An appeal is not the same as a hearing.
An appeal is a chance to overturn the outcome of your hearing. It's a chance to get a new hearing with, hopefully, a better outcome. It's your last chance, though, so you need to do everything you possibly can to make it count.
You've come to the right place. We don't know why you didn't hire an attorney to handle your investigation and hearing. Maybe you didn't think the school's case was that strong. Lots of innocent students make the mistake of believing their innocence will save them. Maybe you didn't think the sanction would be too bad, even if you were found Responsible (guilty).
None of that matters. You're here now, and the LLF Law Firm will do everything it can to protect your rights and to get you the best possible resolution to your case. Our Student Defense Team is dedicated to the proposition that you deserve fair treatment. We know what the law has to say about colleges and universities, and we know how the Temple judicial process works, including what's involved in filing appeals. We're prepared to use what we know to fight for your future.
You cannot wait, though. Once you receive your outcome letter, Temple gives you just five business days to file an appeal. That's not a lot of time to prepare a strong case. Call 888-535-3686 today, or use the online questionnaire to tell us more about your situation.
The Appeals Process at Temple University
First things first: What is an appeal? You'll find Temple's appeals process outlined in the Policies and Procedures Manual just after the “Hearings” section. As we said in the beginning, though, an appeal is not a hearing. That fact changes everything about how you should go about defending yourself at this point.
- In the beginning, Temple was required, under its own policy, to treat you as "Not Responsible" (innocent). The university couldn't simply suspend you or dismiss you; it first had to prove you were "Responsible" (guilty). In legal terms, the university had the "burden" of proof. You probably presented some evidence of your own to prove your innocence, but you didn't have to. It was the university's job to prove its case. The situation now is entirely different. You've been found Responsible. You can prove the university treated you unfairly and that you deserve a new hearing, but the "burden" is on you to do that. The "presumption" is that Temple treated you appropriately and you are "Responsible" for your offense.
- Along with a change in who has the burden of proof in the case, there's also been a change in the argument itself. You are no longer arguing over your innocence. Again, that's been decided. You're arguing over whether or not a mistake was made during the process. These arguments are referred to as “grounds.” Temple recognizes only two possible mistakes:
- Either some procedural error occurred that cost you a chance at a fair hearing;
- Or some new evidence exists that you didn't have access to before, and that could prove your innocence.
- You're not arguing about innocence anymore, so your evidence must change as well. Unless you have new evidence to present, the Appellate Board will only consider the record of the original hearing.
- Before the Appellate Board even considers your appeal, that appeal must first be approved by the Student Conduct Administrator. Unless they are convinced that your appeal has merit, they'll simply reject it, ending the process.
- If you should manage to get your appeal before the Appellate Board, you won't be allowed to support it in person. The Board makes its decisions behind closed doors. The entirety of your argument must be contained in a single written document.
- Winning your appeal does not mean winning your case. If the Appellate Board grants your appeal, that simply means that you'll have another opportunity to defend yourself at a hearing.
What's at Stake
You're facing an uphill battle. There's no question about it. It's a battle you must fight, though, and it's a battle you can win.
You must fight because not fighting will forever alter your personal and professional future. If you've been dismissed, your transcript will include a notation explaining the precise nature of your offense. Few schools are willing to take a chance on admitting a student who's been dismissed elsewhere. That means the end of your academic career, and the job market can be tough for anyone without a diploma.
You can return and finish your degree if you've only been suspended. However, students often find it difficult to return once they've been away from college. Depending on the length of your suspension, you may need to start repaying student loans, and once you've started a job, it can be even harder to go back to school. You should also know, though, that, like dismissal, suspension carries a transcript notation. Even if you do manage to earn your degree, you'll still have to explain your offense to future employers.
Finally, though, while the system is stacked against you, you can win your appeal. Campus justice is never very clean. Cases aren't run by prosecutors and judges with law degrees. They're overseen by calculus professors, English T.A.s, and fourth-year computer science majors. There's every chance someone made a mistake, maybe a mistake large enough to have denied you a fair outcome.
An appeal is your chance to correct that mistake. We can help. We know what you're up against. We've dealt with appeals hundreds of times, and we know how to use the system to your best advantage.
Fight For Your Future
The LLF Law Firm cannot guarantee to win your appeal. No one can do that. At this point, you've exhausted a number of your most important rights. The appeals process at Temple University exists for a reason, though. You deserve justice, and what the LLF Law Firm's Student Defense Team can promise you is that they will fight hard to get you that justice. They're here to protect your rights and to make sure you get the best possible resolution to your case.
As we said in the beginning, though, you cannot afford to wait. The window for filing your appeal at Temple is just five business days. Get started now. Contact the LLF Law Firm at 888-535-3686 or use our online form.
