the university’s final decision on the matter. Notification to the affected students must be made in writing and in accordance with Regents’ Policy and University Regulation.

The student conduct administrator will forward a recommendation to impose a major sanction to the Major Academic Unit (MAU) senior student services professional for review.

  1. The respondent will be given an opportunity to comment upon the findings, conclusions, and recommendation of the administrative review. Comments must be submitted in writing within seven days of the day the findings, conclusions, and recommendation are sent to the student, and in accordance with MAU rules and procedures.
  1. The MAU senior student services professional or designee will review the record and render a decision within fourteen days of receipt of the recommendation, barring extenuating circumstances, and may:
    1. uphold a decision and/or recommended sanction;
    2. dismiss the case;
    3. alter or lessen the sanction;
    4. refer the matter back for further review;
    5. authorize a new administrative review; or
    6. take such other action as the senior student services professional or designee deems appropriate.
  1. If the MAU senior student services professional has recommended a major sanction, the chancellor will review the record and, barring extenuating circumstances, render a decision within seven days of receipt of the recommendation. The chancellor may:
    1. uphold a decision and/or impose the sanction;
    2. dismiss the case;
    3. alter or lessen the sanction;
    4. refer the matter back for further review;
    5. authorize a new administrative review; or
    6. take such other action as the chancellor deems appropriate.

Except in cases referred for further proceedings, the decision of the chancellor constitutes the university’s final decision on the matter. Notification to the affected students must be made in writing and in accordance with Regents’ Policy and University Regulation.


Grade appeals

A student who wishes to appeal a faculty decision on a final grade must submit a grade appeal form, available here. There are only two valid reasons for an appeal of a grade: (1) an error in the calculation of the grade, or (2) arbitrary and capricious grading. Evidence of either must be documented for an appeal to be successful. Merely wanting a higher grade is not sufficient grounds to justify an appeal.

The informal portion of a grade appeal must be initiated within 15 class after the beginning of the next regular semester. By submitting a grade appeal, the student acknowledges that no additional mechanisms exist within the university for the review of the grade and that the university's administration can not influence or affect the outcome of the review. Students interested in filing a grade appeal should review the process then complete the grade appeal form to be submitted with supporting documentation by following the instructions on the form.

What you should know:

  • Informal Grade Appeal Form DocuSign Powerform: Informal Grade Appeal forms are now submitted via DocuSign Powerform link. Please make sure to follow the instructions, and check your inbox for the DocuSign email to fill out your Informal Grade Appeal form and provide documents.
  • Formal Grade Appeal DocuSign Powerform:  Formal Grade Appeal forms are now submitted via DocuSign Powerform link. Please make sure to follow the instructions, and check your inbox for the DocuSign email to fill out your Formal Grade Appeal form, and provide additional documents.
  • Faculty Senate Grade Policy - Information on updated Faculty Senate Grade Appeals Policy.
  • For questions, please send an email at uaf-provost@alaska.edu

Academic appeals

Academic Appeals are defined by Faculty Senate Policy as a formal complaint and procedure designed for students to seek review of academic decisions alleged to be arbitrary and capricious. These academic decisions may involve non-admission to or dismissal from any UAF program that were made by a department or program through the department chair, or involve pass/fail decisions by a committee of faculty on non-course examinations (such as qualifying, comprehensive or thesis examinations) or satisfactory/unsatisfactory evaluations on student reviews (such as the annual review of graduate student performance).

Steps: Academic appeal

  1. You will need to contact the Provost office (information below) to set up a meeting to discuss your academic concerns.
  2. The formal academic appeal is initiated by you through a signed written request that you will need to submit to the Provost’s office.
  3. For more information on the detailed process of the academic appeal, feel free to visit the Provost's student resources webpage.
  4. Provost's Office Contact: Jennifer Hoppough, 907-474-7096, jahoppough@alaska.edu