If you've been found responsible for a misconduct offense at Washington State University, it's important you don't give up. You still have a chance to appeal the hearing outcome and salvage your education career.
You're going to need help, though. Most students don't really understand appeals. The process itself is reasonably straightforward, but if you simply follow WSU instructions for completing and submitting your appeal, your chances of success are pretty minimal. You need help from someone who knows what they're doing, who's familiar with WSU judicial procedures, and who has experience helping students defend themselves.
The Lento Law Firm is the premier firm in the country when it comes to student representation. Our Student Defense Team has helped hundreds of students respond to all types of charges. We know how campus justice works, including how to file appeals, and we're on your side no matter what. You can count on us to use every resource at our disposal to protect you.
You cannot wait to contact us, though. WSU gives you just twenty-five calendar 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.
Washington State University Appeals
Again, there's no great mystery about the appeals process at WSU. You write up an appeal putting forward your arguments and presenting your evidence. You submit it to the Office of Student Affairs. You wait.
The arguments you're using and the evidence you're presenting are anything but straightforward, though. Here's what you need to know.
- An appeal is not like a hearing. The hearing was the centerpiece of the justice process. A hearing is merely a check on the system, one last chance to make sure you were treated fairly.
- You've been found responsible for (guilty of) an offense. An appeal is not a do-over. One of the most difficult aspects of an appeal is accepting you've been found responsible—especially if you know you are innocent. You cannot continue to argue your innocence at this point, no matter how hard that may be.
- Instead, you must offer up an argument about how you were treated during the original process—the investigation and hearing. This limits what you can argue. WSU recognizes only five possible grounds for an appeal.
- A procedural error occurred that affected the outcome of the case.
- New information has been discovered that could be relevant to the case outcome.
- The case outcome is not supported by the evidence.
- The standards of conduct do not apply to the alleged violation.
- The university has imposed a sanction that is disproportionate to the offense.
- You are no longer presumed “innocent” as you were at the beginning of the case. That means the “burden” in the case has shifted. The university now has the presumption of innocence, and you must present a “preponderance of evidence” to overcome that presumption.
- You will not be allowed to "present" your case. There are no hearings in appeals—no presentations of evidence, no cross-examination of witnesses, no chance to make opening or closing statements. Everything about your case must be contained in a single written document.
- All evidence must come from the record of the original hearing, with one exception. If you've uncovered new evidence, you can use this to argue that you deserve a chance to present it.
- In the end, though, the decision-maker in the case cannot overturn the outcome. They have three options: they may affirm the original outcome, they may lessen your sanction, or they may order a new hearing. The best-case scenario is the chance to go through the entire process all over again.
Your Lento Law Firm attorney's first responsibility is to make sure you clearly grasp what's involved in the appeals process. In addition, they'll sit down with you and go over your entire case. They'll comb through the hearing record, looking for grounds for your appeal. They'll draft the appeal itself, making sure your arguments are clear and compelling. Finally, they'll keep a close watch on the process, ensuring you are treated fairly at every step of the way.
What's at Stake
We said in the beginning that you cannot afford to give up your case at this point. Many students do, but the results can be devastating.
If you're facing dismissal, you need to know that you can't transfer your way out of the problem. You've been found responsible, and that means if you don't file an appeal, your transcript will always carry a record of your offense. No school is likely to accept you with a background of misconduct.
If you've been suspended, the situation is a little better, but not much. It's hard to return from a suspension. You'll be out of the academic routine. You'll face prejudice from instructors and other students. You may have lost your student loan package. Plus, even if you do manage to earn your degree, you'll still have to deal with that same transcript notation. Employers aren't anxious to hire graduates with misconduct records.
Here's the good news: there is every possibility that WSU did make some kind of mistake in your case. University investigations and hearings aren't run by trained legal minds. They're run by faculty, administrators, and students. Maybe someone refused to let you present a piece of evidence that you had every right to present. Maybe you were denied the opportunity to ask a pertinent question of a witness. Whatever the case, you have the right to demand due process and a just resolution. The Lento Law Firm is here to help you do that.
One Last Option
Should you lose your appeal, you do have yet one more option. Your Lento Law Firm attorney can present your case directly to WSU's Office of General Counsel. The OGC is an attorney or an entire law firm that provides legal advice to the university. We maintain relationships with OGC across the country. These relationships are one of the reasons we're so good at navigating university judicial systems. In most cases, OGC designed those systems.
In addition, though, we can sometimes leverage these relationships to make a direct plea for your innocence or to ask the university to set aside your sanction. We can sometimes even convince a school to remove a transcript notation.
Fight For Your Future
Whether you're entirely innocent or simply looking to get fair treatment from Washington 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.
