If you feel you have been discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, status as a Vietnam era veteran, or sexual orientation, please contact the UMKC Office of Affirmative Action immediately. Please note that the UMKC Grievance Resolution Panel does not investigate Affirmative Action complaints, but forwards all AA-related claims to the UMKC Office of Affirmative Action for investigation.
This grievance procedure should not be used in connection with a matter relating to any administrative title or function which the faculty member currently holds or may also have had.
Academic Grievance Policy and Procedures: Collected Rules and Regulations (CRR) 370.010
The Academic Grievance Resolution Panel (GRP) conducts a prompt and efficient procedure for fair and equitable resolutions of academic grievances. The GRP consists of three members — a senior administrator and two tenured faculty members — selected by the Faculty Senate and the Chancellor. A representative of the Faculty Senate Oversight Committee (OC) monitors each investigation process. A Faculty Affairs staff member coordinates scheduling, document storage and distribution, and correspondence on behalf of the GRP.
Filing an Academic Grievance
Before You File …
Review the Academic Grievance policy in its entirety (CRR 370.010) prior to filing your grievance. If you have questions regarding the process or policy, contact Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs Diane Filion (filiond@umkc.edu or ext. 1249).
Prior to filing a grievance, you must attempt to resolve your complaint with the parties involved. You must also provide documented evidence of your attempts at resolving the complaint with the appropriate administrators at all appropriate levels of your academic unit. This documented evidence is required in all grievance submissions. You may also contact the UMKC Faculty Ombudsperson for assistance in resolving your complaint.
Preparing Your Documentation …
If, in your opinion, the complaint remains unresolved, complete the Grievance Filing Form and submit electronically to grp@umkc.edu within 180 days of the grievable offense. This form must be completed in its entirety, including policy references as required, or it will be rejected by the GRP and returned to the grievant for completion and re-filing. All documentation relative to the grievance must be filed electronically via email to grp@umkc.edu.
All documentation and evidence provided to the GRP must relate directly to the complaints made in the original grievance filing. Documentation and evidence should be organized, clearly identified, and limited to relevant materials only. Documentation and evidence is shared with both parties at the discretion of the GRP, to allow for transparency of process while avoiding unnecessary escalation of the situation. Once a grievance is filed, all parties (including witnesses) are strictly prohibited from sharing or distributing any information, evidence, and/or documentation during the course of the academic grievance investigation. This confidentiality must be maintained during the course of the academic grievance process and ever after. Incidences of non-adherence to this policy are reportable to the Provost, in accordance with CRR 370.010 Section C.4.j.
Confidentiality …
Once the grievance is filed, strict confidentiality is required of all parties and closely monitored by the Grievance Resolution Panel (GRP). CRR 370.010 Section C.12. states, “All parties involved (grievant, respondent, GRP and OC) must agree to maintain strict confidentiality regarding any substantive information concerning grievances including but not limited to supporting materials, specific findings, and identifying information about any participant. The substance of the cases shall not be discussed at any time, before or after a final decision is made.”
What Happens Next …
The GRP will review the grievance form and accompanying documentation to ensure all required components are present, and determine if the complaint is a grieveable offense and appropriate for GRP involvement (on the UMKC campus the Division of Diversity, Access and Equity investigates all discrimination claims). The GRP will begin its investigation of the complaint when all filing requirements have been met by the grievant.
The GRP will notify the respondent that a grievance has been filed against them, provide the respondent with the grievance filing form and accompanying documentation, and request a formal written response from the respondent to be submitted to the GRP within 15 days of notification. The response will be shared with the grievant.
The GRP will bring both the grievant and respondent together early in the process to attempt an informal resolution of the grievance.
The GRP will continue to collect evidence and interview relevant witnesses as needed to prepare their findings and recommendations to the Chancellor.
New or Additional Complaints …
Should new offenses relative to the original complaint occur during the course of the investigation, the grievant must provide a written amendment to the GRP in compliance with all grievance filing requirements. Additional complaints may lengthen the investigation period beyond 90 days.
New accusations or complaints involving either party which are unrelated to the originally filed complaints will not be entertained by the GRP during the course of an active investigation. Such unrelated complaints must be submitted by the complainant as a new grievance, and will prompt a separate GRP case file and investigation if all filing requirements are met as described above.
Preliminary Findings …
Within 90 days of the original grievance filing date, the GRP will provide a draft of preliminary findings to the grievant and respondent for review and comment prior to submitting the final Report to the Chancellor.
GRP Final Report To Chancellor …
The GRP will submit their final Report to the Chancellor to all parties. The grievant and respondent have 15 days to appeal the GRP’s findings and recommendations to the Chancellor, using the Grievance Appeal Form.
The Chancellor will inform all parties (Grievant, Respondent, GRP, and OC Representative) of the final decision within 30 days of receiving the GRP’s Report, or within 30 days of receiving the most recent appeal, whichever date is later. The Chancellor’s decision is final.
The grievant has 15 days to provide the Chancellor with written acceptance of the final decision using the Grievance Acceptance Form.
Confidentiality After Final Decision …
The substance of the cases shall not be discussed at any time, before or after a final decision is made, in accordance with CRR 370.010 Section C.12. “Confidentiality”.
Academic Grievance Resolution Panel
Name | Position | Effective Date |
TBD | Faculty Representative | TBD |
TBD | Faculty Representative | TBD |
TBD | Faculty Representative | TBD |
Dr. Diane Filion, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs | Senior Administrator | Ongoing |