We know this is a frustrating experience and ask for your patience and understanding while we review your case.
Fine disputes provide students with an opportunity to make the Grad Lab aware of circumstances that may have contributed to a late equipment return. Please provide as much information as you can when submitting a dispute. We recognize that unexpected situations can arise, and the dispute process allows us to consider whether those circumstances were outside of the student’s reasonable control.
Because our equipment checkout program is a community resource, fines are generally only altered when the delay results from an institutional or system level issue. Examples may include an elevator being out of service, a building closure, an institutional network outage, or another circumstance that prevents a student from reasonably returning equipment as required.
We generally do not alter fines for ordinary lateness or circumstances that could reasonably have been anticipated or managed by the student. This includes situations such as traffic, forgetting the return deadline, sleeping in, or mistakenly believing that equipment was due at a different time. While we understand that these situations happen, the purpose of the fine is not to assign blame or punish students for making mistakes. Rather, fines recognize the impact that a late return can have on other members of our community.
When equipment is not returned on time, another student may be unable to access the equipment they reserved or need for their academic work. As a shared resource, we therefore have a responsibility to maintain reliable access for everyone. Students are expected to plan accordingly and return equipment before the stated deadline, even when doing so requires additional time or effort.
Students are always welcome to submit a fine dispute when they believe extenuating circumstances affected their ability to return equipment on time. Disputes are reviewed in the context of the circumstances described, but submitting a dispute does not guarantee that a fine will be altered.
How do I file a Dispute?
- Please fill out the form below to file a Checkout fine dispute.
What happens next?
- We will review your case and reach out to you within 5 business days
In the mean time:
- If you need to clear your account to make additional reservations or checkouts you can pay your fine in full. Once the dispute has been reviewed you can be refunded.
- Please re-familiarize your self with the Grad Lab's policies, Terms and Conditions and the Student Replacement Policy.
Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding while we resolve this matter