Appeals for Respondents (Charged Student):
All student conduct proceedings at Rhodes allow for an appeal of the outcome of the hearing.
- For appeals of Administrative Hearings related to violations of the Standards of Conduct, the appellate will be the Associate Vice President/Dean of Students, or their designee.
- For appeals of Administrative Hearings related to violations of the Honor Code (referred by the Honor Council) resulting in disciplinary outcomes, the appellate will be the Faculty Appeals Committee, composed of faculty members.
- For appeals of Community Standards Council decisions and outcomes, the appellate will be the Community Standards Appeals Committee, which is chaired by the Dean of Students, or a designee and composed of a representative from Academic Affairs and a student representative, usually the President of the Honor Council.
- For appeals of an Honor Council disciplinary outcomes, the appellate will be the Faculty Appeals Committee, composed of faculty members.
Whether from an Administrative, Honor Council or Community Standards Council decision, the appeal must be in writing, written by the student and not a third party, and is limited to three grounds:
- A hearing procedure was not followed; and/or
- The outcomes imposed were inappropriate for the violation of College policy; and/or
- New and relevant information, sufficient to alter the decision, that was unknown or unavailable to them at the time of the original hearing.
Appeals that are not based on one or more of the above grounds may be dismissed without further meeting or action. As with the original hearing, legal counsel may not attend any appeals hearing. Any advice or assistance of counsel must be obtained prior to the hearing.
While an appeal is pending, the student may continue to attend their courses and participate in College life as usual, unless they are under interim removal from campus. Additional limitations on personal contact and/or participation in College-related events or activities may be imposed while the appeal is pending.
After hearing the appeal, the appellate officer/committee may:
- For administrative appeals (Standards of Conduct), uphold, modify, or overturn the original decision. If the decision is modified the appellate officer may, at their discretion and considering the information received, impose a more severe decision and/or outcome.
- For administrative appeals (Honor Code), sustain the decision of the Hearing Officer or return the case to the Hearing Officer for reconsideration with remarks and suggestions.
- For Community Standards Council appeals, sustain the decision of the Council or recommend that the Council reconsider its decision or outcome(s).
- For Honor Council appeals, sustain the decision of the Honor Council or return the case to the Honor Council for reconsideration with remarks and suggestions.
The decision of the appellate officer/body is final.
NOTE: For Appeal Procedures for RSO/AGs, see the Organizational Conduct section.