Student Code of Conduct - Appeals
Respondents may appeal outcomes of informal resolutions and formal conduct hearings. When a student and/or student organization has accepted responsibility for violating the Student Code of Conduct as part of an informal resolution, the respondent may appeal only the sanction(s). In these instances, the appeal shall be in writing to the Associate Vice President for Student Life and Development and Dean of Students or designee within (3) three business days of the Respondent’s receipt of the decision.
Appeal of Formal Conduct Hearing
Appeals shall be made to the Associate Vice President for Student Life and Development and Dean of Students or designee within three (3) business days of the Respondent’s receipt of the decision of the formal conduct hearing. The appeal shall be in writing, stating the ground(s) for appeal. The appeal letter will be reviewed and, if there is adequate reason to believe that one or more of the grounds for appeal has merit, an appeal meeting will be scheduled with the Associate Vice President for Student Life and Development and Dean of Students or designee.
The Associate Vice President for Student Life and Development and Dean of Students or designee will render a decision and notify the student in writing within five (5) business days of the appeal meeting. Failure to file an appeal or request an extension in a timely manner constitutes a waiver of any right to an appeal.
A student's adviser may attend an appeal meeting. In the event new evidence is relevant to the outcome of the decision, the Associate Vice President for Student Life and Development and Dean of Students or designee may request a rehearing. The appeal decision is final.
Appeal of University Conduct Board
Appeals should be made to the Vice President for Student Life and Development within three (3) business days of the Respondent’s receipt of the decision. The appeal shall be in writing, stating the ground(s) for the appeal. The appeal letter will be reviewed, and if there is adequate reason to believe that one or more of the grounds for appeal has merit, an appeal meeting will be scheduled with the Vice President for Student Life and Development.
The Vice President for Student Life and Development will render a decision and notify the student in writing. Failure to file an appeal or request an extension in a timely manner constitutes a waiver of any right to appeal.
A student’s adviser may attend an appeal meeting. In the event new evidence is relevant to the outcome of the decision, the Vice President for Student Life and Development may request a rehearing. The appeal decision is final.
Students receiving suspension for more than nine (9) business days or expulsion and who have exhausted all campus appeal procedures may request a contested case meeting in a timely manner before an Administrative Law Judge supplied by the Minnesota State Hearing Examiner's Office in St. Paul, MN. The Law Judge will issue a recommendation to the President of the University who will make the final decision.
Grounds for Appeal
- Appeals must be based on the issue of substantive or procedural errors which were committed during the conduct process.
- The specifics to be addressed on appeal are:
- New or newly discovered evidence is of a character which may substantially affect the outcome.
- There was a procedural error which substantially affected the outcome of the hearing.
- The sanction is excessively severe.
The student and/or student organization must demonstrate that one or more of the above grounds for appeal has merit. If there is adequate reason to believe that one or more of the grounds for appeal has merit, an appeal meeting will be scheduled. The appeal decision will be final.
