Appeals of Course-Level Action
When a student has received official notification of course-level action from the Office of Community Responsibility, a student has seven calendar days to request an appeal of course-level action. All requests for appeal must be submitted in writing to the Office of Community Responsibility.
The written appeal request must indicate whether the student is appealing the finding of responsibility, the outcome, or both, as well as the basis for the appeal itself. The basis of an appeal will be limited to one or more of the following:
- A gross error in procedural process that materially affected the outcome;
- Inconsistency between the available evidence and the finding(s) of responsibility in the course-level review;
- Stated course-level outcome(s) of failure in the course(s) that was not commensurate with the violation(s) of the University Policy on Academic Integrity for which the student was found responsible; and
- New information, which was not reasonably available at the time of the course-level review, merits re-consideration of the final disposition.
The vice president for student affairs or designee will review the written appeal request and determine whether, in their judgment, the appeal presents an appealable issue that warrants review by an Academic Responsibility Panel.
Should the vice president for student affairs or designee determine that sufficient grounds exist for further review, the Academic Responsibility Panel will adjudicate the appeal in a proceeding with the participation of the course instructor(s) or designee and the involved student, both of whom are required to participate in the proceedings. The purpose of the proceedings will be to make a recommendation to the vice provost for education or designee as to whether the course instructor’s initial decision should be upheld, vacated, or modified based on a preponderance of the evidence standard. A preponderance of the evidence means that it is more likely than not that student violated the University Policy on Academic Integrity.
The course instructor(s) will be asked to provide all documentation related to the case if not already submitted, including the email to the student documenting the course-level action and supporting evidence related to the violation, to be considered by the Academic Responsibility Panel. Appropriate redaction will be made by the Office of Community Responsibility prior to the review.
In the event of an appeal at the end of a semester, an incomplete grade will be assigned pending the outcome of the appeal process.