serving the students of the University of No^th Carolina at Asheville
Volume 1, Number 7
Thursday October 21, 1982
Teachers appalling?
Try appealing!
By Kerri Pace
The Student Academic Appeals
Board is a new organization de
signed to settle grievances between
students and teachers. The Board
intervenes ;when the instructor and
student cannot settle the problem
themselves.
The purpose of the student
grievance procedure is to provide
the student with a formal process
for seeking a resolution when, in his
judgment, he has been treated un
fairly or improperly in an academic
matter by a faculty member.
What is unfair or improper treat
ment? It is defined as;
♦the instructor’s failure to abide
by stated University policies, or
failure to abide by written or stated
course policies in such a way as to
adversely affect the student’s
academic standing;
♦abusive or improper conduct on
the part of the instructor that clear
ly has an adverse affect on the stu
dent’s academic standing;
*the instructor’s unfounded charge
of academic dishonesty, cheating,
plagiarism or presenting false infor
mation; and or
*the instructor’s prejudiced or
capricious grading practices.
If a student believes that he or she
has been treated unfairly or im
properly by a faculty member, six
steps must be followed.
Dr. Russ Reynolds warms up with a
cup of coffee at the Autumn Walk,
leld Oct. 16. See related story on
)age 3.
Staff photo by David Pickett
Step 1: A conference must be
scheduled with the instructor to
discuss the matter. The student
must explain his or her position to
the instructor and attempt to
understand the justification for the
instructor’s actions. The purpose of
this meeting is to attempt to reach a
mutual understanding and resolve
all differences in an informal,
cooperative manner.
Step 2: If it is impractical to con
sult with the instructor, or if the stu
dent is unsatisfied with the results
of Step 1, the student should seek
the assistance of the faculty con
ciliator. The conciliator is a non
voting member of the Appeals Com
mittee whose role is to guide the stu
dent through the remaining steps.
Step 3: With step 3 begins a time
limit to be followed for the remain
ing steps. Within five class days the
conciliator must meet with the in
structor and the chairman of the in
structor’s department in order to
seek an agreeable solution. If the
student is dissatisfied with the out
come of the conciliator’s meeting he
or she may proceed to step 4 and file
a formal grievance.
Step 4: To file a grievance the stu
dent must obtain a grievance form
from the conciliator. This filing
must occur within 20 class days of
the incident or of the time a student
could reasonably be expected to
know of the incident. Failure to
meet this deadline forfeits the right
of appeal. The conciliator must im
mediately forward a copy of the peti-
tion to the instructor, the
instructor’s department chairman,
and the chairperson of the Academic
Appeals Board.
Step 5: The Academic Appeals
Board shall meet within five to 10
class days after the receipt of the
grievance petition.
In a closed hearing, the student
shall present the grievance. The in
structor shall be given opportunity
to respond to the charges.
After the case has been
deliberated the Academic Appeals
Board will vote.
The Appeals Board consists of
four faculty members plus one alter
nate, and three students plus one
alternate. The chairman of the
Board is Dr. John Bernhardt. The
other faculty members are Dr.
Wilsonia Cherry, Dr. Peggy
Downes, Martha Marshall, and Joe
Sulock. Dr. Downes is the faculty
conciliator, a non-voting member of
the Appeals Board.
continued on page 8
Larry Carter (L), district supervisor of McDonald’s, and Elma Johnson of
the UNCA art department are seated in front of the mural painted by
Johnson and Saralyn Spradling in the Merrimon Avenue McDonald’s.
Staff photo by David Pickett
McDonald’s mural
adds art to eating
By Elise Henshaw
Together Elma Johnson of the
UNCA art department and Ronald
McDonald of hamburger fame have
created a unique combination of a
fast food resta'urant and an art
gallery.
The Merrimon Avenue
McDonald’s with its gallery space
for art shows, is the result of a prom
ise Johnson made to the vice-
president of McDonald’s to decorate
a store for the chain.
“I want it to be considered a pro
fessional gallery with high quality
art work,” Johnson said.
McDonald’s gave her a free hand to
do whatever she wanted to in the
store. “I keep it going, change the
shows, even clean the cases
sometimes,” she said.
The shows she arranges include
student art work as well as works
from local groups and nearby com
munities. The present show is by
the Mountain Area Artists from
Weaverville.
The relationship between the
UNCA art department and
McDonald’s began several years
ago. In 1975 the art department,
housed in the humanities building
and cramped for space, moved the
three dimensional arts into a vacant
grocery store on Merrimon Avenue.
Later, the building was purchased
by McDonald’s, which notified the
art department that it would have to
vacate. The Owen Building, the
eventual home of the department,
was still two years from completion.
After an unsuccessful search for a
new location, Johnson spent six
weeks trying to reach the president
of McDonald’s to request use of the
portion of the building not being
utilized by the chain.
She finally succeeded and was in
structed to contact Bruce Wunner,
continued on page 8