Hearing Process
When a case is addressed through the Administrative Hearing process, the staff member adjudicating the matter (the Judicial Officer or their designee) will send the student a charge letter via their Rhodes email address, informing them of the alleged policy violation(s) and sharing the date, time, and location of the hearing. Students typically have three business days to respond to this notification.
A student may request a written report from the Judicial Officer for their records. Students also have the opportunity to produce the names of any witnesses who may be important to include in the hearing process.
At the hearing, the student has an opportunity to share their story and address the alleged policy violation(s) they have been charged with.
The hearing process is laid out as follows:
- The student shares their opening statement.
- The student reviews the incident report and any supplemental documentation pertaining to the incident.
- The student provides their narrative about what took place during the incident.
- The Judicial Officer or designee asks the student questions relevant to the incident and their narrative of events.
- The student shares their closing statement.
- The Judicial Officer or designee concludes the hearing and deliberates on the outcome.
After the hearing has ended, the student will receive a decision letter via their Rhodes email address, informing them of the outcome, whether or not they have been found responsible, and if they have been found responsible, what the sanctions will be.
The Appeal Process
Students who wish to appeal the outcome of an administrative hearing should submit an appeal letter to the decision-maker who is named in the decision letter. The appeal letter must be written by the student, and not another individual or party. This letter must specify the basis for the appeal. Appeals will be considered based on the supporting documents provided by the student, and may be requested on one of three grounds:
- The student believes that the hearing procedure was not followed;
- The student believes the sanctions imposed were inappropriate for the violation of College policy;
- The student has 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 grounds listed above may be dismissed without further meeting or action. Students have four business (4) days from the date their decision letter was sent to submit an appeal.
The appeal of an administrative decision will be heard by the Dean of Students. The Dean of Students may determine that, in addition to the documentation received for the appeal, interviews are warranted to gather more information about the appeal. After reviewing the appeal documentation/information, the Dean of Students may uphold the original decision and/or sanction, or may choose to render a new decision and/or sanction. An appeal will not result in a more severe sanction for the accused student. The decision of the appellate officer is final.