Appeals
Before you think about writing an appeal letter, please ensure that you have read the grounds for appeal.
If your request does not meet the grounds for appeal, it won’t be reviewed.
Below are some common reasons students want to appeal but don’t meet the grounds for appeal such as:
I didn’t know that was a policy violation.
Students are responsible for knowing the code.
I didn’t know I was in the presence of a violation.
Students need to be aware of the code and their environment/surroundings.
I think the board should not have found me responsible.
Why? There typically needs to be new evidence, inappropriate interpretation of code, or process not followed in order for this argument to be valid.
I don’t want this on my record.
Only certain violations remain on your permanent record.
I was at the wrong place, at the wrong time.
Simply not valid for an appeal, students should be aware of their. environment/surroundings and immediately remove themselves from situations where the code is being violated.
I think fines are unfair.
This is not a valid reason, unless there is a financial burden that can be proven.
But I am a good person.
We believe all our students are great but we still have to uphold our community standards.
These are just some examples that have been used in the past for appeal requests and were not considered. Of course, each appeal can be more complicated than the examples above and students always have the right to request an appeal. Sometimes students put a lot of time and effort into an appeal request that doesn’t meet the grounds, which can be frustrating; so we try to help out on the front end.
It is also important to note that a granted appeal will not typically result in a change of findings, such as a change in responsibility. The best scenario for a student in this case would be a new hearing. New hearings are usually granted if process was not followed or if new evidence is presented. If the Chief Conduct Officer becomes aware of either circumstance, s/he will just schedule a new hearing without a student having to appeal. Please read the information under submitting an appeal for possible outcomes.
Students should understand that our standard of proof is “preponderance of the evidence” which means that it is 51% more likely than not that a violation occurred. Oxford College’s conduct process is not a criminal process, and therefore does not follow guidelines for the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard. See our FAQs: Code of Conduct.“Preponderance of the evidence” is the standard of proof for most colleges.
How to Appeal
The Dean of Oxford College will receive all appeals to cases resolved under the code.
Students can appeal the outcome of their conduct case. There are four possible grounds under which a student can appeal. The Dean of the College will review the documents pertaining to the case to determine:
- Whether the hearing was conducted in accordance with the procedures outlined in the Code of Conduct.
- Whether the interpretation of the Code was appropriate.
- Whether the sanction(s) imposed were appropriate.
- Whether new, relevant information has been discovered that could affect the outcome of the case.
The respondent may appeal findings of responsibility and/or sanctions. To initiate an appeal, the respondent must submit a written statement of the specific reason(s) for appeal to the Dean of the College within five business days of receipt of the hearing decision. The Chief Conduct Officer will give all relevant case information the Dean of the College. Remember that the appeal request must be submitted in writing to the Dean's office (4th floor of Seney Hall). The appeal should be professional and well-written. Emails will not be accepted and there is no appeal meeting.
After reviewing the documents pertaining to the case, the Dean of the College will issue a written response to the student within a reasonable period of time from the receipt of the request for review. The Dean of the College shall recommend one of the following courses of action:
- Affirm the hearing decision and affirm the recommended sanction(s).
- Affirm the findings of the hearing decision, but impose a different set of sanction(s), which may be of lesser severity.
- Remand the case to the Chief Conduct Officer to assign a hearing body to conduct a new hearing.
- The decision by the Dean of the College shall be final.