2022–2023 CATALOG AND STUDENT HANDBOOK ACADEMIC INFORMATION AND UNIVERSITY POLICIES ALL CONTENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE BY ADDENDUM 181 Academic Appeals and Grievance Policy Rasmussen University broadly recognizes the rights of students and others who have dealings with the University to present a complaint through the impartial procedures of a grievance or academic appeal. We recommended that students follow the Academic Appeal Procedure when appealing a final grade or an academic policy; however, in some cases, academic appeals are escalated to or start from a grievance, and in some cases, students pursue both avenues. For any situation involving sexual misconduct or gender-based discrimination, please reference the Title IX and Policy Against Sexual Misconduct section of the catalog. For purposes of this policy, the following terms are defined: “complainant” is the aggrieved person or entity that has dealings with the University; “grievance” is an expressed feeling of dissatisfaction held by a complainant regarding an action taken by the University or by members of the University community; “student” means a current student. No retaliatory action may be made by the University or any of its representatives against those who file an academic appeal or grievance, participate in the resolution process, or are the subject of the matter. The University will investigate and attempt to resolve each academic appeal and grievance made under this policy, and associated allegations of retaliation. A. Academic Appeal Procedure The following procedure must be followed for a final grade appeal or appeal regarding a program-specific academic policy: 1. For final grade appeals at the end of a term or quarter, the student must submit a written appeal to their instructor’s “@rasmussen.edu” email address. Grade appeals must be submitted within five business days after final grades have been posted at the end of the term or quarter to the student’s record. Students wishing to submit an appeal related to a program specific academic policy must contact their Academic Program Director, Dean of Nursing/Nurse Administrator or advisor to begin the process as outlined in number 2 below. a. Please note the instructor’s “@rasmussen.edu” email address can be found in the course syllabus and is different from course mail. b. The written appeal must include a detailed explanation as to why an appeal should be considered and must clearly state the student’s desired outcome (e.g., that a new grade should be assigned, or that the student is willing to resubmit work or repeat the course). c. The instructor will consider the appeal and respond to the student via email within seven business days from the date the appeal was submitted. 2. For program-specific academic policy appeals or an appeal of the instructor’s determination in A(1) of this policy; program-specific academic policy appeals must be submitted within 10 business days after grades have been posted to the student’s record. If the student is unsatisfied with the instructor’s decision from A(1) and desires to pursue the appeal further with the Academic Program Director or Dean of Nursing/Nurse Administrator, a formal appeal request may be initiated by contacting their Advisor, Academic Program Director or Dean of Nursing/Nurse Administrator. a. An academic appeal form will be sent electronically to the student by their Advisor, Academic Program Director or Dean of Nursing/Nurse Administrator based on the student’s request. b. The form needs to be completed electronically within seven calendar days. c. The Academic Program Director or Dean of Nursing/Nurse Administrator will consider the appeal and will respond to the student via email within seven business days from the date the appeal form was submitted. 3. If the student is unsatisfied with the Academic Program Director or Dean of Nursing/Nurse Administrator’s decision and desires to pursue the appeal further, the student may appeal to the Academic Appeal Committee. All committee decisions are final. A formal appeal request may be initiated by contacting the Advisor, Academic Program Director or Dean of Nursing/Nurse Administrator. a. An academic appeal form will be sent electronically to the student by their Advisor, Academic Program Director or Dean of Nursing/Nurse Administrator based on the student’s request. b. The form needs to be completed electronically within seven calendar days. B. Grievance Procedure The following grievance procedure should be followed by the complainant: 1. The complainant should first make a reasonable effort to resolve the grievance directly with the person or entity they feel caused their complaint (without placing themselves in harm). 2. If a grievance cannot be resolved by a complainant’s initial reasonable effort, or if the grievance has not been resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction, a request for further action should be made in a detailed writing to the Campus Executive Director within 10 business days of the grievance. The Campus Executive Director will initiate an investigation within 10 business days of receiving the written grievance, and will then attempt to resolve the matter and will issue a decision to the complainant. 3. If a complainant desires to further appeal a decision, a written statement must be submitted to the University Grievance Officer within 15 business days of the Campus Executive Director’s decision. A response will be given within 30 business days. A record of each grievance and academic appeal, including its nature and disposition, shall be maintained, for all programs, by the University. Complainants and students may also contact the authorities listed in the State Contact Information for Student Complaints section of this catalog. Academic Freedom and Responsibility Policy Rasmussen University respects and upholds the principles of academic freedom for its faculty and staff, specifically those involving teaching and learning activities, scholarly endeavors, and shared governance, while upholding the Mission of the institution. These freedoms include the following: • The freedom to express beliefs, opinions, and ideas in the classroom related to the exploration of academic subjects in the interest of course learning outcomes. • The freedom to share professional expertise and an authentic, real-world application of knowledge. • The freedom to conduct research and engage in scholarship related to one’s areas of interest. • The freedom to choose professional affiliations and opportunities for professional development. • The freedom to engage in shared governance opportunities at the University. To attain these freedoms, the Rasmussen University faculty and staff accepts the following responsibilities: • The responsibility to understand and apply sound practices of teaching and learning. • The responsibility to maintain instructional quality, academic rigor, and academic and ethical standards appropriate to an institution of higher learning and integral to the professional preparation of students. • The responsibility to respect the rights and opinions of others, especially students. • The responsibility to appropriately represent the Rasmussen University community and to acknowledge that some beliefs are personal and may not reflect the views of the institution. UNIVERSITY POLICIES
