Academic Appeals Committee

Delegated Authority from the Senate

The Committee has delegated authority from the Senate for:

• Deciding the student appeals that are brought to the Committee; and
• Reporting all its decisions to the Senate.

Responsibilities

The Academic Appeals Committee is responsible for:

• Maintaining, in cooperation with the Vice-President Academic, a general overview of the overall state of process for academic appeals at the University.
• As required, considering, and providing advice and recommendations to the Senate and other University bodies on the:
  • systemic challenges and appropriate policy/procedure revisions;
  • forms of support needed to maintain high standards for academic integrity;
  • planning and operation of academic integrity initiatives.
• Developing and approving the processes and guidelines for student appeals related to academic matters;
• Periodically reviewing the policies and practices for student appeals related to academic matters to ensure consistency and compliance with:
  • best practices;
  • emerging policy issues;
  • the mission, goals, and strategic priorities of the University; and
  • the responsibilities of the Senate.
• Forming panels from amongst its members to hear and decide appeals commenced by University students on matters of academic misconduct and final grades, in accordance with the jurisdiction and procedures established by the Senate;
• Forming panels from amongst its members to hear and decide academic appeals commenced by University students in relation to Faculty-level decisions (or failures to decide) in accordance with the jurisdiction and procedures established by the Senate;
• Through its panels, conducting the hearings described above and issuing decisions to the student and internal stakeholders;
• Meeting a minimum of once annually to receive training concerning the jurisdiction and procedures established by Senate for this Committee, the proper conduct of a hearing, and other relevant legal principles (for new members, attendance is mandatory);
• Establishing such subcommittees as needed to fulfill the Committee's responsibilities, as well as reporting mechanisms for these subcommittees; and
• Other duties as assigned by the Senate.

Committee Membership

The Committee meets on an as-needed basis, with a minimum of two meetings per year; meetings are usually closed. For any questions, please contact the Senate Secretariat at senate@ucanwest.ca.