Discipline decisions involving suspension or expulsion or grievance hearing recommendation(s) made by a Student Judicial Committee Hearing Panel or discipline decisions reached by Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Judicial Boards may be appealed to the University Judicial Appeals Panel. Information on appeal procedures offered through the Residential Life discipline process is available on-line at www.reslife.okstate.edu/handbook/sub_reslife.html.
The University Judicial Appeals Panel is comprised of three members: a current or former faculty representative of the Student Judicial Committee; a designee of the Vice President for Student Affairs; and the Chief Justice of the Student Government Association or his/her designee. The faculty representative serves as the chair.
An appeal is not a new hearing, but is a review of the record of the original hearing. It serves as a procedural safeguard for the student. The burden of proof shifts from the University to the student or group charged with the offense. The student or group must show that one or more of the listed grounds for appeal has merit. A student or group will not appear before the review panel unless specifically requested to do so by the panel.
1. Students will be asked for their current address at the original hearing. A letter containing the hearing panel’s decision will be mailed to this address certified mail within two working days of the hearing. Students may also pick up a copy of the decision letter at Student Judicial Affairs in 326 Student Union. Appeals must be submitted in writing with Student Judicial Affairs by 5:00 p.m. within seven (7) University/working days of the original hearing. Failure to file an appeal within the prescribed time constitutes a waiver of any right to an appeal.
2. The appeal must cite at least one of the following criteria as the reason for appeal and supporting argument(s).
a. Was the original hearing conducted in conformity with prescribed procedures?
b. Was the evidence presented at the lower previous hearing(s) "sufficient" to justify a decision against the student or group?
c. Has evidence which could substantially affect the outcome of the hearing been discovered since the hearing?
d. Is the sanction appropriate for the violation?
3. The University Judicial Appeals Panel will review the record of the original hearing, including documentary evidence, and make a written recommendation to the Vice President for Student Affairs, based on the criteria cited as the reason for appeal.
a. If the Appeals Panel is presented with new evidence which is believed to substantially affect the outcome or finds that procedural error did occur, the matter may be remanded to Student Judicial Affairs with instruction for either a rehearing of the entire matter or reconsideration of specific issues.
b. If the sanction is considered too severe, the Appeals Panel may recommend the sanction be modified and the reasons for that recommendation.
4. The Vice President for Student Affairs shall review the recommendation and may consult with Appeals Panel members in reaching a final decision. The final decision will be communicated in writing by the Vice President for Student Affairs to the appealing student or group, with a copy sent to the chair of the appeals panel and the appropriate department (Fraternity and Sorority Affairs or Residential Life). The decision will normally be communicated within ten(10) working/school days of receiving the written recommendation, but may take longer during University recesses or in a complex case.
5. The decision of the Vice President for Student Affairs shall be final.