Graduate School Bulletin

Spring 2024

Grievance and Appeals Procedure

Stony Brook University and its Graduate School encourages the prompt resolution of suspected academic misconduct violations and grievances as they arise. The following procedures are designed to provide a well-defined orderly, yet flexible structure that reflects the overall uniqueness of graduate education and the graduate student-faculty relationship. Any member of the academic community may refer a suspected violation of academic integrity directly to the relevant Graduate Program, the Graduate School and/or the Academic Judiciary Office.

I. Faculty Grievances Against Graduate Students

Allegations of academic or professional misconduct including plagiarism, cheating, disallowed collaborations on academic class assignments and take-home exams, will be adjudicated in the following manner.

Upon identification of a suspected violation of academic integrity, a resolution of the alleged grievance should be sought through a conference between the relevant parties. When accusations of misconduct are brought against a student, the initial step should be a meeting between the instructor (or another appropriate faculty member, for example the chair of a qualifying exam committee if misconduct is alleged on such an exam), the student and a representative(s) of the relevant Graduate Program(s). The purpose of this meeting is for the faculty member to describe the misconduct and for the student to respond to the accusation.  Any evidence/documentation should be provided in writing to all parties prior to the meeting. The faculty member should also be prepared to recommend an appropriate sanction, however, to ensure equity the Graduate Program representative(s) can adjust the sanction as necessary.  Both the student and faculty member may request the presence of an additional person at this conference (e.g., the graduate advocate, the graduate program director, or department chair).  If the student acknowledges responsibility and accepts the suggested sanction, the faculty member should report the case and the outcome to the Graduate School. If the misconduct occurred in a program different from the one in which the student is enrolled, the Graduate School will inform the degree program of the accusation and resolution.  Formal documentation, including the complaint and evidence should be retained by all relevant parties.

Sanctions will be proportional to the offense: 

  • For first offenses in a course, the sanctions will be limited to the course and could include no credit for the assignment in question to failure of the course.
  • For first offenses in intermediate milestone degree requirements not related to courses (including but not limited to qualifying or comprehensive exams), possible sanctions include failing the exam, academic suspension, and/or dismissal from the program.
  • For first offenses related to final degree requirements (proposals and exams for advancement to candidacy, preparation and defenses of theses and dissertations), possible sanctions include failing the exam, suspension, and/or dismissal from the program.

If the faculty member and student are unable to arrive at a resolution, the matter will be referred to the Graduate School within two weeks by the Graduate Program (GPD, Chair, GPC).  If the student chooses to submit an appeals statement, the student must submit the statement via email to the Dean of the Graduate School. Both parties should provide the Dean with any documentation that they think is relevant to the case excluding any previous academic judiciary decisions. A copy of the students appeal statement and any relevant submitted documentation will be provided to the accuser and to the Graduate Council Appeals Committee (GCAC). The Graduate Council Appeals Committee (GCAC) will consist of an equal number of graduate students and faculty. Faculty members, including the committee chair, will be appointed by the Graduate Council. Graduate student members will be appointed by the Graduate Student Organization. A senior staff member of the Graduate School (Associate Dean or Assistant Dean) will normally serve as a non-voting member of the GCAC. The standard of evidence used by the committee is "clear and convincing." Students may be found responsible for the accusation on the basis of direct evidence, circumstantial evidence, or a combination of the two. The committee will make a judgment, by majority vote, of whether the student is responsible or not responsible for the accusation brought against them. The committee will recommend a sanction to the Dean of the Graduate School who is responsible for ensuring that the proposed sanction is consistent and equitable with the Graduate School policy. The Dean (or designee) will will notify all parties of the outcome. 

Appeals can be reconsidered based on new evidence that was not available at the time of the hearing.  A new appeal must be submitted within seven (7) business days of the original hearing committee's decision. The disposition of the Dean is final. 

If the appeal process results in a determination of misconduct against a student in a program different from the one in which the student is enrolled, the Graduate School will inform the degree program of the accusation and resolution. 

Students who are found responsible for academic integrity violations will have a Q placed on their transcript.  To remove the Q, students will complete coursework on academic integrity.  

