Southern University - Baton Rouge Division of Academic Affairs

Student Academic Grievance Procedures

Purpose

To ensure each student at Southern University understand their right to seek redress in academic decisions when they believe the decision is unfair or unfounded and that each student, faculty member and University leader fully understand the grievance procedure and responsibilities to provide prompt and equitable resolution to student academic grievances. Classroom related matters should be subjected to these procedures only when the grievance cannot be settled in the ordinary course of immediate post-class discussion.

General Policy

To provide students with the procedure to seek redress for believed unfair academic decisions as it applies to the individual student in his/her capacity as a student. It is Southern University’s basic philosophy that student grievances should be settled at the lowest level possible having the authority to act definitively as quickly as practical. The policy mandates that individuals follow the specific appeals procedures whenever possible.

Provisions of the Academic Grievance Process

All students have the right to address grievances without fear of coercion, harassment, intimidation or reprisal from the University or its employees; however, it should be understood that capricious charges made by a student against a University employee may make that student liable to charges under the Code of Student Conduct or to action through the courts.
Students will have the right to have an advisor. Advisors will be available through the office of student affairs.
Confidentiality shall be maintained, where applicable, in all academic grievance proceedings in accordance with the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
The timeline indicated at each step shall be considered a maximum, and every effort will be made to expedite the process. The time limits specified shall apply to both the person filing the grievance and the faculty/administration but may be extended under certain extenuating circumstances.
The university official’s subr.edu e-mail address is the only e-mail address that will be used for the grievance process.

Academic Grievance Procedure

A special conference between the teacher and the student should be arranged under optimum conditions. If conditions don’t allow for this to occur or the matter remains unresolved the student can submit a grievance as outlined below:

The student shall submit a grievance, in writing, to the teacher’s department chair or director where the incident occurred. The completed form, with all supporting documents, shall be submitted within 15 working days subsequent to the occurrence of the incident precipitating the grievance. Grievances must be filed at the departmental and college level within the academic area where the incident occurred.
The department chair or director will acknowledge the receipt of the grievance, in writing, within three (3) working days of receiving the grievance. The written acknowledgement will be provided to the student in person, by certified mail, or by University email.
The department chair or director will respond expeditiously, in writing, to the grievance submitted, but no later than 15 working days after receipt of the grievance. The department chair or director will appoint a committee to review and submit recommendations regarding the grievance. The department chair or director will review findings and make a ruling on the grievance. The response to the grievance will be provided to the student in person. The student, upon receipt, must state on the grievance form whether he/she is satisfied or unsatisfied with the ruling. If the student is satisfied the matter is closed but if the student is unsatisfied with the ruling the department chair or director will forward findings and recommendations to the Dean of the College.
The Dean will respond expeditiously, in writing, to the grievance submitted, but no later than 15 working days following receipt from department chair or director. The Dean may appoint a committee to review the department chair or director’s ruling or review the findings independently. The Dean will provide ruling to the student in person, by certified mail, or by University email. If the student is satisfied, the matter is closed, but if the student is unsatisfied with the ruling, the student can file an appeal to the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs.
The student must file the appeal to the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs within three (3) working days of being notified of the Dean’s ruling. The Office of the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs will acknowledge the receipt of the appeal, in writing, within three (3) working days of receiving the appeal. The written acknowledgement will be provided to the student in person, by certified mail, or by University email.
The Office of the Vice Chancellor of academic affairs will respond expeditiously, in writing, to the appeal submitted, but no later than 7 working days after receipt of the appeal. The Vice Chancellor may appoint a committee to review the Dean’s ruling. The Vice Chancellor will review the findings and make a ruling on the appeal. The Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs will provide ruling on the appeal to the student in person, by certified mail, or by University email. If the student is satisfied, the matter is closed, but if the student is unsatisfied with the ruling, the student can file an appeal to the office of the Chancellor.
The student must file the appeal to the Office of the Chancellor within three (3) working days of being notified of the ruling from the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs. The office of the Chancellor will acknowledge the receipt of the appeal, in writing, within three (3) working days of receiving the appeal. The written acknowledgement will be provided to the student in person, by certified mail, or by University email.
The office of the Chancellor will respond expeditiously, in writing, to the appeal submitted, but no later than 7 working days after receipt of the appeal. The Chancellor will review the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs’ ruling and make a final ruling on the appeal. The Chancellor will provide ruling to the student in person, by certified mail, or by University email. The decision of the Chancellor shall be final.

