All field policies will be enforced consistently across students and timeframes. All doctoral and master’s students are expected to design, execute, and manage an independent research agenda and meet their academic milestones in a timely manner. If a student is not meeting expectations, their special committee chair and/or the DGS/ADGA will provide timely written notice (as soon as concerns become evident) outlining the issues, outcomes, or potential consequences, including:
- Written notice of a lack of academic progress or loss of academic standing (separate, and in addition to, the SPR).
- A clear explanation of the concerns and specific expectations for improvement.
- A reasonable timeline and opportunity to meet expectations before any adverse action (e.g., changes in funding status or withdrawal recommendations).
- Further, all students should be provided with an opportunity to meet with the DGS/ADGA to discuss the concern and plan for improvement.
If a student fails to meet the conditions of that plan, the special committee in collaboration with the DGS/ADGA will consult with the Graduate School to review the case and determine next steps. This can include academic withdrawal from their degree program and the Graduate School accompanied by documentation showing that the process above was followed, and in accordance with Graduate School policy and the terms of the CGSU-UE Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Graduate students will be given an opportunity to respond or appeal as outlined by the Graduate School and CGSU‑UE policies. Final decisions will be documented and archived by the DGS/ADGA and GFA and the Graduate School.
Grievance Procedures
Please note that there are two separate grievance procedures available to graduate students. Bargaining unit members are subject to the CGSU‑UE contract (https://gradschool.cornell.edu/about/union-representation/) and may utilize the union’s grievance procedures for any matter covered by their contract. All matters that do not fall under the purview of this contract (including all academic matters) may be addressed via the graduate school’s grievance procedure, as described here: https://gradschool.cornell.edu/policies/grievances-and-complaints/. In particular, appeals to the outcomes of graduate (Q, A, B, M) exams on procedural grounds must be handled via the graduate school grievance procedure. Students wishing to appeal exam results must do so within 7 calendar days of receiving the result. Below, we reproduce the relevant section of the CGSU-UE contract (Section 19.7 – Degree Milestone Exams):
In order for the University to remove funding eligibility, the following procedure must be observed. If a Special Committee assigns a conditional pass, the Graduate Student Worker must receive explicit, written, and reasonable conditions that, if successfully fulfilled, would result in a pass. A reasonable timeline to complete the conditions will be defined. Upon submission by the Graduate Student Worker of the revised exam, the Special Committee Chair will follow all Graduate School practices and procedures regarding reevaluation of the Graduate Student Worker’s exam, including but not limited to providing a written evaluation of the work submitted in a timely manner.
If a Graduate Student Worker fails an exam, the Special Committee Chair will follow all Graduate School practices and procedures regarding evaluation of the Graduate Student Worker’s exam, including but not limited to providing a written evaluation of the work submitted in a timely manner. A reexamination is allowed with the approval of the Special Committee. At least three (3) months must pass from the time of the failed exam to the reexamination.
If the Graduate Student Worker receives a fail with no reexamination on their Q, A, M, B, or other examination described above, the Graduate Student Worker retains the right to appeal. Once a Graduate Student Worker identifies grounds for an appeal, the Graduate Student Worker must submit an appeal within seven (7) calendar days. Such appeals shall be decided consistently with published University and graduate school procedures. Appeals are generally considered on a procedural basis, rather than for academic reassessment. The Graduate Student Worker will retain their funding while their appeal on procedural grounds is pending.
If a Graduate Student Worker declines to appeal the result of a fail with no reexamination or if their appeal is denied, they will continue to receive pay and benefits provided by this contract for the duration of the semester in which the exam took place.
If a Graduate Student Worker’s exam result is overturned, the Graduate Student Worker is returned to good academic standing for the purposes of funding eligibility.
If a student wishes to pursue an appeal of the outcome of a milestone exam on procedural grounds, they should first contact the Associate Dean for Academics (https://gradschool.cornell.edu/about/staff-directory/ currently Josephine Martell jem522@cornell.edu; copy executive assistant Kelly Tillotson klt8@cornell.edu; you may also copy the GFA/ADGA at your discretion). State that you are petitioning the Graduate School General Committee about an exam outcome on procedural grounds. You will be asked to provide documentation substantiating your case and to file a General Petition (online form linked here: https://gradschool.cornell.edu/forms/). For ‘Exception Requested’ check ‘I am applying for an exception to a Graduate school policy…’ and leave the dropdown menu at ‘Exception to policy’. Note that the general petition form would normally be routed to your committee for sign-off, but by first alerting the Associate Dean for Academics the form can be properly routed to the General Committee instead. Please note that the general committee only meets periodically, and your petition will be reviewed at the next meeting, which could be a month or more from the date you file your petition. So long as you file the petition within the 7 day period following the exam, you will retain your funding and position until the General Committee has returned a ruling.
Performance of TA Duties
The MAE graduate field office will solicit feedback from all course instructors at the end of every academic term for all PhD and MS TAs assigned to their courses. The feedback will include an overall assessment. If an instructor assesses a TA’s performance to be unsatisfactory, via the end of semester feedback, or at any time during the semester, the graduate field office will solicit supporting documentation from the instructor. If such documentation is provided, and is assessed by the ADGA and GFA to support the unsatisfactory assessment, a disciplinary meeting may be called with the TA, who will be given the opportunity to bring union representatives to the meeting, as per the relevant clauses in the collective bargaining agreement. Following the initial meeting, the ADGA may issue a formal warning, in writing, to the TA. If a second disciplinary meeting is called for unsatisfactory performance in TA duties for the same TA, either in the same course or in another, subsequent TA appointment, the outcome of the second meeting may be an additional warning, or immediate termination of the appointment. All disciplinary decisions will be communicated to the TA in writing, and will carry the notice mandated by Section 6.6 of the collective bargaining agreement. The graduate field office will make available, upon request, to the TA all documentation gathered related to any disciplinary decisions.