Students found responsible for more than one academic integrity violation may be subject to additional penalties up to and including suspension and dismissal.  Under these circumstances, their transcripts will be marked with a permanent Q designation. 

II. Student Grievances against Faculty or other Members of the Academic Community

Graduate students may present grievances against faculty and other members of the academic community if they believe that: 1) they were subjected to a violation, misinterpretation or inequitable application of a University or Graduate Program regulation, policy, or procedure, or 2) they were treated unfairly or inequitably to established academic policy governing or affecting graduate students at Stony Brook University. Students should attempt to resolve the matter through discussion with the instructor, the graduate program director, and department chairperson. 

If that is unsuccessful, students may submit a grievance via email to the Dean of the Graduate School. There must be a valid grievance, with evidence, showing course discrepancies with the department/ instructor's policy and what was stated in the course syllabus or other violation/misinterpretation of University policies.  A grievance must be filed within one calendar year from the date of the alleged offense, however, upon demonstration of good cause, this deadline can be extended by the Graduate Program Director, Department Chair, College or School Dean or Dean of the Graduate School.

The Program Grievance and Appeals Committee (GAC) will review the grievance to determine whether it has sufficient supporting grounds and will issue a Letter of Decision to all relevant parties. The Program Grievance and Appeals Committee will be established under the following guidelines:

  • Equal proportion of graduate students and faculty.
  • Faculty chosen in any way that accords with general policy of the program, but may not include faculty named in an individual grievance case or party to it in some compromising way.
  • Student members chosen by the students in the program without faculty interference, but may not include students named in the grievance case or party to it in some compromising way.
  • The committee may be of any reasonable size but not fewer than four members.
  • Typically, the grievance committee will be an ad hoc committee, distinct from the Graduate Studies Committee or a standing sub-committee of the Graduate Studies Committee.

If the Program Grievance and Appeals Committee finds that sufficient supporting grounds exist, a resolution of the alleged grievance should be sought through a conference between the relevant parties. Both the student and academic community member may request the presence of an additional person at this conference (e.g., the graduate advocate, the graduate program director, or department chair).  If the student’s grievance is upheld at the conference, the resolution (i.e., the measures taken to redress the student’s grievance) must be documented and reported to the Academic Integrity Office, the Department Chair, Academic Dean, and the Dean of the Graduate School.

If the conference does not yield a resolution, the case will be forwarded to the Dean of the Graduate School. 

The Dean and the Graduate Council Appeal Committee (GCAC) cannot intervene in matters covered by the procedures set forth in the Policies of the Board of Trustees, the Rules for the Maintenance of Public Order, or the collective bargaining agreements between New York State and the United University Professions (the faculty-staff union) or GSEU (the Graduate Student Employees Union). The Dean and Graduate Council Appeals Committee (GCAC) considers only claims of clearly improper academic practices; they will not intervene in disagreements about an instructor's intellectual judgment. Following the hearing, the committee will make a determination, by majority vote, of whether the grievance is sustained.  If the grievance is sustained, the committee will also make a recommendation for how the grievance will be rectified.  When faculty or other academic community members are found responsible, the outcome will be reported to the Department Chair, Academic Dean, and the Dean of the Graduate School. 

The determination of the committee may only be appealed in the event of a significant departure from the procedure described above or based on new evidence that was not available at the time of the hearing. If either party believes that these procedures have not been followed, they may appeal to the Dean of the Graduate School.  The disposition of the Dean is final.

III. Student Grievances with Respect to Academic Progress, Dismissal and Authorship

If students believe that their degree progress has not been appropriately evaluated, they may bring a grievance against their program.  As examples, students may bring a grievance if they do not understand the basis on which they have failed a major academic milestone or if they believe that they have been inappropriately dismissed from the Graduate School.  In addition, students may raise issues pertaining to attribution and/or authorship only related to degree progress (e.g. not related to research projects outside of academic requirements). Grievances that have exhausted all previously established programmatic procedures should be reported directly to the Dean of the Graduate School.

