At the April 2005 faculty meeting, the Faculty approved the imposition of sanctions for the late submission of grades and instructed the Dean to formulate and implement a sanctions policy. Dean Goldner appointed an ad hoc committee, comprised of two faculty members and the SBA president, to recommend a policy. On October 22, 2005, the committee submitted its recommended policy, set forth below, to the Dean. The policy was approved by the general counsel for the University of Arkansas System.
Dean Goldner accepted the recommended policy on October 24, 2005. This policy is effective immediately, and applies to grade submission for the fall 2005 semester and all following terms until modified or suspended.
Grade Deadlines
Grades are due either posted on BOSS or emailed to the Office of the Registrar at [email protected] no later than 5 PM on the first business day following 25 days after the date of the last scheduled exam during the fall and spring semesters, and 14 days after the date of the last scheduled exam during the summer session. However, Spring 2018 grades are due on a rolling deadline: each set of grades is due no later than 5 p.m. on the first business day 25 days after the date of the final exam or final assessment in each course (Revised 3/12/2018). Grades which are not submitted by the applicable deadline are late. (Revised 2014.)
Turning in grades that do not comply with the mandatory grade curve constitutes failure to turn in grades for purposes of the Late Grade Policy. (Revised 4/11/2011.)
Sanctions
First Semester of Late Grades. A member of the faculty (as defined in Part II, Sec. 2 of the Law School’s Constitution) whose grades are late shall receive a written warning. If the grades are not submitted within three days of the due date in this “warning semester,” the faculty member’s salary for the following summer assignment (whether it is a teaching, research, or teaching and research assignment) will be reduced by $400 on the fourth day the grades are late, and by $100 per day for each additional day the grades are late, up to a maximum of $1,000. If the faculty member does not have a summer assignment, the equivalent amount will be deducted from the faculty member’s budget. This semester shall be designated the “warning semester.”
Second Semester of Late Grades. If the same faculty member turns in grades late for any of the three semesters in which the faculty member teaches following the “warning semester,” the faculty member’s salary for the following summer assignment, or if no summer assignment, then the faculty member’s budget, shall be reduced by $400 on the first day the grades are late, and by $100 per day for each additional day the grades are late, up to a maximum of $1,000 per course. This semester shall be termed the “post-warning semester.”
Third Semester of Late Grades. If the same faculty member turns in grades late for any of the three semesters in which the faculty member teaches following the “post-warning semester,”the faculty member’s salary for the following summer assignment, or if no summer assignment, then the faculty member’s budget, shall be reduced by $800 on the first day the grades are late, and by $200 per day for each additional day the grades are late, up to a maximum of $2,000 per course.
These penalties apply to each course taught. Thus, if a faculty member turned in grades for two courses four days late during the “warning semester,” the faculty member’s salary for the following summer assignment, or if no summer assignment, then the faculty member’s budget, would be reduced by $800.
A faculty member who turns in grades timely for three consecutive semesters clears his or her grading record.
For purposes of this policy, teaching during a summer session counts as a semester. Semesters in which a faculty member is on OCDA, on leave without pay, teaching at another institution, or in which the faculty member has only a summer research assignment are not counted for purposes of clearing a grading record.
After grades are due during each term, the Associate Dean will post weekly on Lawfac, beginning the day after the deadline, a list of all faculty members (including adjuncts) whose grades have not been turned in, and the courses.
In addition to the above sanctions, the final paychecks of visiting faculty members will be held until their grades are turned in. At hiring, their contracts will reflect this condition.
If an adjunct faculty member does not have grades in by the deadline, the first time this occurs the adjunct shall receive a written warning. If an adjunct faculty member turns in grades late a second time, within three semesters of the warning semester, the law school shall not rehire the adjunct.
Exception for Good Cause
The dean may extend the grading period for good cause. “Good cause” is defined as an illness or injury, emergency, death or crisis lasting more than one week which is not under the control of the faculty member involved. Examples of good cause include but are not limited to:
- Illness or injury requiring hospitalization
- Death or serious illness of a close family member
Examples of situations which are not good cause include but are not limited to:
- A publisher’s deadline for a writing project
- A speaking commitment
- Attendance at a professional conference
Circumstances constituting good cause must be documented, and the dean may not extend the grading period for more than the days lost on account of the cause. The dean may extend the grading period for fewer than the days lost based on the number of exams to be graded. For example, a faculty member hospitalized for 10 days with 150 exams to grade might receive as much as a ten-day extension; a faculty member hospitalized for 10 days with 20 exams to grade might receive no more than a three-day extension.
Waiver
The Dean may waive or modify any provision of this policy if the Dean determines that a failure to do so would cause the Law School to violate the law.
October 24, 2005
Revised April 11, 2011
Revised 2014
Revised March 12, 2018