This committee hears appeals of decisions made by Faculty Appeals Committees on matters of academic concern to students. The General Faculties Council's Committee will hear an appeal only if there is reason to believe that the Faculty Appeals Committee showed alleged bias, followed alleged unfair procedures, and/or if there is substantial new evidence which could not have been presented to a Faculty Appeals Committee. Grades obtained in courses completed by the student in the appeals process will not be considered as new evidence. Before the General Faculties Council's Committee will accept an appeal, the chair of that committee must be satisfied that departmental and faculty appeals procedures have been fully utilized.
Students wishing to make an appeal to the GFC Student Academic Appeals Committee must do so within fifteen days of the unfavourable decision from the Faculty Appeals Committee. A letter of appeal shall be sent to the General Faculties Council's Committee (Administration Building room 165), and must indicate the decision being appealed, the grounds for appeal (alleged bias, alleged unfair procedures and/or substantial new information) and the remedies sought by the student, together with all supporting documentation including copies of letters demonstrating the levels of appeal that have already been utilized.
The General Faculties Council's Committee will not hear the appeal if the chair decides that sufficient grounds do not exist.
A student whose appeal is to be heard by the General Faculties Council's Committee is entitled to obtain from the Secretary to General Faculties Council the principles and procedures governing the General Faculties Council's Committee. These procedures will detail the composition of the committee, the right of the student to have an assistant, how the hearing will be conducted and other information. The principles and procedures are also available on the University Secretariat website: .
The committee will normally give fifteen days written notice of a hearing to the appellant and to the head of the academic unit against whose office the appeal is being made. Normally, the General Faculties Council's Committee will hear an appeal within thirty days of its acceptance. The chairperson of the General Faculties Council's Committee will convey the committee's findings in writing to the appellant, the respondent, the Secretary to General Faculties Council and the Registrar.
For more specific information and other principles governing student academic appeals, the Secretary to General Faculties Council should be consulted.
Academic Regulations