Below you will find key information about a range of Columbia College policies and procedures. This selection reflects frequently asked questions by students and if you have additional suggestions for inclusion you may send them to Lisa Hollibaugh, Dean of Academic Affairs, Columbia College.
College and University Policies
Undergraduate International Travel Policy
Academic Concerns, Complaints, and Grievances
Each semester a small number of students raise matters of concern relating to their academic experience. More often than not, such concerns arise from a misunderstanding on behalf of, or a miscommunication by, the student and/or the instructor. But sometimes the concerns are of a more substantive nature. In either case, the situation can be upsetting and the College is committed to assisting you in resolving the problem.
There are many people on campus to whom you can turn should you have a concern:
- Your advising dean
- Andrew Plaa, Dean of Advising for Columbia College and Columbia Engineering
- The Director of Undergraduate Studies in the relevant academic department
- The Director of Language Instruction in the relevant academic department
- The Chair of the relevant academic department
- Lisa Hollibaugh, Dean of Academic Affairs
- Any other administrator or member of faculty with whom you feel comfortable discussing your concern.
All these people can help you identify the next step and/or the best person with whom to speak.
We welcome students' thoughts on ways to clarify or enhance these procedures. If you are a Columbia College student, please e-mail us at cc-academic@columbia.edu.
Concerns typically, but not always, fall into either or both of the following two categories:
Concerns Regarding a Grade
If you believe that a grade you have earned does not reflect the work that you submitted, you can follow the steps outline here:
Step 1
Ask the instructor for an explanation of how the grade was determined.
When you have received the explanation it is hoped that the matter is then resolved. However, it might be that you remain concerned. At this point it is important for you to determine if your concern is rooted in disappointment at the grade you have earned or if it is based on a belief that there was a procedural error in determining the grade in question.
If your concern is rooted in your disappointment, you can discuss with the instructor how you can improve your work going forward.
Step 2
If you have concerns that there was a procedural error, you can raise these with the instructor directly. Alternatively, you can raise your concern with the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the relevant academic department. You do not need to be majoring in the department in order to discuss your concerns with this member of faculty who is responsible for advising all undergraduates taking classes in the department. In the case of language instruction classes, you may discuss your concerns with the Director of Language Instruction in the relevant academic department.
Step 3
In the unlikely event that your concerns remain unresolved at this point, you should bring them to the attention of the College. You can do this by alerting
- Your advising dean
- Andrew Plaa, Dean of Advising for Columbia College and Columbia Engineering
AND/OR
- Lisa Hollibaugh, Dean of Academic Affairs
You should note, however, that the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the College cannot intervene in a grading matter without a serious concern that there has been a procedural error.
Concerns Regarding the Experience and/or the Conduct of a Class
The College is committed to ensuring that all students have an intellectually valuable experience in the classroom. As you know, to be genuinely intellectually challenged can be uncomfortable as it requires us to reexamine our assumptions and understanding thus far. But there are the rare occasions in which a student might have concerns that go beyond appropriate intellectual discomfort and the College will assist all such students in addressing these concerns.
If you have concerns regarding your experience of a class and/or the conduct of a class, it is vitally important that you seek to address the matter as soon as possible. Do not wait for the class to have concluded because this denies you the opportunity to resolve the problem and go on to have a positive experience in the class. If you wait until the class has finished, it will always remain a negative experience for you.
College students faced with such concerns are encouraged to follow the steps outlined here:
Step 1
First discuss your concern with your advising dean, who will assist you in preparing for the next step, in which you will raise your concerns with the instructor.
Step 2
Schedule a time to discuss with the instructor your concerns; rather than trying to talk after class or during office hours, when other students might also want to talk with the instructor, scheduling a specific time ensures that you both have the time to have a genuine conversation. Make notes of what you want to say, identifying specific examples, and present your concerns in a non-confrontational manner (you might want to practice this with your advising dean). As difficult as this conversation might be for you, be as open as possible to hearing the instructor’s interpretation of events and intentions.
Step 3
It is highly likely that this conversation, while possibly uncomfortable, will resolve the matter. However, if you continue to have concerns about the class having spoken with the instructor you should then raise your concerns with the Director of Undergraduate Studies of the relevant academic department. You do not need to be majoring in the department in order to discuss your concerns with this member of faculty who is responsible for advising all undergraduates taking classes in the department. In the case of language instruction classes, you may discuss your concerns with the Director of Language Instruction in the relevant academic department.
