Academic Dishonesty Appeals
The three most common forms of academic dishonesty are cheating, plagiarism, and bribery. If a student is charged with academic dishonesty, s/he will receive written notification from the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. If desired, students are allowed to dispute a charge of academic dishonesty through an appeal process. The appeal process must be initiated within 10 days of receipt of the written notification.
To Appeal:
Step 1: Written Response
Submit a written response to the charge to the Provost.
Step 2: Academic Standards Committee
The charge of academic dishonesty and the student’s written response are forwarded to the Academic Standards Committee.
Step 3: Final Decision
The Academic Standards Committee reviews the information submitted by the Provost supporting the charge and the written response submitted by the student. After review, the Committee will place their decision in writing and the Provost will send a letter to the student communicating the final decision.
Related Policies:
CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity
Política de Integridad Académica de CUNY [Spanish]
Cancelled Courses
Course that do not reach sufficient enrollment are subject to cancellation. Students are notified by e-mail and/or phone as soon as the decision is made. Students should make certain that their contact information is current with the college so that they can be informed of important decisions. When classes are cancelled, students should meet with their advisor to select another appropriate course.
Changing Majors
Students who want to change their major must follow the steps outlined below.
Step 1: Request Form
Student requests the “Changing Major” form from the Registrar’s Office.
Step 2: Request Coordinator Approval
Student takes form to the department which s/he is requesting to transfer to and requests that the coordinator of the program sign the form.
If the coordinator is not available, the department chairperson can sign. If the coordinator and the chairperson are both unavailable for an extended period of time, a dean in the Office of Academic Affairs can sign.
Step 3: Submit to Registrar
After the change of major is approved, the student must submit the form to the Registrar’s Office.
Closed Courses
The number of students allowed to enroll in a course varies according to the type of course offered and the room capacity. Courses are closed when the maximum number of students allowed have registered. Once closed, students can only gain entry to the course by gaining approval from the assigned instructor. The instructor cannot give approval if room size does not permit.
Faculty Conduct Complaint
Step 1: Informal Resolution
Students are encouraged to attempt to resolve complaints informally with the faculty member or to seek the assistance of the department chairperson or campus ombudsman to facilitate informal resolution.
Step 2: Formal Complaint
- Introduction. The University and its Colleges have a variety of procedures for dealing with student-related issues, including grade appeals, academic integrity violations, student discipline, disclosure of student records, student elections, sexual harassment complaints, disability accommodations, and discrimination. One area not generally covered by other procedures concerns student complaints about faculty conduct in the classroom or other formal academic settings. The University respects the academic freedom of the faculty and will not interfere with it as it relates to the content or style of teaching activities. Indeed, academic freedom is and should be of paramount importance. At the same time the University recognizes its responsibility to provide students with a procedure for addressing complaints about faculty treatment of students that are not protected by academic freedom and are not covered by other procedures. Examples might include incompetent or inefficient service, neglect of duty, physical or mental incapacity and conduct unbecoming a member of the staff.
- Determination of Appropriate Procedure. If students have any question about the applicable procedure to follow for a particular complaint, they should consult with the chief student affairs officer. In particular, the chief student affairs officer should advise a student if some other procedure is applicable to the type of complaint the student has.
- Informal Resolution. Students are encouraged to attempt to resolve complaints informally with the faculty member or to seek the assistance of the department chairperson or campus ombudsman to facilitate informal resolution.
- Formal Complaint. If the student does not pursue informal resolution, or if informal resolution is unsuccessful, the student may file a written complaint with the department chairperson or, if the chairperson is the subject of the complaint, with the academic dean or a senior faculty member designated by the college president. (This person will be referred to below as the Fact Finder.). Only students in a faculty member’s class or present in another academic setting where the alleged conduct occurred may file complaints against that faculty member.
- The complaint shall be filed within 30 calendar days of the alleged conduct unless there is good cause shown for delay, including but not limited to delay caused by an attempt at informal resolution. The complaint shall be as specific as possible in describing the conduct complained of.
- The Fact Finder shall promptly send a copy to the faculty member about whom the complaint is made, along with a letter stating that the filing of the complaint does not imply that any wrongdoing has occurred and that a faculty member must not retaliate in any way against a student for having made a complaint. If either the student or the faculty member has reason to believe that the department chairperson may be biased or otherwise unable to deal with the complaint in a fair and objective manner, he or she may submit to the academic dean or the senior faculty member designated by the college president a written request stating the reasons for that belief; if the request appears to have merit, that person may, in his or her sole discretion, replace the department chairperson as the Fact Finder. The chairperson may also submit a written request for recusal for good cause to the academic dean or senior faculty member designated by the college president to review such requests. If a recusal request is granted, a different department chairperson shall conduct the investigation, or, if no other chairperson is available, an administrator designated by the college president shall serve in the chairperson’s stead. Further, the college president may re-assign investigations as necessary, including but not limited to situations in which a Fact Finder has not completed an investigation in a timely manner. In addition, during any time that no department chairperson is available to investigate a complaint, the college president may assign an administrator to investigate.
