If you've been found responsible for a misconduct offense at Georgia State University, you know just how complex a campus judicial system can be. You don't just go into the Dean's office for a chat and a slap on the wrist. There are charges, investigations, hearings, and sanctions. In fact, at this point, you may be so exhausted that filing an appeal seems like the very last thing you want to do.
An appeal is an important right, though, and it's one you should take advantage of. It's not an easy fight, but it is one you can win if you have the right help on your side.
The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team was founded to protect student rights. We've helped defend hundreds of students from all types of misconduct charges. We know GSU's rules and regulations, and we know how the campus judicial process works, including how to find appeals. If it's possible to salvage your education career, you can count on us to make it happen.
Don't wait to contact us, though. Georgia State gives you just five days from the end of your hearing to file your appeal. That means you need to act quickly. Call the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686, or use our online questionnaire to tell us more about your situation.
Filing an Appeal at Georgia State
So, in contrast to the investigation and hearing you endured, a GSU appeal is actually relatively straightforward, at least in terms of the process itself. You write up the appeal, you submit it, and you wait for a response. There are no investigative meetings to prepare for and no hearings to stress about.
The difficult part is adjusting your thinking. There is no investigation. There is no hearing. That fundamentally changes your situation, and if you're not clear on what you're heading into, you've failed even before you begin.
- When your case began, Georgia State was obligated to treat you as innocent (“Not Responsible”). The university had the “burden” in the case. Simply put, it had to come up with evidence—pretty compelling evidence—to overcome that burden and demonstrate you committed an offense. Now, things are reversed. You've been found guilty (“Responsible”). An appeal is a claim that the university treated you unfairly during the process. You're now alleging GSU broke the rules, which means the school has the presumption of innocence, and you have the burden of proof.
- Proving the university treated you unfairly isn't about re-trying your case. You're not trying to show GSU got the verdict wrong; you're trying to show you were denied some important right during the process. That limits your arguments to just three:
- You can argue that new information has arisen since the end of the hearing that could potentially have altered the outcome.
- You can allege that the university committed some type of procedural error that prevented you from receiving a fair investigation and/or hearing.
- You can argue that the sanction imposed in your case is disproportionate to the nature of your offense.
- Your original case was decided by a panel made up of three students. Sanction appeals are decided by a single individual—not a student, but the university president.
- Again, there are no hearings in an appeals case. That means you have no chance to present your case in person. You can't offer up evidence, and you can't cross-examine witnesses. Everything must be contained in a written document.
- Unless you have new evidence to present, all of your evidence must come from the record of the original hearing. Remember what you are arguing. You're not claiming you are innocent; you're presenting evidence that you were treated unfairly in some way.
- The president cannot overturn your hearing outcome. They have three options: affirm the original decision, lessen your sanction, or order a new hearing.
Whatever your reasons for handling your original case on your own, you have a Lento Law Firm attorney on your side this time around. We'll go over your entire case with you. We'll take a close look at the record of the original hearing. If there are grounds for an appeal, you can count on us to find them. Once we have, we'll work with you to draft a document that is both clear and compelling. Finally, as you go through the process, we'll guarantee that GSU respects your due process rights and treats you fairly.
What's at Stake
We're guessing that GSU has imposed a pretty weighty sanction—either suspension or dismissal. Otherwise, you wouldn't be going into trouble filing an appeal. Again, plenty of students accept those sanctions. They're intimidated by their universities and weary of the process, and they just walk away from school.
Here's why you must keep going.
First, there's too much at stake. It's no exaggeration to say that your entire future is on the line. Dismissal means walking away from your progress as a student. If you've been suspended, you can return, but many students don't. It's too hard coming back after you have been away for a semester or a year. Plus, as a condition of your suspension, you may have lost your financial aid. More importantly, though, both expulsion and suspension include a transcript notation. With a serious misconduct offense on your record, you'll have trouble finding another school to accept you. You'll have trouble establishing a career.
There's another important reason to keep fighting, though. You can win. Students do it all the time. It makes sense if you think about it: universities aren't really built to dispense justice. There are no prosecutors, no defense attorneys, and no judges. Students and faculty run everything. And when people with no judicial training run the justice system, they make plenty of mistakes. The appeals process is designed to correct those mistakes, and you shouldn't be shy about using it.
In fact, there's a third reason to keep fighting. This time around, you've got a Lento Law Firm attorney on your side. We know how campus justice works, and we can show you how to use processes and procedures to your advantage. In addition, we maintain close relationships with attorneys all over the country who serve as universities' Offices of General Counsel. If worse comes to worst, we can sometimes leverage what we've learned from these relationships to negotiate a direct settlement with a school.
Fight For Your Future
Whether you're entirely innocent or you're simply looking to get fair treatment from Georgia State University, you owe it to yourself to continue the fight. We're 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 Lento Law Firm at 888-535-3686 or use our online form.
