The faculty has introduced these procedures to cover problems and grievances that students may have over academic and administrative matters at the departmental or faculty level. These include matters relating to enrolment, assessment, unsatisfactory progress, the provision of teaching or support services, and provision of faculty facilities. These procedures do not relate to discipline or sexual harassment matters which are covered by special university procedures.
The procedures are designed to provide for the resolution of problems and complaints quickly and efficiently through appropriate departmental and faculty mechanisms, while protecting the rights of students and staff. All cases of this kind will be treated as confidential. These procedures are provided for cases where the matter cannot be resolved satisfactorily through the usual more informal means.
Academic grievances are those where students have complaints about aspects of their courses, assessment or other matters which are the responsibility of academic staff and of departments and centres in the faculty.
Administrative grievances are those where students have complaints about matters relating to enrolment or to information, advice or services on other matters provided by administrative staff of the faculty.
Students have two avenues of appeal against a decision to exclude by the faculty committee. If the student has substantial new evidence which was not available to the committee, he/she may appeal to the dean, who may either affirm or reverse the decision of the committee in the light of the new evidence. Students also may, under the provisions of the Monash University Statute 6.2. - Exclusions for Unsatisfactory Progress, appeal to the Exclusion Appeals Committee of the Academic Board. Students may appeal to the university committee as an alternative to an appeal to the dean (ie where they have no new evidence or where they prefer to take the new evidence directly to the university committee) or in addition to an appeal to the dean (ie where there is no new evidence or where this appeal has been unsuccessful).
Students who have failed to make a case to the exclusions committee of their own faculty at the prescribed time are precluded from appealing to the Exclusion Appeals Committee of Academic Board against the decision by the faculty committee to exclude that student.
Students can seek information and advice about the exclusion process from the course advisers in the faculty. It is not the role of the course advisers to draft submissions for students or to act as an advocate at exclusions committee hearings. This kind of assistance should be sought from the Monash Student Association.
Students should first discuss the matter with the lecturer or tutor concerned. If this does not resolve the matter satisfactorily, the student should consult the course coordinator (where the course coordinator is not the lecturer). If the matter is still unresolved, the student should present his/her case in writing to the responsible head of department or director of centre. (Where the lecturer is the head of department or director of centre, another senior member of that department or centre should deal with the case.) No more than fourteen days should elapse between the time the matter is raised by the student with the lecturer concerned and the completion of all the stages of referral and attempted resolution within the relevant department or centre.
If the matter is not resolved within the period of fourteen days, the matter may be referred by either the student or the head of department or director of centre to the convener of the Committee for Undergraduate Studies (CUGS). The referral will normally be made by the head of department (or centre) who shall notify the student in writing at the time that this step has been taken. At this stage further information may be submitted to the convener of CUGS by either party. The convener of CUGS will attempt to resolve the dispute through conciliation within fourteen days of receiving the referral.
If the matter cannot be resolved by conciliation, it may be referred to an ad hoc committee of CUGS, to be known as the Student Grievance Committee, for arbitration. Material received from either party to the dispute for the consideration of the ad hoc committee shall be made available to all parties before the hearing of the appeal. No member of a department from which a dispute has arisen will be a member of the ad hoc committee. The committee shall make its determination within fourteen days and notify the student and the head of department or director of centre of its decision in writing.
The student or department/centre may lodge an appeal against the committee's determination which shall be heard by the dean.
1 Students who have a grievance in relation to administrative matters concerning the faculty office or officers should in the first instance discuss the matter with the faculty registrar (Arts). The faculty registrar will attempt to resolve the matter.
2 If this is not successful, students have a right to ask that the matter be reviewed by the associate dean (teaching). A recommendation for the resolution of the matter should be made within fourteen days of the submission being received.
3 If the associate dean (teaching) is not able to resolve the matter it will be considered by the faculty's Student Grievance Committee. The committee shall finally determine the matter within fourteen days.
4 As a final resource, the manager for student relations and inquiries receives complaints from students about administrative matters and is charged with investigating and settling these complaints.
At least once a year, the Committee for Undergraduate Studies will prepare a report for faculty board on student grievances and the operation of the grievance and appeals procedures in the faculty over the preceding year. The report will refer to numbers and types of cases, issues and outcomes in general terms only, in order to preserve confidentiality.
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