Statement of Policy

A student has the right to appeal any disciplinary action, academic decision, or other action that the student asserts has been handled in a biased, arbitrary, or capricious manner within the established college policies. The nature of the appeal determines which office or committee handles the appeal.

Procedure

A. Where to File an Appeal.

The Office of the Provost

Appeals for reinstatement after an administrative dismissal are directed to the Office of the Provost and reviewed by the Student Appeals Committee (STAC)*. STAC reviews all appeals from students who were found to have been in violation of the following policies:

• Academic Honesty Policy
• Plagiarism Policy
• Student Rights and Responsibilities (except those appeals that are covered by other offices and units listed in this policy)
• Withdrawal or Dismissal from the College
• Electronic Use Policy

For appeals in which a student believes she/he has experienced unlawful discrimination, the student should promptly file a written report of the incident with the provost or the provost's designee (see Anti-Discrimination Policy and Procedure for the Resolution of Student Discrimination Complaints).

For appeals in which a request for accommodations relating to the Americans with Disabilities Act has been denied, the student may submit a written appeal to the provost or the provost's designee for consideration and determination (see ADA/Reasonable Accommodations for Students with Disabilities).

For appeals in which a request for exceptions to fees and/or refunds have been denied by the Ombusdsperson office, the student may submit a written appeal to the provost or the provost's designee for consideration and determination (See Refunds, Waivers, and Extensions).

* Student Appeals Committee (STAC)
Members and the Chair of the Student Appeals Committee except for the current Excelsior College student member are appointed by the provost or the provost's designee for up to two-year terms. The current Excelsior College student member will serve for up to a two-year term and she/he will be appointed by the other members of the Committee. Membership in the Student Appeals Committee will consist of:

• Current Excelsior College student
• Director of Evaluation and Advisement/Director of Academic Advising Services
• Faculty representative
• Ombudsperson representative
• Program director/associate dean

The Ombudsperson Office

The Ombudsperson office is responsible for serving students and staff who have questions or concerns related to fee matters, college policies, and customer service issues. The Ombudsperson is not an advocate for students, or the College, but rather an impartial party who makes independent decisions. The Ombudsperson office works with all schools and departments within Excelsior College to collect information, resolve student issues and discrepancies.

The Ombudsperson Office does not review academic appeals, Excelsior College® Examination or UExcel® exam issues, nursing performance examination appeals, or financial aid award issues.

Types of Appeals Reviewed by the Ombudsperson:

• Requests for fee and tuition refunds beyond the normal refund policy
• Waivers of late, reactivation, degree change fees, grad fees, Student Service Annual Fee
• Fee extensions
• Medical/Personal Leaves of Absence
• Student Service Annual Fee applied to Graduation Fee
• Military active duty deployment extensions
• Course extensions due to military deployment
• Military Withdrawals (MW) from courses due to military deployment
• INL 102 appeals

Filing an Appeal with the Ombudsperson Office:

• Appeals to the Ombudsperson must be made in writing, describe what the student is requesting and the rationale for the appeal.
• Appeals are reviewed and the decision is communicated to the student within 14 calendar days from the date the appeal was received.
• Appeals for a medical leave of absence must include a letter from the treating Physician, on official letterhead, stating the diagnosis and estimated recovery time.
• Appeals due to an extenuating personal circumstance must include supporting documentation.
• Appeals due to military deployment must include a copy of the student's deployment orders, or a letter from their Commanding Officer, on official letterhead, indicating that they were deployed and the time frame of their deployment.

School of Nursing's Associate Degree Program in Nursing Office
All Clinical Performance in Nursing Examination (CPNE®) issues are handled directly by the School of Nursing's Associate Degree in nursing program office. The appeal should be addressed to the Associate Dean of the School of Nursing.

Center for Educational Measurement
All appeals that have to do with Excelsior College® Examinations and UExcel® exams are handled by executive director of the Center for Educational Measurement or a designee.

The Schools
All appeals that have to do with common course issues are handled by the program directors and/or the deans of the appropriate schools or their designees in consultation with the instructor of the course. The exception to this deals with issues of plagiarism, which may be referred to the Student Appeals Committee (see Plagiarism Policy).

Common course issues include:

• Grade appeals (see End of Course Grade Appeals)
• Academic dismissal (see Academic Probation Policy; Repeating Excelsior College Courses; Withdrawal or Dismissal from the College; Repeating Excelsior College Examinations)
• Excessive absenteeism (see Excessive Absenteeism)
• Academic related issues (Academic Clean Slate; Classification of Undergraduate Courses; Portfolio Assessment)
• General student dissatisfaction issues such as:
  • “Absentee” instructors
  • Due dates of assignments
  • Course design issues
  • Technology issues

B. How to file an appeal for consideration by the Office of the Provost (appeal process for all other offices are contained in relevant policies).

Appeal Procedures
Student appeals should be sent to the Office of the Provost. The provost or his/her designee will determine if the appeals needs to be reviewed by STAC or will be decided by the provost or the provost’s designee.

If the appeal is sent to STAC:

• STAC reviews the appeal and makes a recommendation for action to the provost. Quorum and majority votes are necessary for all decisions made by the committee.
• STAC determines that additional information is needed from the student in order to review the appeal, the chair contacts the student and allows them 14 calendar days to have the additional information submitted. If the additional information is not received within 14 calendar days, STAC reviews the appeal and makes a decision with the information that was initially provided.
• STAC makes its recommendations to the provost within 30 calendar days of receipt of the case from the Office of the Provost. Once a recommendation is made to the provost, the provost (or designee) responds in writing to the student to inform them of the decision within seven calendar days.
• The Office of the Provost documents all appeal decisions in the Student Information System (SIS) and submits the appeal documentation to the Office of Registration and Records for secure scanning**.

If the appeal is reviewed by the Provost, the provost or his/her designee will review the appeal and makes a decision within 30 calendar days of receipt of the case. The provost (or designee) will respond in writing to the student to inform the decision.

The Office of the Provost documents all appeal decisions in SIS and submits the appeal documentation to the Office of Registration and Records for secure scanning**.

**A secure Student Appeals and Plagiarism Incidents tab has been set up in the virtual student files within SIS. Only appropriate staff members have access to this tab.