Shweta Saraswat
“The teacher hates me.””I didn’t know we were supposed to do that!””This grading is so unfair.”Exclamations like these are heard in classrooms around the world, sometimes with sincere concern. Yet many students fail to take such complaints to a meaningful level.That is where the Office of College Compliance comes in. Located in Faculty Office 2408, it serves as one of the places a student can go argue a grade they feel is unfair, or file other complaints.”I try to understand where (a student) is coming from,” said Sylvia Silva, compliance officer and official Pierce College ombudsperson.Two unofficial ombudspersons are selected every two years by the college Academic Senate. Blanca Adajian, professor of media arts and Craig Kramer, professor of English, are currently serving as ombudspersons.However, before turning to the compliance office, students are encouraged to first speak to the professor in question. If the student is still dissatisfied, they should go the department chair, followed by the dean, according to Silva.”Students then file a request for grade change in the graduation office,” Silva said. That form is then sent to the professor, who either changes the grade or leaves it as is, with or without an explanation.”Then students come to me,” she continued, “and we attempt to resolve the conflict informally. Generally 95 percent of the time, the issue is resolved at this point.”According to Jeffrey Cohen, former ombudsperson and professor of psychology, the idea of having an ombudsperson such as Silva, Adajian or Kramer try to settle the conflict is to “serve as a mediator” between the parties involved.Kramer, who has been an ombudsperson for more than a year, agrees.”Mediator is the perfect word,” he said. “I basically act as a liaison between the two parties…It’s important for students to know that there is someone on their side.”The unofficial ombudspersons are generally Academic Senate members who volunteer for the position, according to Senate President Tom Rosdahl.”When someone doesn’t want to do it anymore, someone else volunteers,” Rosdahl said. “The term is for two years, but individuals can be re-elected to serve longer.”Though ombudspersons do not regularly call for grades to be changed, Silva does recall instances when teachers have been found at fault.”Sometimes a syllabus is not clear…In this case, the ombudsperson would help the instructor see that ambiguity and (suggest that) the issue be resolved in favor of the student.”On the other hand, if no resolution is reached, formal action can be taken. A hearing is scheduled, with a minimum of one faculty member, one Associated Students Organization representative and one administrator to make the recommendation of action.The California Education Code states that a final grade cannot be changed for any reason except “mistake, fraud, bad faith or incompetence.” Therefore, students have the burden of proof during the hearing.”It’s like a mini-trial – students can bring witnesses, documentation and their testimony,” Silva said. “Faculty members can do the same.”Students are mailed the decision of the grievance-hearing committee within 10 days; if they are still unsatisfied, they can appeal to the grievance-appeals committee, which issues another recommendation to the college president to either uphold or deny the standing recommendation made by the grievance-hearing committee.”When they’ve come this far, what’s important is for students to know that they have a process they can go through and feel that it’s fair,” Silva said, suggesting that even though the outcome may not be what a student desired, the presence of a just system is comforting.However, Silva claims that the best thing is always to avoid such conflicts in the first place, emphasizing the importance of communication between instructors and students.”Faculty members need to make sure that their syllabi are clear and understood, while students need to makes sure they understand the syllabus,” she said. “It’s important to clear up any ambiguity in the beginning of the semester.”Students who know for certain that a particular professor is out to get them are encouraged to take it up with the Office of College Compliance. It’s what they are there for.