- The Fact Finder shall meet with the complaining student and faculty member, either separately or together, to discuss the complaint and to try to resolve it. The Fact Finder may seek the assistance of the campus ombudsman or other appropriate person to facilitate informal resolution.
- If resolution is not possible, and the Fact Finder concludes that the facts alleged by the student, taken as true and viewed in the light most favorable to the student, establish that the conduct complained of is clearly protected by academic freedom, he or she shall issue a written report dismissing the complaint and setting forth the reasons for dismissal and send a copy to the complaining student, the faculty member, the chief academic officer and the chief student affairs officer. Otherwise, the Fact Finder shall conduct an investigation. The Fact Finder shall separately interview the complaining student, the faculty member and other persons with relevant knowledge and information and shall also consult with the chief student affairs officer and, if appropriate, the college ombudsman. The Fact Finder shall not reveal the identity of the complaining student and the faculty member to others except to the extent necessary to conduct the investigation. If the Fact Finder believes it would be helpful, he or she may meet again with the student and faculty member after completing the investigation in an effort to resolve the matter. The complaining student and the faculty member shall have the right to have a representative (including a union representative, student government representative or attorney) present during the initial meeting, the interview and any postinvestigation meeting.
- In cases where there is strong preliminary evidence that a student’s complaint is meritorious and that the student may suffer immediate and irreparable harm, the Fact Finder may provide appropriate interim relief to the complaining student pending the completion of the investigation. The affected faculty member may appeal such interim relief to the chief academic officer.
- At the end of the investigation, the Fact Finder shall issue a written report setting forth his or her findings and recommendations, with particular focus on whether the conduct in question is protected by academic freedom, and send a copy to the complaining student, the faculty member, the chief academic officer and the chief student affairs officer. In ordinary cases, it is expected that the investigation and written report should be completed within 30 calendar days of the date the complaint was filed.
- Appeals Procedure. If either the student or the faculty member is not satisfied with the report of the Fact Finder, the student or faculty member may file a written appeal to the chief academic officer within 10 calendar days of receiving the report, which time period may be extended for good cause shown. The chief academic officer shall convene and serve as the chairperson of an Appeals Committee, which shall also include the chief student affairs officer, two faculty members elected annually by the faculty council or senate and one student elected annually by the student senate. The Appeals Committee shall review the findings and recommendations of the report, with particular focus on whether the conduct in question is protected by academic freedom. The Appeals Committee shall not conduct a new factual investigation or overturn any factual findings contained in the report unless they are clearly erroneous. If the Appeals Committee decides to reverse the Fact Finder in a case where there has not been an investigation because the Fact Finder erroneously found that the alleged conduct was protected by academic freedom, it may remand to the Fact Finder for further proceedings. The committee shall issue a written decision within 20 calendar days of receiving the appeal. A copy of the decision shall be sent to the student, the faculty member, the department chairperson and the president.
- Subsequent Action. Following the completion of these procedures, the appropriate college official shall decide the appropriate action, if any, to take. For example, the department chairperson may decide to place a report in the faculty member’s personnel file or the president may bring disciplinary charges against the faculty member. Disciplinary charges may also be brought in extremely serious cases even though the college has not completed the entire investigative process described above; in that case, the bringing of disciplinary charges shall automatically suspend that process. Any action taken by a college, whether interim or final, must comply with the bylaws of the University and the collective bargaining agreement between the University and the Professional Staff Congress.
- Campus Implementation. Each campus shall implement these procedures and shall distribute them widely to administrators, faculty members and students and post them on the college website.
For additional information regarding student complaints, students are invited to contact the Office of Academic Affairs (718) 518-6660.
CUNY student complaint procedure.
Grade Change
Step 1: Issue Request
Student must communicate with course instructor regarding the requested grade change.
Step 2: Instructor Review
Course instructor will review student work, attendance, and participation.
Step 3: Instructor Decision
1. If the instructor agrees to the requested grade change s/he will issue a “Change of Grade” form to the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) for approval. After OAA approval, the form will be sent to the Registrar’s Office for processing.
2. If the instructor declines the requested grade change, s/he will inform the student.
Step 4: Appeals
If a student’s request for a grade change has been denied by the instructor and the student wishes to appeal that decision, the student should:
1. Contact the unit coordinator and attempt resolution.
2. If the student is unable to find satisfactory resolution with the coordinator, s/he should contact the department chairperson.
3. If the student is unable to find satisfactory resolution with the coordinator, s/he should contact Office of Academic Affairs (B-402) to forward the appeal to the Academic Standards Committee. The Committee investigates academic matters and Committee decisions are final.
Special Permissions
Students who wish to take more than 18 credits must follow the steps outlined below.
Step 1: Request Form
Student must request The “Special Permissions” form from the Registrar’s Office.
Step 2: Request OAA Approval
Student completes the top portion of the form and submits it to the Office of Academic Affairs for the academic dean’s approval. Approval is dependent upon a student’s current academic standing.
Step 3: Submit to Registrar
If the form is signed, the student must submit it to the Registrar’s Office.
Academic Policies Brochure
Additional Helpful Policies
CUNY Testing Policy for students with disabilities
CUNY Policy on Drug and Alcohol