Decisions made by the subcommittees of the Academic Standing Committee may be appealed. This includes the denial of petitions made to the ASC Administrative Subcommittee and the Language Requirement Exemption Committee, findings of the Academic Integrity Subcommittee, and suspension/dismissal decisions made during Academic Review. (Other decisions made during Academic Review are not subject to appeal.)
A decision made by the full Academic Standing Committee (including a denial of an appeal of a subcommittee’s decision) may also be appealed; see the section below on Appeals to the Provost.
Appeals of Academic Review Decisions
Appeals of suspensions or dismissals through Academic Review may be submitted to the Coordinator of the Academic Standing Committee using the process described in the policy on Satisfactory Academic Progress, in the section on Appeals. (As the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy states, being placed on review is not subject to appeal.) Student members of the ASC do not participate in this appeal process.
Appeals to the Full ASC
The full Academic Standing Committee (ASC) hears appeals of decisions by its subcommittees. Appeals are accepted on the basis of one or both of the following:
- procedural errors that may have materially impacted the final decision;
- relevant new information that was not available at the time of the subcommittee’s evaluation that could materially affect the disposition of the matter.
Students should be advised that the ASC strictly adheres to and applies these permissible bases for appeal. Other grounds for appeal (such as disagreement with the subcommittee’s decision) are not permitted. An appeal must be made in writing to the Coordinator of the Academic Standing Committee (ASC) within two business days of receiving written notification of the subcommittee’s decision.
An appeal will generally follow this process for review (note: appeals of Academic Review decisions follow a different process; see the section above):
- The ASC coordinator will communicate with the appealing student, review the appeal process with them, and answer any questions. A student will submit a written appeal within three business days after indicating their intention to appeal and will outline on what grounds they are appealing to the ASC coordinator.
- The ASC coordinator will communicate the appeal to the full ASC and arrange for the written appeal to be evaluated by the ASC.
- After the meeting, the ASC coordinator will provide written notification of the committee’s decision to the student.
Additional Requirements for Appeals of Academic Integrity Subcommittee Decisions
In the case of appeals of decisions of the Academic Integrity Subcommittee, the student will state in their initial communications with the ASC coordinator whether they are appealing the decision, the sanction, or both. Further, after arranging for the appeal to be heard by the full ASC, the ASC coordinator will communicate the meeting date to the student and provide the Academic Integrity Hearing Script to the student and all relevant parties (advisers, witnesses, etc.).
Appeals to the Provost
A student may appeal the full ASC’s decision to the Provost of the College. Appeals may be submitted on the same bases as an appeal to the full ASC. An intention to appeal must be submitted in writing to the ASC coordinator within two business days of receiving written notification of the full ASC’s decision. A formal written appeal to the Provost must be presented to the ASC coordinator within three business days of the written statement of intent to appeal. The ASC coordinator will deliver to the Provost all the materials related to the appeal. In the case of Academic Integrity matters, this material includes the original finding letter and evidence, the appeal letter and additional materials provided by the student and the ASC Subcommittee, and the recording of the full ASC hearing. The Provost may deny the appeal, affirm the ASC’s decision, or alter the ASC’s decision (in the case of Academic Integrity, including the finding, the sanction, or both). The Provost will then notify the student of their determination. The decisions of the Provost are the final institutional response and may not be appealed.