Step 4
In the unlikely event that your concerns remain unresolved at this point, you should bring them to the attention of the College. You can do this by alerting:
- Your advising dean (whom should have been apprised of all conversations you have had so far)
- Andrew Plaa, Dean of Advising for Columbia College and Columbia Engineering
AND/OR
- Lisa Hollibaugh, Dean of Academic Affairs
Other Resources for Student Concerns
Columbia University is committed to fostering intellectual inquiry in a climate of academic freedom and integrity. Its members, students and faculty alike, are expected to uphold these principles and exhibit tolerance and respect for others.
When a student believes that a faculty member has failed to meet his or her obligations in an instructional setting, the student has two principal sources of immediate assistance: the University's Ombuds Office and the professional staff of the School in which the student is enrolled.
The Ombuds Office is available to help students find solutions to a wide range of problems arising in the context of their association with the university, including those involving faculty misconduct in an instructional setting. Students may wish to consult with the Ombuds Office before taking their concerns to the School, or they may wish to consult with the Ombuds Office at any time in the course of their discussions with School officials or, eventually, with members of the Vice President's Grievance Committee.
Like the Ombuds Office, each of the Schools has a professional staff ready to help students with concerns and complaints of many kinds, including those involving faculty misconduct in an instructional setting. The staff works with students and faculty to resolve such issues, but should resolution not be possible, the student may avail herself or himself of the School's grievance procedures.
The following procedures are part of a process to ensure that student concerns about experiences in the classroom or with faculty are addressed in an informed and appropriate manner.
Due to the size and diverse nature of our scholarly community, each school maintains its own processes for addressing a variety of student life issues, including students' concerns about experiences in the classroom or with faculty at their school. Experience has shown that most student concerns are best resolved in a collaborative way at the school level, starting with the advising dean or dean of students, as explained below for your particular school.
The grievance procedures available through the office of the Vice President for Arts and Sciences are intended to complement, not substitute for, the procedures available in each of the Schools, and they treat a considerably more limited range of issues. They are designed to address only those cases involving professional misconduct by a faculty member of Arts and Sciences in an instructional setting in which there were significant irregularities or errors in applying School procedures. Information on this process can be found on the Faculty of the Arts and Sciences Website.
If the instructor at issue is not a member of the Arts and Sciences faculty, the student should consult the instructor’s particular school for its procedures.
Columbia College Process for Expressing Academic Concerns, Complaints, and Grievances
Columbia College students are members of a University community committed to fostering intellectual inquiry within a climate of academic freedom and integrity. Students and faculty alike are expected to promote these goals in the context of inclusiveness, mutual respect, and tolerance for others, as ideas are explored, facts gathered, opinions weighed, and conclusions drawn. We work together with the understanding that we are, first and foremost, an educational community with teaching and learning at the heart of our enterprise and many educational opportunities beyond the walls of the classroom. Central to all of our procedures is our educational mission, and it is this educational mission which also informs our process for dealing with academic concerns, complaints, and grievances. From time to time a student may have concerns about a particular classroom experience, a specific curricular matter, or a faculty member’s actions that seem not to be consistent with the highest ideals of our community. Different kinds of academic concerns and complaints will require different approaches to resolve them satisfactorily. The student should speak first with his or her advising dean who will help the student determine how best to proceed. It may, for example, be the case that the issue is best taken up with the student's instructor. If, after a discussion with the advising dean, it is clear that the student does not feel comfortable speaking directly with the instructor, the advising dean will then advise and support the student in a different course of action.
For all procedures that are handled in the College, we attempt first to resolve issues on an informal and educational basis, making sure that those involved
understand each other's point of view, before moving toward more formal procedures of complaint and redress. In every case we seek to address issues in a timely manner (see Timeframe for Proceedings) at the most immediate level available, before moving up to higher levels of authority and responsibility.
Concerns about Grades or Other Academic Assessments
The awarding of grades and all other academic evaluations rests entirely with the faculty. If a student has a concern relating to a particular grade or other assessment of his or her academic work, the student first should speak with the instructor of the class to understand how the grade or other evaluation was derived and to address the student's specific concern. If the student does not feel comfortable speaking with the class instructor about the matter, he or she should bring the issue to the attention of the department chair, the director of undergraduate studies, or his or her advising dean in order to seek advice on how best to address the issue.
