SoHE Conduct Expectations & Grievance Process

Professional Conduct

The Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards maintains detailed guidance on student rights and responsibilities related to learning in a community that is safe and fosters integrity and accountability. You are responsible for keeping aware of their policies and procedures, found at the following page: conduct.students.wisc.edu

Academic Misconduct

Academic misconduct is governed by state law, UW System Administration Code Chapter 14. For further information on this law, what constitutes academic misconduct, and procedures related to academic misconduct, see:

Non-Academic Misconduct

Non-academic misconduct is governed by state law, UW System Administration Code Chapters 17 and 18. For further information on these laws, what constitutes non-academic misconduct, and procedures related to non-academic misconduct, see:

Research Misconduct

Graduate students are held to the same standards of responsible conduct of research as faculty and staff. Further information about these standards and related policies and procedures can be found at:

Hostile and Intimidating Behavior

Hostile and intimidating behavior (HIB), sometimes referred to as “bullying,” is prohibited by university policy applicable to faculty, academic staff, and university staff. For further definition, policy, and procedures related to HIB see here. Students who feel they have been subject to HIB are encouraged to review the informal and formal options on the “Addressing HIB” tab of this website.

SoHE Grievance Process

Any student who feels that they have been treated unfairly by a Human Ecology faculty or staff member has the right to complain about the treatment and to receive a prompt hearing of the grievance, following the grievance procedures outlined below. To insure a prompt and fair hearing of any complaint, and to protect both the rights of the student and the person at whom the complaint is addressed, the procedures below are used in the School of Human Ecology.

The person whom the complaint is directed against must be an employee of the School of Human Ecology. Any graduate student or graduate applicant may use these procedures unless the complaint is covered by other campus rules or contracts.

Note: These procedures do not cover appeals of admissions decisions or other decisions made by departmental or Human Ecology committees. For information on appeals of decisions, students should contact the chair of the committee or the chair of the department that made the decision.

Contact information for graduate program chairs is available here.

Students are encouraged to keep written documentation of their experience of unfair treatment both before and during the grievance proceedings.

Graduate Student Grievance Procedures

STEP 1. The student should first consider talking directly with the person(s) against whom the grievance is directed.
Some issues can be settled at this level, and some cannot be. Although students are encouraged to talk directly with the person(s) involved, we recognize that this may not always be possible. If the complaint cannot be resolved satisfactorily by talking with the person(s) involved, the student may continue to

NOTE: In cases of sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, or racial discrimination, students may choose to bypass these procedures and report the conduct directly to either of the following offices:

STEP 2. Does the complaint involve someone in a Human Ecology academic department (Civil Society and Community Studies, Consumer Science, Design Studies, and Human Development & Family Studies)?

Note: The student should contact the Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs. The student will submit the grievance to the Assistant Dean in writing. This must be done within 60 calendar days of the alleged unfair treatment. The Assistant Dean will refer the grievance to the Human Ecology Graduate Program Council for review.

STEP 3. Human Ecology Graduate Program Council review.

To insure fairness, the Graduate Program Council chair may appoint a subcommittee to review the complaint (e.g., excluding faculty from the student’s department). The Graduate Program Council may ask for additional information from the parties involved and may hold a hearing at which both parties will be asked to speak separately in closed session. The Graduate Program Council will then make a written recommendation to the Associate Dean who will render a decision and submit it to the Dean of the School for final approval. The Associate Dean will provide the Dean’s final decision in writing to the student and to the person against whom the grievance was filed. Unless a longer time is mutually agreed upon by the individuals involved, this written decision shall be made within 30 working days from the date when the written grievance was filed with the Associate Dean’s Office.

Students not willing to accept the final decision of the Dean may appeal to the Graduate School’s Associate Dean for Admissions and Academic Services.

Questions about these procedures can be directed to Connie Flanagan, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies.

State law contains provisions regarding discrimination and harassment. Wisconsin Statutes 36.12 reads, in part:
“No student may be denied admission to, participation in or the benefits of, or be discriminated against in any service, program, course or facility of the system or its institutions or centers because of the student’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, disability, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status or parental status.”

In addition, the UW-System prohibits discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression.
Students have the right to file discrimination and harassment complaints with the Office for Equity and Diversity, 179-A Bascom Hall, 263-2378, Wisconsin Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

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School of Human Ecology Graduate Programs Handbook Copyright © 2022 by Michelle Holland. All Rights Reserved.

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