Student Complaints Concerning Actions By Teaching Assistants

A student who has a complaint about a class, discussion section or laboratory for which a teaching assistant has responsibility should pursue the following procedure:

1. The student first should attempt to resolve the complaint by discussing it directly with the teaching assistant.
2. If the matter is not resolved satisfactorily or if discussion with the TA is deemed inappropriate, the student should discuss the complaint with the faculty member responsible for the course or the DEO of the department offering the course.
3. If the complaint is not resolved at the departmental level, the student may take it to the dean’s office.
4. If the complaint is not resolved at the collegiate level, the student may take it to the Provost, who will review the complaint.

The function of a review by the Office of the Provost is to ensure (a) that the outcome was supported by substantial evidence in the record when the record is viewed as a whole, and (b) that relevant procedures of the department and/or college were followed. Appeal to the Office of the Provost should include: (a) a letter from the student explaining in what way the outcome was not supported by substantial evidence and/or relevant procedures were not followed; and (b) copies of all previous documents provided by or to the student in the departmental and collegiate reviews.

If a student’s complaint concerning a teaching assistant’s actions cannot be resolved through the mechanisms described above, the student may file a formal complaint of violation of the Statement on Professional Ethics and Academic Responsibility as described in section III-15 of the University Operations Manual (http://www.uiowa.edu/~our/opmanual/iii/15.htm). Such a complaint will be handled following the Faculty Dispute Procedures established for dealing with alleged ethical violations, found in section III-29.7 of the University Operations Manual, on the web at http://www.uiowa.edu/~our/opmanual/iii/29.htm.