is a graduate catalog considered a binding contract by which a university must uphold?

Question

My friend is going through a situation in which a person was put into a position in the university which the school is saying he needs to approve dissertation but it is not stated in the graduate catalog and no student was given written documents about this change. This person is requesting to make changes towards my friends dissertation but in the catalog the dissertation is only supposed to be between the student, his committee, the dean, and the graduate school. The committee has signed off on his dissertation but this person refuses to sign finding anything he can to withhold him from finishing. What should he do?

Answer 1

The catalog is, by its nature, incomplete, so I don't think your friend can claim that if it isn't in the catalog, it isn't required, especially since "the graduate school" can include a fair number of people, and the dean could delegate responsibilities (if the person refusing to sign off is the lunch lady, I can't imagine that this would have any impact, so I can't imagine who else would be involved - although if it is a person in the financial area, the department chair, the head of the graduate program, or the President, yes, they have a right to have a say.

Your friend should file a grievance with the student grievance committee. He must go through the university's process on these issues before any court would even look at it (since you mention a contract, I assume you had a lawsuit in mind).