If the student is unable thus to resolve the matter to his or her satisfaction and believes that a procedural issue is involved, the student should bring the matter to the attention of the Dean of Academic Affairs. The Dean will work with the student and the faculty to determine whether there has been a procedural breach and, if so, take immediate steps to remedy the matter. If relevant faculty other than the instructor, together with the Dean, decide that the grade or other academic evaluation was appropriate, given class assignments and circumstances, the student will be informed and the decision will be final.
Complaints Involving a Faculty Member
The Columbia faculty hold themselves to the highest professional standards, but from time to time there may be concern that their professional conduct is not consistent with the standards that the faculty have established for themselves. Those rights, duties, and obligations are delineated in the University Statutes and in the Faculty Handbook and can be found on-line at: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/vpaa/fhb/main.html.
Consistent with those duties and obligations, conduct that is grievable under these procedures include:
- failure to show appropriate respect in an instructional setting for the rights of others to hold opinions differing from their own;
- misuse of faculty authority to promote a political or social cause within an instructional setting;
- conduct in the classroom or another instructional setting that adversely affects the learning environment.
If a student believes that a faculty member has acted in an unprofessional manner, he or she should first speak with his or her advising dean who will work with the student to review the claim, establish the substance of the complaint, and come to a decision about how best to address the concerns raised by the student. If appropriate, the advising dean will refer the student to the Dean of Academic Affairs who, working with relevant faculty, will investigate the matter fully and attempt to resolve the matter. If the matter remains unresolved and the Dean decides that further action is warranted, he or she may refer the matter to the Vice President for Arts and Sciences.
If at any time a student believes the process is not working in a constructive or timely fashion, the student may always call the Dean of the College. If the instructor is not a member of the Arts and Sciences faculty, the advising dean will assist the student to identify the appropriate faculty and the right procedures. Each school has its own grievance procedures and they are posted on individual schools’ Web sites.
The University has alternate procedures to address other specific concerns.
If the alleged misconduct involves discrimination or harassment by a faculty or staff member, the complaint should be filed with the Office for Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action in accord with the University’s Employment Discrimination and Harassment Policies and Procedures. Information on the policies and procedures for handling such complaints may be found online at: http://eoaa.columbia.edu/employment-policies . The use of the term “discrimination and harassment” under these policies and procedures includes discrimination, discriminatory harassment, gender-based harassment, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.
Complaints against the school's faculty that allege scientific or scholarly misconduct are also evaluated using other procedures. These are contained in the Statement on Professional Ethics and Faculty Obligations and Guidelines for Review of Professional Misconduct, available on-line at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/vpaa/fhb/app/appe.
It is the policy of Columbia University that no faculty member shall have a consensual romantic or sexual relationship with a student over whom he or she exercises academic or professional authority. The University’s Consensual Romantic and Sexual Relationship Policy Between Faculty and Students may be found on-line at http://eoaa.columbia.edu/consensual-romantic-relationships .
Timeframe for Proceedings
A student should ordinarily bring any concern or complaint within thirty (30) days of the end of the semester in which the offending conduct occurred or by the beginning of the following semester. The school process will ordinarily take thirty (30) days.
Confidentiality
At every level, those involved recognize and respect a student’s need for confidentiality when addressing certain kinds of concerns. If the student wishes complete confidentiality, any concern may be raised with the University’s Ombuds Officer, a neutral complaint handler for the University. The office offers a range of options and communication channels. Students, however, must be aware that the Ombuds Office has no authority to adjudicate a complaint; it is there as a confidential resource to students, faculty and administrators to advise on various avenues of redress and to mediate disputes, if both parties agree.
Student Policies and Procedures on Discrimination and Harassment, Gender-Based Misconduct Policies for Students and Consensual Romantic and Sexual Relationships
Columbia University is committed to providing a learning, living, and working environment free from discrimination, harassment and gender-based and sexual misconduct. Consistent with this commitment and with applicable laws, the University does not tolerate discrimination, harassment or gender-based or sexual misconduct in any form and it provides students who believe that they have been subjected to conduct or behavior of this kind with mechanisms for seeking redress. All members of the University community are expected to adhere to the applicable policies, to cooperate with the procedures for responding to complaints of discrimination, harassment and gender-based and sexual misconduct, and to report conduct or behavior they believe to be in violation of these policies to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action or Student Services for Gender-Based and Sexual Misconduct. For additional information on these issues, policies and resources, please visit the Sexual Respect website at: https://titleix.columbia.edu/.