For issues related to academic progress, the initial step should be a meeting between the student and the individual(s) who made the judgments (for example, the students’ mentor or the chair of a qualifying exam committee or dissertation committee) and a representative(s) of the Graduate Program(s).  The student and faculty member may request the presence of an additional person at this conference (e.g., the graduate advocate, the graduate program director, or department chair).  If the initial conference does not produce a satisfactory resolution, the student may initiate an appeal to the Graduate Council Appeals Committee (GCAC). Note that the GCAC will only adjudicate grievances associated with academic progress, dismissals, and authorship associated with degree progress.

For issues related to authorship students should also try to resolve issues through an initial meeting with relevant parties.  The student and other individuals may request the presence of an additional person at this conference (e.g., the graduate advocate, the graduate program director, or department chair).  If the initial conference does not produce a satisfactory resolution, the student may initiate an appeal to the GCAC.

If either of the relevant parties wish to appeal either the process or disposition of a grievance adjudicated at the programmatic level, a written appeal of the program’s decision must be presented to the Dean of the Graduate School within two weeks of the decision. The Dean will forward the case to the Graduate Council Appeals Committee (GCAC), who will then advise the Dean on the disposition of the case. The Dean’s disposition of the case will be forwarded in writing to the relevant parties and to the Program Director, Department Chair and/or Academic Dean, as appropriate.

Students who believe that they have been inappropriately dismissed from Graduate School may file an appeal with GCAC.

The Graduate Council Appeals Committee (GCAC) will consist of an equal number of graduate students and faculty. Faculty members, including the committee chair, will be appointed by the Graduate Council. Graduate student members will be appointed by the Graduate Student Organization. A senior staff member of the Graduate School (Associate Dean or Assistant Dean) will normally serve as a non-voting member of the GCAC

The goal of the GCAC is to resolve and/or adjudicate grievances and appeals as fairly and expeditiously as possible. The GCAC may consider appeals either on technical issues of procedure or substantive issues.  In addition to addressing specific appeals brought to it by the Dean, the GCAC may recommend changes in policies of the program or University.

The person who is appealing to the GCAC is responsible to state clearly and concisely the nature of the grievance and the cause for request of an appeals hearing. Criteria for assessing the initial standing of an appeal include those policies addressed in the Graduate Bulletin or in published and approved program handbooks or guidelines.

Cases referred to the GCAC will be adjudicated in the following manner.

  • Upon receiving a written appeal, the chair of the GCAC will convene a meeting of the full committee. This initial full meeting of the GCAC will usually occur within two weeks of receipt of the appeal, or as soon as the committee can be convened if classes are not in session.
  • All GCAC members will have equal access to all documents and information. The Graduate School will appoint a faculty/staff member to assist the GCAC in obtaining, reproducing and disseminating the relevant information.
  • The proceedings of the GCAC are confidential. Since information concerning an appeal may be of sensitive, highly personal and confidential nature, such information must not be disseminated outside the committee, except as necessary to the Graduate Student Advocate.
  • The person who is filing the appeal must communicate with the GCAC only through its chair, and all such communications must be in writing. The GCAC will arrange for an interpreter or similar assistance if it deems that such aid would be useful.
  • Upon reaching a decision, the GCAC will issue a report with its recommendations to the Dean of the Graduate School. The report should present the rationale for its recommendation(s). The substance of any dissent must be included in the text of the report.

The Dean of the Graduate School will review the GCAC’s recommendations and issue a decision. The decision of the Dean of the Graduate School is final.

Appendix A

Program Grievance and Appeals Committee Membership: The Graduate Program Director (or Department Chair) will form a Program Grievance Committee that will be comprised of no fewer than two faculty members and two graduate students. A larger number of participants may be necessary as long as the ratio of faculty to graduate students is maintained. A non-voting member (such as the Graduate Program Director) may be included to ensure equity across multiple cases. One faculty member will be designated as the chair of the Program Grievance Committee. All individual parties can request, without stipulating a reason, the replacement of one member of the Program Grievance Committee within five days of being notified of the committee composition.

Confidentiality: Once a Grievance Committee is formed (at any level), the relevant parties and the committee members have the obligation to maintain the confidentiality of the proceedings and of all materials presented during the proceedings. A breach of confidentiality may subject the individual to charges of misconduct.