Student Conduct and Appeals Procedure

A student wishing to appeal a decision related to Walsh College policy or procedure may do so following the steps outlined. The Student Conduct and Appeals Committee reviews unresolved student issues concerning policies and procedures of the institution. Such issues might involve general student conduct and/or the application of academic or administrative policy.

Appeal of any issue must be initiated in writing to the director of academic operations within 90 days of the incident to be reconsidered by the committee.
Cases of misconduct will not be considered by the Student Conduct and Appeals Committee until the procedures for issue resolution have been completed and any disciplinary action has been finalized.

Issues Not Considered by the Student Conduct and Appeals Committee

The Student Conduct and Appeals Committee will not consider challenges involving the following:

Requirements for completion of a degree program
Proprietary rights of the requirements for completion of a degree program
Proprietary rights of an individual course
Issues of harassment, discrimination or sexual misconduct (See Title IX Policy)
An individual student’s evaluation which represents an instructor’s good faith judgment of the student’s academic performance
Course grades. An issue involving a course grade will be addressed within the academic department responsible for the course
Any action taken as the result of academic misconduct

Committee Procedures

If the procedures outlined under Non-Academic Issue Resolution do not result in resolution of the issue, a student, faculty member, or administrative director may submit a written request to the director of academic operations within 90 days of the occurrence of the original event, for referral of the matter related to student conduct to the Student Conduct and Appeals Committee. The request should contain the following:

A statement describing the issue and identification of the policy or procedure in question;
A review of the steps already taken to seek resolution, and the specific decision or action desired;
Justification for the decision or action sought, with specific references to the applicable Walsh College policies made; and
Copies of information or documentation to be presented, and specific identification of individuals requested to be present; to include witnesses, at the Student Conduct and Appeals Committee hearing.

The director of academic operations will act on a request for referral to the Student Conduct and Appeals Committee, advising all parties involved of its disposition. The director of academic operations may decline to refer a matter to the committee due to insufficient cause to proceed; may consult directly with the affected parties to reach an appropriate resolution without a hearing; or may refer the matter to committee for consideration and final disposition. When the Student Conduct and Appeals Committee meets to consider an issue, new or additional issues may not be introduced during the appeals hearing. Each issue must receive separate due process and cannot be introduced to confuse or complicate the issue being appealed. The responsibility of the committee is to determine if there is evidence which would support the alleged act of misconduct or violation of policy and procedure.

If a Student Conduct and Appeals Committee is formed, the director of academic operations will assume responsibility for the following:

Act as committee coordinator
Assign an Officer to serve as committee chair
Implement all committee decisions or disciplinary actions or procedures

The Student Conduct and Appeals Committee will be composed of:

One College Officer who will act as the chair of the committee
Two administrative representatives selected by lottery or a random selection process
Two academic representatives, at least one of whom is a full-time faculty member, selected by lottery or a random selection process
Two representatives from student organizations or from student government, to be selected by student government

Anyone who is considered to have a conflict of interest in the proceedings may not be selected.

The chairperson of the Student Conduct and Appeals Committee will be responsible for the following:

Scheduling and notifying the student and committee members of the meeting time
Providing the student with an opportunity to appear before and address the committee
Presiding over the proceedings and acting as a nonvoting member of the committee unless there is a tie vote, in which case the chair will cast the deciding vote
Receiving and presenting to the committee and the student all relevant information pertaining to questions of misconduct, exceptions or appeals to policies
Notifying the student within five business days of the decision of the committee

Six committee members, excluding the chair, constitute a quorum. A majority vote of the committee will constitute a committee decision. Information regarding specific cases considered by the Student Conduct and Appeals Committee is considered strictly confidential. All records of and documents pertaining to a meeting of the Student Conduct and Appeals Committee, including the committee’s decision and record of notification to the affected student, will be retained in the office of the director of academic operations.

Appeal of a Committee Decision

Any individual desiring to appeal a decision of the Student Conduct and Appeals Committee or an issue not considered by the committee must do so in writing within seven calendar days after being notified of the committee’s decision. The appeal should be directed to the President of Walsh College who, in their sole discretion, may affirm, modify, or disapprove the Student Conduct and Appeals Committee’s decision. In all circumstances, the decision of the President of Walsh College is final.