When you're down to your last shot, you're always better off if you have help on your side. You've been through an investigation and San Francisco State. You've been through a hearing. At this point, you're down to your very last shot to salvage your academic career. Make sure you have the very best help you can find on your side before you go any further in the process.
The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team was founded to protect student rights. We know the law, and we know your rights. We're familiar with SFSU's judicial system, and we can show you how to use it to your advantage. Most importantly, we're on your side and ready to fight using every resource at our disposal to get you the best possible resolution to your case.
Once your hearing is over, though, you don't have a lot of time to ask for an appeal. It's vital that you act quickly. Call the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686, or use our online questionnaire to tell us more about your situation.
The San Francisco State Appeals Process
SFSU doesn't actually offer a formal appeals process. That doesn't mean you should just give up once your hearing has been decided. You do have options, and the attorneys at the Lento Law Firm can help show you how to exercise them.
If you've been found responsible for a misconduct offense, the University President must review your case and make a final decision. They have ten days to do so, and this means you have a window of opportunity to influence that decision. There are some important limitations to the process you should keep in mind, though.
- When the case began, you were "innocent until proven guilty." That's the ideal position to be in if you're involved in the justice system. It means the prosecution—in this case, the Office of Student Conduct—has "the burden" to overcome that presumption. Now, however, you've been found responsible for an offense. That puts you at a definite disadvantage.
- You cannot simply re-argue your case to the University President. At this point, you must pivot to arguing that you were denied the right to present your full case. Generally, there are only four “grounds” for asking the President to overturn the Hearing Officer's decision.
- SFSU made some type of procedural error that may have affected the case outcome.
- New evidence has come to light that could potentially alter the case outcome.
- The decision in the case is not supported by the evidence.
- The sanction imposed is disproportionate to the offense.
- You will not have an opportunity to present your case at a hearing as you did before. According to SFSU procedures, the President is only supposed to consider the recommendations of the Hearing Officer. However, if you have grounds for an appeal, the Lento Law Firm attorney can pressure the university to let you submit your arguments and evidence in a written document.
- Unless you've uncovered new evidence, you're not allowed to present new arguments as part of your appeal. Again, you're not arguing that you are innocent at this point, only that you were treated unfairly by the process. All your evidence must necessarily come from the record of the original hearing.
It's unlikely you can submit a direct appeal to the University President on your own. That's simply not a part of the normal judicial process at SFSU. If you're going to have a chance of getting the President to listen to your arguments at this point, you're going to need a professional on your side. The Lento Law Firm attorney is your very best chance of convincing the President to take your side of the case into account.
What's at Stake
If it sounds like the appeals process at SFSU is an uphill battle, that's because it is. It's a battle you have to fight, though. You simply cannot afford to walk away now.
If you've found your way to this page, it likely means you're facing a serious sanction—suspension or dismissal. If you wind up dismissed, you're probably heading onto the job market—and paying back any student loans—without a college degree. Very few schools will accept students who already have a serious disciplinary misconduct offense on their records. The situation is somewhat better if you're facing dismissal. You can return to SFSU, though many students don't. It's simply too hard to come back once you've been away for any length of time. More importantly, though, you'll have a record of misconduct as well. Even if you should earn your degree, that record is going to make most employers think twice about hiring you.
There is another reason to keep fighting, though: you can win. Plenty of students do. Colleges and universities aren't really set up to dispense justice, and they make more than their fair share of mistakes. Hearing Officers allow evidence in when they shouldn't. They allow their prejudices to dictate their decisions. They frequently recommend sanctions that are obviously unfair. When those mistakes happen, you deserve the opportunity to correct them.
Finally, don't forget that you're not handling the case on your own this time. You have the Lento Law Firm attorney on your side. We know how the SFSU system works, and we'll ensure the university respects all of your due process rights.
An Additional Option
Should the University President refuse to hear your appeal, you do have one last option, one only the Lento Law Firm attorney can help you exercise.
SFSU maintains something called an Office of General Council, or OGC. These are attorneys kept on retainer who provide the university with legal advice. The OGC may have had a hand in designing SFSU's judicial system. One or more attorneys may even have sat in on your hearing to make sure the university followed procedures.
The Lento Law Firm has strong relationships with the OGC at schools around the country. We rely on these relationships to help us navigate university judicial systems. We can also sometimes leverage them to make sure our clients are heard. Even though SFSU doesn't have a formal appeals process, we may be able to convince the OGC to listen to your arguments. Even if the President rejects your appeal, we may be able to convince the OGC to lessen your sanction or remove the offense from your transcript.
Fighting For Your Future
Whether you're entirely innocent or simply looking to get fair treatment from San Francisco 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.
