Protocol for Student Complaints Concerning the Actions of Members of Faculty

Members of the Adelphi faculty are expected to meet the highest standards of the academy in all aspects of their professional conduct. These standards derive from many sources, including institutional policies, the rights and reasonable requirements of students, contractual agreements, the law, and expectations of integrity. Adelphi University is responsible for fully and fairly addressing complaints concerning conduct by faculty while acting in the context of affiliation with the University.

Issues dealing with harassment should be dealt with under the University’s Sex Discrimination, Sexual Misconduct and Other Prohibited Conduct Grievance Procedures. An online reporting form is available. Issues related to grades follow the procedures set forth in the Undergraduate and Graduate Bulletin and included below:

Grades are submitted only by the instructor of the course. Any change of grade must be approved by that instructor. A grade may be changed only if there is unequivocal evidence that it was the result of computational or mechanical error. Students who believe their grades are incorrect or unfair should:

• Discuss their course work with the instructor.
• Review with the course instructor the grading policies for the course.
• If still dissatisfied, disputes concerning grades should be brought to the chair of the department (if there is a chair).
• The chair may choose to discuss the matter with the instructor to try to resolve the issues.
• If still dissatisfied, or if there is no chair, students should bring their concerns to the assistant or associate dean of the school responsible for the course.
• The dean may choose to discuss the matter with the chair and/or the instructor to try to resolve the issues.
• If the issues remain unresolved, the student may request that the Office of Academic Services discuss the matter with the instructor.
• The Associate Provost may choose to discuss the matter with the dean.

If the Chair, Dean, or Provost concludes that a grade was a result of arbitrary or capricious conduct on the part of the instructor, the student may be allowed to withdraw from the course. In the case of arbitrary or capricious conduct, the department or school may allow the substitution of another course to replace the course in question.

All disputes concerning the accuracy of a grade must be raised within one calendar year. Grade changes must first be signed by the instructor and then by the department chair and the appropriate dean before being submitted to the Registrar.

Student complaints of bias-related incidents against University employees (including faculty) are to be filed with the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs. Other complaints not covered above, should be addressed as follows:

• Discuss with the faculty member concerned, if appropriate
• If not appropriate or the student remains dissatisfied, the issue should be brought to the chair of the department (if there is a chair)
• If still dissatisfied, or if there is no chair, the issue should be brought to the assistant or associate dean of the school in which the faculty member belongs
• If still dissatisfied, the issue should be brought to the dean of the school in which the faculty member belongs
• If the issue remains unresolved, the student may request that the Office of Academic Services help resolve the matter

Information about student complaints for out-of-state students enrolled in our online programs.

Complaint Process for Online Students in California

If you are enrolled as an online student living in California–which is not a member of NC-SARA–and you have a complaint that cannot be resolved through Adelphi’s internal complaint process, you may file a complaint with CADCA. CADCA will evaluate California resident student complaints, identify the appropriate accrediting agency or governmental entity to handle the complaint, and request a response from the entity regarding the final disposition of the complaint. The address and contact information for CADCA are:

California Department of Consumer Affairs
Consumer Information Center
1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N-112
Sacramento, CA 95834

Phone: (833) 942-1120
Email: dca@dca.ca.gov

File a complaint with CDCA

Approved by the Office of the Provost, June 3, 2010

Document History

• Last Reviewed Date: February 14, 2023
• Last Revised Date:March 25, 2021
• Policy Origination Date: June 03, 2010

Who Approved This Policy

The Office of the Provost