Policies
Students can find up-to-date versions of McGill policies by following the links below:
Charter of Students’ Rights, 2017
Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures, 2013
Code of Student Grievance Procedures, 2013
Policy on Harassment, Sexual Harassment, and Discrimination Prohibited by Law, 2017
Additionally, for a list of all policies that apply to McGill students, please consult this page.
Procedures
Grievance
If a student believes the University is violating their student rights, they can engage in informal dispute resolution with the University representatives involved. If a student has exhausted all resources, both formal and information, to resolve a dispute with the University, they may finally file a grievance under the Code of Student Grievance Procedures (3.2). All grievances must be grounded in an alleged violation of the Charter of Student Rights.
A student must submit a grievance form as well as a detailed statement about their issues to the Senate Committee on Student Grievances. Once the Committee on Student Grievances has approved the submission, they may call a hearing (3.6) where both sides will have the right to present their cases, including any evidence and witnesses (4.2.1). After the hearing, the Committee will release a written decision to the parties (5.3) and has the power to order any actions it sees fit (5.1), although the Committee cannot substitute its judgement for an academic evaluation (5.2). Either party can appeal the Committee’s decision to the Appeal Committee based on the limited grounds found under s. 6.3.
Discipline
Under art. 45, students have the right to an advisor present at any interview, summary hearing, or hearing under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (CSCDP).
Student Advocacy can assign you an Advocate to act as your advisor in this capacity.
To be found to have violated an article of the Code, there must be a finding of clear, convincing and reliable evidence in support of the charge (art. 46, CSCDP).
There are three possible disciplinary procedures to be taken against a student: a disciplinary interview, a summary hearing, and a hearing of a Committee on Student Discipline.
Disciplinary Interview
After a Disciplinary Officer is informed about a potential violation of the CSCDP, they can summon a student by written notice to an interview to inquire into the potential offence (48 (a) (c)). A disciplinary letter shall inform the student about any evidence or documentation they can consult before the interview (48 (c)). A student is not obligated to answer any of the Disciplinary Officer’s questions (49).
At the end of an interview, the Disciplinary Officer can exonerate the student, admonish or reprimand, or refer the case to a hearing to the CSD (50). If a student is admonished or reprimanded, potential additional dispositions include conduct probation, failing grades for academic offences, up to 10 hours of community service, fines, and in certain situations, temporary exclusion orders or suspensinos (51). Upon receiving the Disciplinary Officer’s written decision, the student can chose to have the charges heard before a Hearing Committee on Student Discipline (53 (c)).
Summary Hearing
After a Disciplinary Officer is informed about a potential violation of the CSCDP, they can summon a student by written notice to a summary hearing to enquire about the potential offence (55 (a)). In a summary hearing, the party who reported the alleged offence shall, in the presence of the student, restate the facts and the allegations and the names of the witnesses who support their complaints (55 (c)).
The presentation of the party cannot be used as evidence in the case unless the party is called back into the hearing to act as a witness (55 (c)). The student (or their advisor) can question the witnesses. The student has a right to present their case and call witnesses on their behalf and is not required to answer any of the Disciplinary Officer’s questions (55 (e)). The same possible dispositions and the right to refer to the CSD that apply to Disciplinary Interviews apply to Summary Hearings (56).
Hearing of the Committee on Student Discipline (CSD)
When a Disciplinary Officer refers a case to the CSD or the student elects to obtain a hearing, the decision of the Disciplinary Officer is suspended pending the decision of the Hearing of the CSD (57). Before the Hearing, the student and the Disciplinary Officer will have access to any relevant documents or evidence and the names of witnesses to be presented by either side (62).
At the beginning of the Hearing, both sides, beginning with the Disciplinary Officer, make summary presentations (67). Both sides are entitled to present their evidence and call and questions their witnesses (69), as well as question the other party and their witnesses (70 (b)). The student can elect to present evidence on their behalf and if they do, they will be subject to questioning. The student is not obligated to answer any questions (71). The Hearing Committee can exonerate, admonish, or reprimand the student (75). If the student is admonished or reprimanded, the Hearing Committee can place the student on conduct probation, require up to 25 hours of community service, suspend the student for one year, dismiss or expel the student, revoke a degree, or issue a fine (76). Either party can appeal the decision of the CSD to the Appeal committee based on limited grounds listed under art. 81.