Guidelines for Students with Concerns or Issues
If you have concerns or issues with an instructor or class, please follow these basic guidelines:
- First, you must meet with your instructor during office hours to discuss the issue and to try to resolve
it. It is not productive to discuss the problem during class time or before or after
class since you and the instructor may be in a hurry to get to another class or appointment.
Try also not to discuss the issue when you are mad or upset. Wait, cool down, and
think the problem through. Set up a specific time during the instructor’s office hours
to meet, so that you have his or her undivided attention to communicate your concerns.
With direct communication, most problems can be resolved independently with the instructor.
- If you cannot resolve the problem at the instructor level, you can then email, call,
or see Claudia Gracio ([email protected], 619-594-0925, Storm Hall West 144), Administrative Coordinator of Rhetoric and Writing
Studies.
- If necessary, the Administrative Coordinator will then set up an appointment with
the RWS Department Chair. When you meet with the Chair, please be prepared and bring documentation regarding your dispute (papers, assignments, e-mails, grades,
for instance).
- If there is no resolution at the department level, you can then contact Assistant Dean of Student Affairs in the College of Arts and Letters at (619) 594-6270 or [email protected]. Or you can contact the SDSU Ombudsman at (619) 594-6578 or [email protected].