The College of Engineering is committed to fostering a welcoming, inclusive climate and a culture of belonging for all. There are steps you can take if you experience or witness behaviors that are in conflict with our values of inclusion and belonging.
Conflict in an organization’s environment can arise in multiple ways, ranging from interpersonal disputes to violations of institution’s policies or committing unlawful practices. The circumstances of the conflict determine the appropriate next steps; depending on what has occurred and your reporting obligation if you are UW employee (review Reporting Requirements), you may choose to pursue formal reporting or informal resolution.
Formal Reporting
Student-related reporting
Academic grievances/complaints
Examples of academic grievances and complaints include, but are not limited to, grade disputes, disputes/concerns with faculty/instructor, course concerns.
Undergraduate students
In compliance with Title IX regulations, the College of Engineering has a grievance procedure to handle student complaints. You should follow these steps until a resolution is achieved.
Graduate students
All graduate programs at the College of Engineering have established specific procedures for handling grievances and appeals. Please check your department’s graduate program handbook for information.
Graduate School grievances and appeals
If you believe that a grievance was not appropriately handled or resolved at the program/department or school/college level, you may file an appeal with the Graduate School.
COE Incident, Near Miss, or Safety Concerns Reporting
Informal Resolution
In some situations, informal conflict resolution can be an effective measure. Please remember that there are a variety of different reporting obligations required of UW-Madison employees. Some obligations apply to all employees and others depend on your position within the university; review the Reporting Requirements.
The following are examples of informal approaches:
- Approach the individual whose behavior is unwelcome directly, tell them how their behavior affected you and that you don’t want it to happen again.
- Ask for an intermediary to approach the individual on your behalf. This could be a trusted colleague at the department, school/college, or campus level.
- Bring the matter to the attention of someone in a position of authority such as your supervisor, program director, graduate advisor, departmental chair, or – if the person involved is the supervisor, advisor or chair – the appropriate associate dean or HR representative.
- Seek out advice from the Ombuds Office.
- Confer with Hostile and Intimidating Behavior (HIB) liaisons for guidance before filing a formal complaint.
- Definition of hostile and intimidating behavior —sometimes known by the shorthand term “bullying.” This is defined in university policy as “unwelcome behavior pervasive or severe enough that a reasonable person would find it hostile and/or intimidating and that does not further the university’s academic or operational interests.”
- College of Engineering Employees: Discuss HR matters with Assistant Dean for Human Resources Jason Jankoski (jpjankoski@wisc.edu) or other matters with Interim Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence & Educational Innovation, Jennifer Sheridan (jennifer.sheridan@wisc.edu)
- College of Engineering Students: Discuss academic matters with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Kathy Prem (kprem@wisc.edu) or other matters with Interim Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence & Educational Innovation, Jennifer Sheridan (jennifer.sheridan@wisc.edu)
Additional resources for faculty and staff
Ombuds Office
Guidance regarding workplace concerns.
Employee Assistance Office
Confidential consultation services.
Hostile and intimidating behavior point of contact
For the College of Engineering.
If you are unsure of what to do, what to report, or where to file your concern, please fill out the form below.
**This form is not a police report. If you or someone else is in immediate danger or you want to report a crime to law enforcement, please call UWPD at 911 or 608-264-2677 (COPS), or go to UWPD at 1429 Monroe St., Madison, WI. UWPD is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year.**
Concerns submitted through this form will be reviewed by a representative of the Dean’s Office in the College of Engineering. We encourage you to provide as much information as possible so that we can efficiently and effectively follow up and address your concern.
If you wish to report anonymously, the name and email fields are optional. There are limitations about what can and cannot arise from anonymous complaints. In general, anonymous complaints help lead to a central understanding of potential organizational or unit climate issues over time, but prevent follow-up on specific situations.