How to Appeal
The steps a student should follow if charged with a violation are defined in the undergraduate policy and procedures or the graduate policy and procedures. However, students may wish to also consult with the Student Conduct and Advocacy office for clarification or questions regarding this process. If a student chooses to appeal a decision or sanction, the following guidelines are recommended:
1. Identify Your Timeline
All appeals must be filed within 10 academic days (this includes all days that classes are in session during the fall and spring terms, but not exam days, summer, or winter terms). Be sure to send your appeal within 10 academic days; typically, this deadline date will be listed on the letter sent by the Office of Academic Integrity.
2. Identify the Charge and the Sanction
- Charges (or violations) include: aiding in academic dishonesty, cheating, falsifying academic materials, misrepresenting documents, plagiarizing, purchasing academic assignments, selling academic assignments and submitting previously submitted work.
- Sanctions include: academic warning, reduction in assignment grade, reduction in course grade, revision of work, failure in course, failure in course with temporary notation on transcript, failure in course with permanent notation on transcripts, required remediation, dismissal from program or department, suspension, expulsion or other reasonable sanction.
3. Complete the Academic Dishonesty Appeal Form
Matters for consideration include the following questions relevant to your case:
- Are you appealing the charge, the sanction or both?
- What evidence do you have that you are not guilty of the charge? All evidence must be uploaded with your appeal form (syllabi, tests, project instructions, etc.).
- Why do you feel the sanction is too harsh?
- Avoid emotional pleas for mercy. Instead, directly address the charges and sanctions.
- Are there any extenuating circumstances that are relevant to your case?
4. Submit the Academic Dishonesty Appeal Form
You will get an automated reply as well as an email from the Office of Academic Integrity acknowledging receipt of your appeal. Your case and all related evidence will be carefully reviewed, and you will be notified within 10 academic days of the status of your appeal.
FAQ
What happens after I appeal?
Your case will be reviewed very carefully by the Office of Academic Integrity. If there is reason to grant a hearing, one will be scheduled. If not, the appeal will be denied, and the instructor’s sanction will stand.
What happens during a hearing?
Hearings offer both the student and the instructor the opportunity to present their side of the case, including any evidence they may have. Hearings do not follow traditional rules of law, but instead follow the preponderance of the evidence. This concept implies that the evidence weighs more heavily on one side or the other; it is the committee’s responsibility to see where the preponderance of the evidence lies.
Who will be on my hearing committee?
Faculty and students volunteer and/or are nominated to serve on adjudication hearing committees. Each committee must have a minimum of two faculty members and two student members (graduate or undergraduate, depending on the student involved in the case).
Can I bring someone with me to the hearing?
Students and instructors are allowed to bring an advisor with them to the hearing, but the advisor may not be an attorney. The advisor is not allowed to speak directly to the committee. Their role will be to advise the student on questions to ask, evidence that may be relevant, etc.
What are legitimate grounds for appeal?
Students have the right to appeal either their finding of responsibility and/or the sanction applied by their instructor (please see our how to appeal page for more information). To do so, students should fill out the Academic Dishonesty Appeal Form. For an appeal to be compelling, it should be a rational explanation and not be based on emotion. The Office of Academic Integrity can only consider the facts of the case.
What is the standard of evidence?
Instructors do not have to prove that cheating happened “beyond a reasonable doubt.” Rather, the standard is “preponderance of the evidence” or “more likely than not.” In reviewing appeals, the Office of Academic Integrity examines all evidence to see if preponderance falls with the instructor or the student.