An appeal is the process to request a review of the original student conduct outcome. The Referred Party has the right to submit one application for appeal to the Director of Student Conduct and Community Standards. In cases of Sexual Misconduct, both parties have the right to appeal. An appeal does not rehear a student conduct case, but rather, determines if the conclusion reached in the original case is valid based on substantiation of a procedural error, new evidence, or the severity of the sanction:
- Procedural Error: Procedural error occurs when the process and policies outlined in Student Community Rights and Responsibilities (Student Code of Conduct) are not followed, and as a result, the outcome of the case was significantly impacted.
- New Evidence: This refers to new evidence that was unavailable during the original hearing or investigation that could significantly affect the original finding or sanction. This does not include information available but not disclosed at the Student Conduct Hearing by choice (i.e., opting not to disclose information for any reason).
- Sanction Severity: A sanction imposed as a result of the original student conduct hearing that is significantly disproportionate to the severity of the offense for which the Respondent/Referred Party has been found responsible. Additional information is available in the Student Community Rights and Responsibilities.
An application for appeal must be submitted electronically within seven calendar days of receiving the decision letter via College email. Instructions on how to file an application for appeal are provided in the decision letter. Applications for appeal may not be submitted by a third party.
The Dean of Students will review the application for appeal to determine if it was submitted prior to the deadline and that the reason for appeal meets one of the three grounds for appeal. If the Dean of Students determines the appeal application meets the grounds the appeal will be referred to an Appeal Board for consideration. The Appeal Board may
- Uphold the decision of the Student Conduct Hearing Board,
- Overturn the decision of the Student Conduct Hearing Board,
- Decide that the case should have a new hearing in front of a different Student Conduct Hearing Board.
In addition, the Appeal Board can keep the existing sanctions or modify them to be more or less severe than the original sanction(s).
A written notification of the appeal decision will be made via College email within 30 calendar days. The decision of the Appeal Board is final.
The following documents are available in Adobe PDF format.