Disciplinary Appeals at West Chester University of Pennsylvania

If you’ve found your way to this page, it can mean only one thing: you’ve been found responsible for a disciplinary misconduct offense at West Chester University. You’re probably also facing a serious sanction, like suspension or dismissal. You wouldn’t be looking for help to deal with a warning or probation.

Here’s the first thing you need to know: yes, you can file an appeal at West Chester. A successful appeal won’t overturn your case, but it can lead to a new hearing, and that can lead to a different outcome.

You should also know that filing an appeal isn’t exactly an easy process. You’re going to need to reorient your entire thinking, and many students just can’t manage to do that. Luckily, you’re not alone in this battle. The LLF National Law Firm is always ready to help. Our Student Defense Team has worked with hundreds of students just like you, protecting them from all types of allegations. We know WCU’s processes and procedures, including what’s involved in filing an appeal.

We can help, but it’s important you contact us quickly. You have just five business days from the end of your hearing in which to file your appeal, and there’s a lot to do. Call the LLF National Law Firm today at 888-535-3686, or use our online questionnaire to tell us more about your situation.

An Overview of the Filing Process

The steps to filing an appeal are relatively straightforward.

• Of course, first, you must write the appeal. There are no formal guidelines. You simply create a document that provides your arguments and your evidence.

• Once you’ve completed your appeal, you submit it via the Office of Student Conduct’s online appeals link. Remember, you must submit your appeal within the five-day deadline.

• The Office of Student Conduct forwards your appeal to the university’s Appeals Board.

• The complainant in the case (your accuser) also has the opportunity to respond to your appeal in writing.

• Finally, the Appeals Board makes its final decision in the case. 

Mostly, your job is to wait patiently for the process to work itself out. There is that bit about writing your appeal, though. Let’s talk about that next.

The Content of Your Appeal

Students frequently make the mistake of assuming an appeal is a second chance to argue for their innocence. If you can just make your case to the right official, they’ll realize you don’t deserve punishment. In fact, an appeal is a very different sort of process, and it’s crucial that you understand these differences.

First, there are no hearings in appeals cases. You won’t get to make your case in person, cross-examine witnesses, or explain confusing points. That puts a great deal of pressure on your writing skills.

Second, appeals aren’t about innocence or guilt. That’s what the investigation and hearing were for. Appeals are meant to serve as a check on the system, one last chance for the university to make sure you were treated fairly during the process. Note that “fair” in this sense doesn’t have anything to do with the hearing panel’s decisions. It has to do with whether you were given a reasonable chance to present your defense.

In that context, there are just four arguments you can use.

• A procedural error occurred, and as a result, you were denied the opportunity to make your full case. Maybe the hearing board refused to hear a crucial piece of evidence. Maybe you weren’t given sufficient time to prepare your defense.

• New evidence has come to light that wasn’t available at the time of the original hearing. Had you had access to this evidence, your case might have turned out differently.

• Someone involved in your case had an unfair bias against you.

• The Hearing Board imposed a sanction that is far more severe than the offense warrants.

Third, the burden in the case has shifted. In the beginning, WCU was obliged to treat you as “not responsible” for your offense. You may have presented some evidence of your innocence, but you didn’t have to. It was the university’s responsibility to overcome your presumption. Now, however, you’re the one making the allegations—that the university mistreated you. WCU has the presumption of innocence. You have the burden of supplying evidence.

None of this information is meant to suggest that you should abandon your appeal. The fact is, students can and do win appeals cases all the time. The reason is simple: universities aren’t set up to dispense justice. It’s not their primary function. When faculty, staff, and students are put in charge of investigations and hearings, they’re going to make a lot of mistakes. You only need one to justify a new hearing.

You should know, though, that convincing a school that it made a mistake is never an easy prospect. You’re going to need all the help you can get. The LLF National Law Firm knows what qualifies as a strong argument in these cases, and we know what counts as compelling evidence. No one gives you a better chance at a successful appeal.

One Last Option

The Appeals Board’s decision in your case is final. Sort of. It’s final in the context of the disciplinary misconduct system. However, it is sometimes possible to convince a university’s administration to reconsider your situation.

Here again, though, you’re going to need help, especially convincing the WCU president or some other official to meet with you.

The LLF National Law Firm maintains relationships with important university officials around the country. These officials, known as the Office of General Counsel, are attorneys hired by schools to provide them with legal advice. If they suggest that a university president negotiate with a student, that university president will usually negotiate with the student.

Once we can schedule a meeting, we can offer arguments as to why the school should modify the hearing decision. In the past, we’ve convinced presidents to reduce sanctions, remove misconduct offenses from our clients’ transcripts, and even throw cases out altogether. Keep in mind, though, that only we can offer a service like this because only we work so extensively in the field of student defense.

How Can We Help?

Whether you’re entirely innocent or simply looking to get fair treatment from West Chester University, you owe it to yourself to continue the fight. The LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team is here and ready to help. We’ll guide you through the entire appeals process, make sure you put forward your very strongest arguments, and guarantee the university respects your rights.

As we said in the beginning, though, you cannot afford to wait. There are deadlines for filing your appeal. Get started now. Contact the LLF National Law Firm at 888-535-3686 or use our online form.