Additional Information

Grievance forms are available in each academic department, through a college dean, through the Office of Academic Affairs, or on the SUBR web site (www.subr.edu) under the link for Academic Affairs.
At every level of administrative review, a grievance must show date of submission, date received by the reviewing level, date of response by the reviewing level, and the signatures of the person filing the grievance and the responding party.
If certified mail is used during any step in the grievance process, the post office receipt must be maintained on file as proof of timeline adherence.
It is suggested that these procedures be used sparingly. When it is necessary to file a grievance, all the skills in human relations should be mustered to effect an equitable and lasting solution at a level as close to the originating source as possible.
These operational procedures are designed to bring greater order and effectiveness to the teaching/learning process. They should be recognized as guides to the enhancement of excellence in the academic program and are expected to be followed whenever a grievance exists.
All final rulings, regardless of level of resolution, will be kept on file in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty is an offense against the University. A student who has committed an act of academic dishonesty has failed to meet a basic requirement of satisfactory academic performance. Thus, academic dishonesty is not only a basis for disciplinary action, but it is also relevant to the evaluation of students’ performance levels. This form is NOT to be used for academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty cases are handled in accordance with the Southern University and A&M College Code of Student Conduct.

Appeal Procedure

Should the grievant desire to appeal the written determination, the appeal should be filed in writing within 15 days of receiving the determination letter.
The appeal should be addressed to Chancellor, Southern University and A&M College, 3rd floor, J.S. Clark Administration Building, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813.
The appeal should set forth the basis or grounds for the appeal. No new evidence or information will be accepted unless it was not available at the time the matter was under review at the initial stage(s) of the investigation/review.
A written determination as to the validity of the appeal and a description of the resolution shall be issued by the Chancellor or his designee and a copy will be forwarded to the complainant no later than 15 days after its filing. The determination of the Chancellor or his designee will be final and binding.

Document Dissemination and Storage

Once the investigation process is complete, the grievant and respondent(s) are notified of the out- come. Each party will receive a copy of the report at no charge.

Any report that contains evaluative information will be prepared in a format that allows the information to be masked prior to making it available to anyone other than the evaluated employee.

The ADA/504 Compliance Coordinator will maintain all files and records relative to the grievance filed.

CREDIT BY EXAMINATION

Students enrolled at Southern University and prospective students may earn up to 30 semester hours of college credits for acceptable scores made on College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams, Advanced Placement Program exams, and a limited number of institutionally constructed examinations. Scores on the general examination must be submitted prior to initial enrollment by students who desire CLEP credit for subject examinations.

Students may receive credit only in subjects in which they have not earned academic credit accepted by Southern University. Students may not attempt credit by examination for a course in which a failing grade has been earned or for a basic course in areas in which acceptable college credit for more advanced courses has been obtained.

The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) allows students the opportunity to earn credit in the subject areas listed below. Students are graded on a pass/fail basis and must earn the minimum scores indicated for a passing grade. The grade is not computed in the student’s cumulative grade point average, nor does it replace an earned letter grade. Students may not attempt credit by examination more than once in a given course. Credit by examination is available only to enrolled students. Grades are recorded on the student’s transcript upon successful completion of the examination.

Southern University General Examinations	Semester Hours Course No.	Minimum Credit Awarded	Scores
Freshman Composition	ENGL-110 -111	6	50
Mathematics	MATH-130B, SMAT-120B	6	50
History	HIST-114 -115	6	50
Humanities		6	50
Subject Examinations
General Chemistry	SCHE-132B -133B	6	50
American Government	POLS-200	3
American History	HIST-104 -105	3-6	50
College Algebra	SMAT-121B	3	50
Computers & Data Processing	CMPS-1005B	3	50
Educational Psychology	BHVS-220	3	50
Into to Bus and Entrepreneurship	BUSP-100	3	50
Introductory Marketing	MKTG-300	3	50
Introductory Sociology	SOCL-210	3	50
Microbiology	SBIO-211B	4	50
Statistics	SMAT-103B	3	50
Trigonometry	SMAT-122B	3	50

Students are advised to obtain information from the Office of the Registrar on earning CLEP credit in subject areas not listed in this section.

The College Board Advanced Placement Program (APP) gives high school students an opportunity to qualify for a maximum of two courses in each of 16 possible subject areas by obtaining a score of three or higher on APP examinations. Students who have completed these tests should have their scores sent to the Registrar.

