Section VIII. Appeals Procedures

The Chancellor of the University

By virtue of the powers invested in the chancellor by the Board of Trustees and the president, the chancellor is the highest disciplinary functionary at the university. The chancellor is, therefore, the highest appellate authority after all other university appeals have been exhausted.

University Judicial Appeals Committee

The University Judicial Appeals Committee (UJAC) is a university administrative committee that reviews and hears appeals on the record of decisions made by the Behavioral Standards Committee, the Academic Integrity and Grievance Committee, the judicial boards of the Greek governing bodies for organizational offenses, and the dean of students or designee as part of the informal/administrative system of adjudication.

The committee is composed of one (1) each of the following: faculty member, alternate faculty member, student member, alternate student member, academic or non-academic administrator, and alternate academic or non-academic administrator.

The president of the Assembly/Senate shall make the faculty and administrative appointments and the president of the SGA shall make the student appointments. No person shall serve on the UJAC if he or she is a member of one of the above mentioned committees or boards.

Members of the UJAC shall be appointed and serve for one-year terms beginning with the fall semester and ending one (1) day before the next fall semester, and shall elect their own chairperson.

The Assembly president or the SGA president may name interim or additional members to serve on the committee during the summer sessions, if deemed necessary.

Appeals Procedures and Instructions

(Exception, Grade Appeals)

  1. The UJAC is empowered to review the conclusions, sanctions, and procedures used to adjudicate the case and limit its consideration of the appeal to the record of the previous hearing on the following grounds:
    1. Original decision contrary to the facts or based on insufficient evidence.
    2. Availability of new information (remand the case to the original judicial hearing committee).
    3. Procedural violation.
    4. Excessive severity of the disciplinary sanction. (The committee shall not exceed the purview of the original hearing committee.)
  2. The student can appeal any decision to the chancellor.
  3. The student, faculty member, or the dean of students or designee may appeal the findings and sanctions of the original judicial hearing committee within five (5) class days of the service of the decision. The appeal must be submitted in writing, describe the grounds for the appeal, and be addressed to the chairperson of the UJAC. The appealing party shall send copies of the appeal to the chairperson of the original hearing committee, the non-appealing party, and the dean of students.
  4. Upon receipt of an appeal, the chairperson shall request the records from the previous hearing to be forwarded for review. At the discretion of the committee and if clarification is needed, the committee may invite the appealing party, non-appealing party, or the chairperson of the original hearing committee to meet with the committee. The committee does not conduct a hearing. The appeal shall be reviewed and a decision rendered in writing to all interested parties, including the reasons for the decision, no later than five (5) class days upon receipt of the appeal. Reasonable deviations from the time frame or procedure will not invalidate a decision unless significant prejudice to a student may result.
  5. The UJAC shall have the authority to:
    1. Approve the recommendation of the original hearing committee or board.
    2. Remand the case to the original hearing committee or board for rehearing.
    3. Reverse the decision of the committee orders.
    4. Modify the sanction but impose none more severe than originally imposed.
  6. In case of a remand, the chairperson will return the records to the chairperson of the original hearing committee. The committee, if possible, should rehear the case within ten (10) class days upon receipt of the notification. If the case is not remanded, the chairperson of the UJAC shall maintain the records until the deadline for an appeal to the chancellor has expired. If there is no appeal, the chairperson shall return the records to the dean of students for filling and appropriate action.

Appeals to the Chancellor

(Exception, Grade Appeals)

  1. After showing good cause as outlined in Grounds for Appeals, the student, dean of students or designee, or the faculty member may appeal the findings of the UJAC to the chancellor within three (3) class days of the decision. The appealing party may appeal to the chancellor only after all other university appeals have been exhausted. Such appeal must be in writing, describe the grounds for the appeal, and be addressed to the chancellor. The appealing party shall send copies of the appeal to the chairperson of the UJAC, chairperson of the original hearing committee, non-appealing party, and the dean of students.
  2. The chancellor is empowered to review the conclusions, sanctions, and procedures used to adjudicate the case and limit his or her consideration of the appeal to the record of the original committee hearing, review by the UJAC, and the grounds for appeal.
  3. Upon receipt of an appeal, the chancellor shall request the records from the chairperson of the UJAC. At the discretion of the chancellor, and if clarification is needed, the chancellor may invite the appealing party, the non-appealing party, chairperson of the original hearing committee, and UJAC chairperson to meet with him or her.
  4. The chancellor shall review the appeal and render to all interested parties a decision in writing including the reasons for the decision, no later than five (5) class days upon receipt of the appeal. Reasonable deviations from the time frame or procedures will not invalidate a decision unless significant prejudice to student may result.
  5. The chancellor shall have the authority to:
    1. Approve the recommendations of the UJAC.
    2. Remand the case to the original hearing committee for rehearing.
    3. Reverse the decision of the UJAC.
    4. Modify the sanction but impose none more severe than originally imposed.
  6. The chancellor shall return the records to the dean of students for filing and appropriate action.

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