Student Life

How is the respondent notified of the outcome of a Hearing?
The respondent shall be notified in writing, at a minimum in the form of an email to the official SJU student account, of the outcome of a hearing, in most cases within three business days after the hearing. The University does not disclose the results of a hearing other than to the respondent; however, it may disclose results expressly permitted by law, for example:

• The proper University authorities shall be notified of any sanction.

• Parents of students under age 21 may be informed of Community Standards violations with respect to the use or possession of alcohol or controlled substances.

• In some cases as consistent with applicable considerations, parents of dependent students may be notified of the outcome of a hearing or scheduled for a meeting with staff regarding the student’s status at the University.

• The University will notify in writing the alleged victim of a crime of violence or sexual harassment, or to the alleged victim’s next of kin (if the victim dies as a result of the crime or offense), the outcome and sanctions of the complaint related to the victim. The final results of these proceedings may also, in some cases, be disclosed to the University community.

What is the Appeals Process?
In cases of crimes of violence or sexual harassment, both the respondent and complainant shall have the right to appeal the decision. For all other cases, the respondent shall have the right to appeal the decision. Appeals are considered under the following criteria. Requests for appeals shall be directed in writing to the Vice President for Student Life/Associate Provost (VPSL) within three business days of written notification of the action taken by the Hearing Officer, PRB, or CSB. The appeal should be delivered to the Vice President for Student Life/Associate Provost in Campion 238 or emailed to studentappeals@sju.edu. The appeal process is reserved only for serious cases, for example, when the outcome may have been sanctions 12 through 16 listed in the Student Handbook.

In the written appeal, evidence of one or more of the following must be clearly demonstrated:

1. A material failure to follow the procedures of the Community Standards process that affected the outcome.

2. There is new information, sufficient to alter a decision that was not reasonably available at the time of the original hearing.

3. The sanction(s) was not consistent for the violation(s) of the Community Standards.  Relevant sanctions are only disclosed to the victim in cases of crimes of violence or sexual harassment. 

Appeals submitted for other reasons or past the three business day time limit shall not be considered. The Vice President for Student Life/Associate Provost in concert with the Provost/ designee may review all available information pertaining directly to the appeal, and in most cases shall make a decision within 5 business days. The VPSL and Provost/designee may:

1) replace the sanction with another which may be more severe, less severe, or otherwise different; 2) remand the case for reconsideration; 3) direct the case for a new hearing. The VPSL and Provost/designee will convey his/her decision in writing to both parties, in the case of sexual harassment. The decision made on appeal will be final. If the VPSL and Provost/designee find no merit to the appeal, the decision of the original hearing shall stand. While an appeal is pending, sanctions are not in effect unless the VPSL imposes an interim suspension/ conditional attendance as highlighted above. In cases where the VPSL and/or the Provost/designee is/are a party to the hearing, a designee(s) will hear the appeal.