The Graduate Student Request for Change of Status is used for a variety of academic situations such as a change in degree program due to adding an MS degree, switching programs, and a leave of absence. The form cannot be used to add a PhD program. Regular admissions procedures apply to students wanting to add or switch doctoral programs.
The Rensselaer Handbook of Student Rights and Responsibilities sets forth the Student Bill of Rights along with the national, state and city laws and Rensselaer policies that guide Institute and judicial actions in support of Rensselaer student success.
The Graduate Student Supplement to the Rensselaer Student Handbook of Rights & Responsibilities sets guidelines specifically applied to graduate students and graduate education
FIVE STEPS GRIEVANCE PROCESS TO FOLLOW
Definition: a grievance is a charge that (1) a decision made, or action taken, is improper or unfair and directly affects the student and (2) there is a dispute between the student and the person who made the decision. For additional examples, see note 5 below.
Exceptions: Grievances do not include incidents of discrimination, harassment, (including sexual harassment, sexual assault, intimate partner violence and stalking), retaliation and/or unethical conduct/misconduct against faculty, staff, and students. Such incidents must be reported here: https://info.rpi.edu/report-a-concern.
For all other concerns, follow the five-step process above. Always begin by communicating with the directly concerned individual. If the grievance concerns the GPD or department head directly, please skip that step in the process.
The general process for dealing with grievances is shown in he above diagram. For any grievance, please follow these five steps:
Step 1. talk to the directly involved party. For example, if your advisor did or said something that made you anxious, schedule a time to talk to the advisor and explain your concern. You can watch this video for how to manage difficult conversations. You can also reach out to your personal networks, to the graduate Ombuds, or to the Dean of Graduate Experience for advice on how to handle this conversation.
Step 2. If the issue was not resolved through direct conversation with involved party, schedule a time to meet with your graduate program director to request their help in resolving the issue.
Step 3. If the graduate program director was unable to help, bring the matter to the attention of your department head.
Step 4. If needed, bring your school's associate dean for graduate programs into the discussion
Step 5. If all else fails, schedule a time to meet and discuss the issue with the Dean of Graduate Education.
At any point along the process, use your support network for help and guidance.
Notes:
1 The list of GPDs can be found here: https://graduate.rpi.edu/about/contact-us
2 The Department Head will be listed on your department’s Website under ‘people’ or ‘faculty’
3 Associate Deans: School of Engineering: Agung Julius; School of Science: Sibel Adali; Architecture: Chris Perry; Lally: Hakan Hekimoglu/Brian Clark; HASS: Ken Simons
4 Forms of Support and Advice: Advice on how to approach the person; Guidance through the grievance process; Support for effective communication; Advice on documenting the process
5 Examples of grievances: Delayed academic progress; Excessive or unreasonable demands; Hostile academic environment; Unclear expectations and performance metrics; For additional examples please review the section on student-advisor relationship on page 4 of the graduate student handbook supplement