Complaints against students for gender-based misconduct are processed in accord with the Gender–Based Misconduct Policies for Students. Students who attend Barnard College and Teachers College as well as Columbia University are covered by these policies. The use of the term “gender-based misconduct” includes sexual assault, sexual harassment, gender-based harassment, stalking, and intimate partner violence.
Complaints against students for other forms of discrimination and harassment are processed in accord with the Student Policies and Procedures on Discrimination and Harassment and should be filed with the Dean of Students of the school in which the accused student is enrolled.
Complaints against employees and third parties affiliated with the University for discrimination and harassment are processed in accord with the Employment Policies and Procedures on Discrimination and Harassment. The use of the term “discrimination and harassment” includes discrimination, discriminatory harassment, gender-based harassment, stalking, intimate partner violence, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.
Columbia University maintains policies regarding consensual romantic and sexual relationships between faculty and students, and staff and students. The Faculty-Student Relationship Policy states that no faculty member shall exercise academic or professional authority over any student with whom he or she has or previously has had a consensual romantic or sexual relationship. This policy covers all officers of instruction, research and the libraries, including student officers of instruction and research and teaching assistants. The Staff-Student Relationship Policy states that no staff member at Columbia should participate in the supervision, employment actions, evaluation, advising or mentoring of any Columbia University student with whom that staff member has or has had a consensual romantic or sexual relationship, except in unusual circumstances, where explicit advance authorization has been obtained.
For further information and assistance, contact:
Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action
103 Low Library, MC 4333
http://eoaa.columbia.edu/; eoaa@columbia.edu; 212-854-5511
Title IX Coordinator/Section 504 Officer for Columbia University
Heather Parlier, Associate Provost
Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, 103 Low Library
hp2450@columbia.edu, 212-854-5918
Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Staff and Faculty Concerns
Jazmin Taylor, Director of Investigations
Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, 103 Low Library
jt2903@columbia.edu, 212-851-2730
Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Student Concerns
Jeri Henry, Associate Vice President
Student Conduct and Community Standards, 800 Watson Hall
jerihenry@columbia.edu, 212-854-1389
Columbia offers a number of confidential resources to students who believe they were subjected to discrimination, harassment or gender-based or sexual misconduct and who do not wish to report to the University:
Counseling Services
Columbia Morningside: 212-854-2878, CUMC: 212-496-8491
Rape Crisis/Anti-Violence Support Center, 212-854-HELP
Office of the University Chaplain, 212-854-6242
Health Services*
Columbia Morningside (212) 854-2284, Columbia Morningside clinician-on-call (212)854-9797
CUMC: 212-305-3400, CUMC clinician-on-call: 212-305-3400
* Medical providers are considered confidential resources in the context of providing medical treatment to a patient.
Academic Petitions
The Committee on Academic Standing and Academic Affairs are charged with upholding the academic policies established by the faculty.
Rare exceptions to these policies might be granted through petition and/or appeal, but students should be aware that such requests are reviewed with regard to equity for the whole College population. Therefore, when considering whether or not to submit a petition or appeal, students are required to critically assess their claim to exceptionality and to discuss with their advising dean the grounds for their request.
Columbia College has established petition procedures for requesting exceptions to the following policies:
Policy | Office with initial oversight for reviewing petition |
Add a course after the deadline Columbia College students are not permitted to add a course to their program of study after the deadline for so doing – which is the end of the second week of the semester. | Committee on Academic Standing; Online form available here. |
Withdraw from a course after the deadline Columbia College students are not permitted to remove a course from their academic record after the drop deadline (the 5th week of the semester). A student may elect to withdraw from a course after the drop deadline and no later than the Pass/D/Fail deadline, resulting in the mark of W for that course. In exceptional circumstances, such as medical illness, family emergency, etc., students may petition CAS for permission to withdraw from a course* after the deadline. | Committee on Academic Standing; Online form available here. |
Frontiers of Science, deferment Columbia College students are required to take Frontiers of Science in their first year. | Committee on Academic Standing; Online form available here. |
Frontiers of Science-UW switch Students may request permission to switch the order in which they take Frontiers of Science and University Writing, and will be allowed to do so on a space-available basis.
