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Students are encouraged but not required to seek an informal resolution to their complaints against their faculty. They may elect, instead, to ask for a formal grievance hearing. They may also seek a grievance hearing if informal mediation fails. The grievance procedures students should follow will depend upon the school within which the faculty member is appointed and the nature of the alleged misconduct.

If the faculty member holds an appointment in the Business School, students may use the procedures described in this statement to address the issues listed below. If the faculty member belongs to another school, students must use its procedures. They may, however, ask for help from the School's deans in identifying and understanding the appropriate procedures.

Issues that are grievable under these procedures include:

• Failure to show appropriate respect in an instructional setting for the rights of others to hold opinions differing from their own;
• Misuse of faculty authority within an instructional setting to pressure students into supporting a political or social cause; and
• Conduct in the classroom or another instructional setting that adversely affects the learning environment.

These procedures do not take the place of the grievance procedures already established to address disputes over grades. Students should also use alternative procedures in the following situations:

If the alleged misconduct involves discrimination and sexual harassment, a student should file a complaint with the Associate Provost for Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action. The procedures for handling such complaints are described in the statement, Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Policy and Procedure, which is on the web at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/vpaa/eoaa/docs/discrim_sexharass.html

Complaints against the School's faculty that allege scientific or scholarly misconduct are also evaluated using other procedures. These may be contained in the Statement on Professional Ethics and Faculty Obligations and Guidelines for Review of Professional Misconduct, available at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/vpaa/fhb/app/app_e.html

Any student currently enrolled in the University and directly affected by the behavior of a faculty member of the School may ask for a grievance hearing under the procedures in this statement. The student initiates the hearing by submitting a written statement to the Dean of the School documenting the grievance. The request must be submitted no later than 30 days after the end of the semester within which the misconduct was supposed to have occurred.

The Dean will review the complaint to determine if there are sufficient grounds to proceed with a hearing or if the issues raised by the student can be resolved in another manner. If the Dean determines that a hearing is warranted, he or she will appoint an ad hoc faculty committee to conduct an investigation.

The faculty member is given the student's letter of complaint and invited to provide the ad hoc committee with a written response. The committee reviews both statements and is given access to any other written documents relevant to the complaint. It will normally interview both the grievant and the faculty member and it may, at its discretion, ask others to provide testimony.

The investigative committee serves in an advisory capacity to the Dean of the School. It is expected to complete its investigation in a timely manner and submit a written report to the Dean who may accept or modify its findings and recommendations. The Dean will inform both the student and the faculty member of his or her decision in writing.

The Committee ordinarily convenes within 10 working days of being appointed by the Dean and ordinarily completes its investigation and sends the Dean its report within 30 working days of convening. The Dean normally issues his or her decision within 30 working days of receiving the committee's report.

The Dean may discipline faculty members who are found to have committed professional misconduct. Any sanctions will be imposed in a manner that is consistent with the University's policies and procedures on faculty discipline. In particular, if the Dean believes that the offense is sufficiently serious to merit dismissal, he or she will initiate the procedures in Section 75 of the University Statutes for terminating tenured appointments, and non-tenured appointments before the end of their stated term, for cause.