Students who desire to earn credits by examination should confer with their major advisors or high school counselors if they have not entered college, before applying for permission to take an examination for credit.

Application forms to earn credit by examination are available in the Office of the Registrar. More detailed information about fees, dates, and registration forms for these examinations should be obtained by writing: College Entrance Examination Board, P.O. Box 592, Princeton, NJ, 08541 or Advanced Placement Program, P.O. Box 977-IS, Princeton, NJ, 08541.

Each examination in Southern University’s Course Credit Examinations program must be approved in advance by the dean of the college in which the student is registered, the chairman of the department offering the examination, and the dean of the college in which the course is offered. The following conditions apply to Southern University credit examinations:

Only admitted undergraduate students are eligible for credit by examination.
Credit earned by examination is recorded without letter grade and is not computed in the overall grade point average.
Credits may not be earned in courses that students previously failed.
Students may attempt to earn credit by examination in a particular course only once.
A fee of $15 is required for each examination taken for credit.

A copy of the policy and procedures for Credit by Examination at Southern University may be obtained from the Office of the Registrar, Southern University, Baton Rouge, LA 70813.

Credit for Military Service School Courses

The American Council on Education (ACE) Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experience in the Armed Services is used in evaluating and awarding credits for military service

To have service school courses evaluated, service personnel should request an official transcript, sent directly from AARTS/SMART Operations Center to the registrar.
The Military Registry for the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps is Army/ACE Registry Transcript Service (AARTS) and for Sailor/Marine/ACE Registry Transcript (SMART).
Air Force personnel desiring credits earned through the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) should request the CCAF to send an official transcript to the registrar.

The total amount of undergraduate credit which may be awarded for all categories of service school courses, CLEP, and non-collegiate organization courses, is 30 semester hours. Inquiries concerning graduate credit should be directed to the dean of the Graduate School.

Independent Study

Those students possessing self-discipline and academic excellence as demonstrated by past performance, and by favorable faculty evaluations and recommendations, shall be allowed by means of independent study to pursue subjects not offered in the classroom. Participation in an independent study program requires:

recommendation by the supervising faculty member,
minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and no grade less than “B” in any background or prerequisite course,
approval of the appropriate departmental chair and the academic dean,
certification by the registrar that the student meets the required academic standards,
maximum of one course per semester/term for no more than four credit hours,
no more than nine credit hours during undergraduate tenure, and
maximum credit hour load includes independent study credit hours.

Correspondence and Extension Course Credit

Southern University does not offer correspondence work, but will accept a maximum of 30 hours of correspondence or extension credit from accredited institutions. Full-time students at Southern University who plan to take work elsewhere (correspondence, extension, or resident) must obtain prior approval from the academic dean, the registrar, and the Office of Academic Affairs.

Process for Communicating Curriculum Changes

The University reserves the right to add or delete requirements and course offerings. Students in continuous full-time attendance, with no change in curriculum major, are entitled to graduate under the degree provisions of the catalog in effect at the time of their initial entry at Southern University. Students may elect any issue of the catalog in force during their residence at Southern University upon approval of the academic dean, with exceptions that are identified in the University catalog.

Documenting and Recording Changes of Degree

The dean of the college with the approval of the program chair and faculty is responsible for contacting candidates about changes in the major curriculum.

The athletics department has its own policy for documenting and recording changes of degree:

If a student-athlete determines that their current major no longer fits their intended career path, they are allowed the option to change their chosen field of study via a change of major form. Once the decision is made but before the formal change has been filed, the student athlete should;

Visit with the Academic Counselor for the student-athletes sport;
Once confirmed, the counselor forwards transcript information along with the current curriculum sheet to the departmental certifying official to ensure the student will be eligible in the new major.

If the student-athlete is ineligible in the new major:

The student-athlete’s request will be initially denied by academic services and the student- athlete’s Head Coach (Position coach if football) will be notified of the request and reason for denial.

If the student-athlete is eligible in the new major:

The Academic Counselor reviews the documentation to ensure that the student-athlete remains eligible in the new major;
Once confirmed, the request is then forwarded to the Director for Institutional Compliance for re-review;
If the Director for Institutional Compliance confirms the accuracy of review, approval is granted via signature on the official Southern University change of major document and immediately submitted to the Registrar’s Office to record the change;
Once the official change has been recorded, one copy of the signed document is provided to the student-athlete for their records, the other to remain in the student-athletes official athletics file.