| Center for the Core Curriculum 202 Hamilton Hall; Electronic forms available here (UW-FOS and FOS-UW) Hard copy form is available in the Center for Student Advising. |
Language Instruction, grade of P/D/F Columbia College students are not permitted to take a language instruction class for a grade of Pass/D/Fail. | Committee on Academic Standing; Online form available here. |
Music Instruction, Teachers College Columbia College students may take a music instruction class at Teachers College (TC) on the understanding that they will be charged the full per-point TC tuition and additional TC fees. | Committee on Academic Standing; Electronic form available here. |
Overlapping classes, registration Columbia College students may not register for classes that overlap. | Committee on Academic Standing; Online form available here. |
Petition to change a grading option after the deadline Columbia College students must elect the grading option of Pass/D/Fail by the published deadline, which is typically in the tenth week of the semester. | Committee on Academic Standing; Online form available here. |
Pass/D/Fail, uncovering letter grade Students may uncover the letter grade for the class they took for a grade of Pass/D/Fail up to the second week of the next semester | Committee on Academic Standing; Online form available here. |
Points, registering for more than 18 Columbia College students are not permitted to register for more than 18 points of academic credit in a given semester. | Committee on Academic Standing; Online form available here. |
Points, registering for fewer than 12 Columbia College students are not permitted to register for fewer than 12 points of academic credit in a given semester (unless they are a senior). | Committee on Academic Standing; Online form available here. |
R credit Seniors in the College who have completed all the degree requirements may request permission to take a class for a mark of R, with the approval of the instructor. | Committee on Academic Standing; Online form available here. |
Global Core Requirement, exceptions for study abroad courses The faculty Committee on the Global Core establishes the list of classes that are approved to count towards the Global Core Requirement. Petitions are only accepted for courses taken abroad in a program not taught by a Columbia faculty member. | Committee on the Global Core; Electronic form available here.
|
Student Athletes Student Athletes may, with the approval of their team Head Coach and the Senior Associate Athletics Director, request instructor permission to make up work or take an exam at another time or location, in the event that their team is representing the University in a contest or tournament during scheduled class time. | Intercollegiate Athletics; Hard copy form is available in 433 Dodge Fitness Center or in the Center for Student Advising. |
Study Abroad, senior year Columbia College students are not permitted to study abroad in their senior year. | Committee on Academic Standing; Online form available here. |
Teachers College classes, registration Columbia College students may not register for (non-music instruction) classes at Teachers College. | Academic Affairs; Electronic form available form here. |
University Writing section switch Students may request permission to register for a different UW section; requests are accommodated on a space-available basis. | University Writing Program Office; Electronic form available here. |
Petition to switch course section or level Students are expected to make adjustments to their course schedule within the change of program period (the first two weeks | Committee on Academic Standing; Online form available here. |
Petition to change a point value after deadline Students are expected to make adjustments to their course schedule within the change of program period (the first two weeks | Committee on Academic Standing; Electronic form available here. |
Appealing a Decision of the Committee on Academic Standing
If a petition is denied by the Committee on Academic Standing (CAS) students may appeal to the Dean of Advising for Columbia College and Columbia Engineering, Andrew Plaa, requesting that the decision be overturned.
Students should note, however, that overturning a CAS decision requires new or additional information that was not previously available to the Committee and therefore did not figure in the Committee's decision making.
To consider appealing the decision of the Committee, students must first meet with their advising dean, in order to discuss the committee's reason for denying the original petition.
A letter of appeal can then be submitted to Dean of Advising for Columbia College and Columbia Engineering, Andrew Plaa, within ten business days of receiving the petition decision, which clearly includes the following information:
- Name, class standing, Columbia email address
- The nature of the appeal, i.e. the exception requested
- The date that the original petition was submitted and denied.
- The information that is new and additional to the original CAS petition
- A copy of the original petition
The letter may be hand delivered to 403 Lerner Hall or emailed.
The time it takes to determine the outcome of an appeal varies from case to case. Most appeals are concluded within seven business days.