Before a department or institutional unit recommends termination, it must follow the appropriate
procedures under the guidelines of progressive discipline depending on the nature of the offense.
Please refer to the Progressive Discipline Guide for direction on this. Generally,
a) notify the student of the specific nature of the problem or problems, with documentation
of non-performance of duties or poor performance of duties,
b) allow the student a reasonable opportunity to be heard, whether the student wishes to
respond orally or in writing,
c) if possible, attempt an informal resolution to avoid termination, and
d) give the student written notification of the department's reasons for recommending
termination if an informal resolution cannot be achieved.
After the above steps have been followed, the department shall forward its written
recommendation, including the reasons leading to the recommendation, COGS for review.
COGS and the department or institutional unit to which the graduate student is assigned have a
joint responsibility to ensure that appropriate procedures are followed before the termination. A
department cannot terminate an award without the review of the College of Graduate Studies,
even if the funding is not provided by COGS.
If a student elects to file a grievance under the Graduate Assistant Grievance Procedure, then
the procedures therein take precedence over all of the above.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES
Any GA who holds or has held an assistantship and who has a complaint or disagreement
concerning his or her assistantship has the right to try to resolve it using the grievance procedure
as outlined in this section. Such grievances are restricted to only interpretation or application of
established policies and procedures governing assistantships; the grievance procedure does not
apply to tuition waiver, stipend adjustments, or matters pertaining to academic performance such
as poor grades.
To help the graduate assistant through the entire grievance procedure, two means of support are
available at all times: 1) COGS is available for consultation, and 2) the GA may be accompanied
by one representative of his or her choice. COGS is responsible for monitoring the grievance
procedures, both informal and formal; it is COGS role, in part, to make sure the grievance
procedures are followed based upon these policies.
The important element in this process is that the Grievance Policy is not designed to encourage
or provide for formal adjudication of differences or to create a bureaucracy of review. Instead,
the policy is intended to provide a fair and uniform set of guidelines by which the grievances of
GAs may be heard and resolved. The policy is intended to create a space where grievances can
be resolved at the lowest possible administrative level and in the most equitable way. While
those seeking redress of grievances have the right of appeal at successive levels of
administration, they should recognize that the more formal the review, the more certainly they
must bear the burden of proof through appropriate documentation and relevant evidence.
Please see Appendix 4 for further information.