2023-24 School of the Environment MES Student Handbook.pdf- Important Dates
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Academic Appeals within the School of the Environment
At the University of Toronto, graduate students may dispute substantive or procedural academic matters, including grades, evaluation of program requirements, decisions about the student’s continuation in any program, or concerning any other decision with respect to the application of academic regulations and requirements to a student. Detailed information on academic appeals can be found in the SGS Calendar.
As per SGS regulations, the appeals process begins with an informal resolution with the decision maker/graduate unit*, outlined in Steps 1 and 2. Questions regarding appeals can be directed to the Graduate Administrator at grad.office.env@utoronto.ca.
*Note: In the case of collaborative specialization core courses (i.e. ENV1001H or ENV4001H), the appeal is pursued through the student's home graduate unit where representation from the collaborative specialization will be included in the constitution of an appeal committee or hearing.
Students must first attempt to resolve the matter with the instructor or other person whose ruling is in question. This discussion should take place within 10 days after the date of the matter at issue.
Students must provide the decision maker with a clear rationale for why they are disputing the decision, along with supporting examples, and any proposed remedies.
Should the matter not be resolved with the decision maker, and should they wish to pursue the matter, the student can proceed to Step 2.
If the student does not come to a resolution with the decision maker, they may submit their concerns to the Graduate Administrator (grad.office.env@utoronto.ca), who will submit the documentation to the Graduate Associate Director.
When making their written request to the Graduate Associate Director, students should provide the rationale for disputing the decision/grade, supporting work/examples (e.g. the assignment being disputed, etc.), the outcome of the attempted informational resolution with the decision maker, and the student’s suggested remedy for resolving the matter.
Most cases will resolve at the informal resolution stages. If not, students may submit a formal appeal in writing to the Graduate Department Academic Appeals Committee (GDAAC), proceeding to Step 3.
Should the informal resolution Steps 1 and 2 fail to resolve the matter, the student may make a formal appeal in writing to the Graduate Department Academic Appeals Committee (GDAAC).
The student must complete and submit a Notice of Appeal to GDAAC. This form must be completed and delivered to the Graduate/Secretary of GDAAC (grad.office.env@utoronto.ca) within eight weeks from the date of the decision under appeal. Once a formal appeal has been filed with the School of the Environment, the GDAAC will proceed as per the SGS Academic Appeals Policy.
The chair of the GDAAC will determine, at their sole discretion, whether the appeal will proceed by way of an oral hearing and/or written submissions. In either case, at the conclusion of the hearing and/or review of the written submissions, the GDAAC will make a recommendation to the Director of the School of the Environment regarding the merits of the appeal. The Director of the School of the Environment will then render the graduate unit-level appeal decision.
The student may appeal the decision of the chair/dean of the graduate unit by filing a Notice of Appeal to the SGS Graduate Academic Appeals Board (GAAB) within eight weeks of the decision of the chair/dean of the graduate unit.
A decision of the SGS Graduate Academic Appeals Board (GAAB) may subsequently be appealed by a student to the Governing Council's Academic Appeals Committee, in accordance with its guidelines and procedures. An appeal to this committee shall be commenced by filing a notice of appeal with its Secretary no later than 90 days after the date of the GAAB decision under appeal.