Procedures for Grieving Placement on Conditional Continuance or Dismissal from the Program

If the faculty places the candidate on conditional continuance or acts to remove a candidate from a program, the candidate may appeal the decision within 20 working days of notification of the faculty's action by notifying the division chair in writing.

If the candidate's appeal involves an unresolved grievance regarding a grade in a course or other matter grieveable under the university's candidate grievance procedures, the candidate may not file a grievance until all university procedures have been completed.

For the university's student grievance procedures, see the GSU Student Handbook. 

The candidate's notification of appeal must be accompanied by a statement in which the candidate provides reasons why he/she believes the faculty's action is characterized by one or more of the following:

• The action is arbitrary or capricious;
• The faculty grossly misinterpreted available information about the candidate and his/her performance;
• The faculty did not provide the candidate with adequate guidance regarding deficiencies in his/her performance and did not inform the candidate in a timely manner that his/her performance placed him/her in danger of being place on conditions or removed from the program. 

Within 15 working days after receipt of the candidate's notification of appeal, a panel of 2 persons will hear the candidate's appeal. The panel will consist of the Dean of the College of Education or the Chair of the Division of Education and a faculty member from a program other than the one in which the candidate is enrolled. The faculty member will be identified by the Division Chair.

The hearing will be limited to 30 minutes unless the panel members believe that extending the hearing for no more than another 30 minutes is required by the nature of the case. The hearing will consist of a presentation by the candidate of reasons and evidence introduced to show that the faculty action resulted from one of the three reasons listed above. 

The hearing is not intended to be a formal legal proceeding but to provide a forum to elicit relevant facts and to insure that candidate has been accorded due process. The hearing is not subject to rules and procedures associated with formal hearings such as evidentiary rules or discovery. The candidate may be accompanied by one other person who may advise the candidate and speak on the candidate's behalf. 

Within 10 days, the panel will announce its decision which will be final and binding on both the candidate and the faculty. Its decision may not be appealed or grieved.