Student Guide to Suspension Appeal
Student Guide to Suspension Appeals
The academic standing policy of the University is presented in the UNC catalog. As stated in the policy, students may immediately appeal their suspension if extenuating circumstances exist. Extenuating circumstances include factors beyond the student’s control (e.g., family emergency, serious illness, death) and must be documented. Appeals due to other circumstances will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Application and deadline for immediate appeal are available through the Office of Academic Support and Advising at http://www.unco.edu/asa/academic_advising/guides_forms.html.
Please note: Academic suspension appeals policy expectations differ from the Financial Aid Ineligibility Appeal policy and have a separate application process. Contact the Office of Financial Aid at 970-351-2502 for information about the Financial Aid suspension and appeal process.
Guidance for students and procedures for review of student appeals are presented in the following paragraphs. A successful appeal will grant the student one additional semester of probationary time to raise his/her cumulative GPA to a level of 2.0 or higher to return to good academic standing.
Student Responsibilities
The student must file an appeal on a form available from the Office of Academic Support and Advising (ASA) and must meet the deadline. Accurate bear number, phone number and BearMail address must be provided. Students are encouraged to discuss appeal content with appropriate campus staff. For example, faculty may assist in providing documentation, and/or endorsing a student’s plan of action. ASA advisors are another source of assistance in preparation of and review of an appeal prior to the deadline date. All supporting documentation, including correspondence from third parties, must be included with the appeal and submitted by the deadline. ASA will forward the appeal to the Academic Review Committee for review. Late appeals will not be accepted by the committee.
Should a student’s appeal be granted, he/she must comply with the conditions set by the Academic Review Committee. One such condition will require the student to raise his/her cumulative GPA to a 2.0 or higher in one additional semester. If this condition is not met, the student will be academically suspended from UNC. Such a student may, under the provisions of the scholastic standards policy, immediately appeal the second suspension using the appeals procedure. If the appeal is denied, the student will remain on academic suspension. A second academic suspension is considered a permanent suspension from future enrollment as an Undergraduate student at UNC. Another condition requires the student to meet with the Office of Academic Support and Advising staff during the probationary semester. In addition, it is strongly recommended that the student meet with the advisor in their major department. There may be additional conditions set by the committee.
Office of Academic Support and Advising Responsibilities
The Office of Academic Support and Advising will distribute and collect appeal forms. An appeal that is not received by ASA by the applicable deadline will not be considered by the committee. ASA advisors are available to answer questions for students preparing suspension appeals. In addition, ASA sets dates, times, and locations of committee meetings.
ASA will add a student’s unofficial UNC transcripts to the back of his/her appeal packet. In addition, ASA will provide the following information to the Academic Review Committee concerning each student who has submitted an appeal: cumulative GPA; semester GPA with 12 credit hours needed to achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.00; best semester GPA to date; academic suspension history; and whether a student is eligible for Fresh Start. ASA will distribute appeals to the Academic Review
Committee for their consideration.
ASA will have a representative present at all meetings of the Academic Review Committee and will assume responsibility of notifying the student of committee actions and conditions therein. Students will be notified of the committee’s decision at the phone number and BearMail address provided on the Suspension Appeal Form. ASA serves in an advisory capacity to the appeals committee and does not vote in any of the proceedings.
Academic Review Committee Responsibilities
All appeals are reviewed by the Academic Review Committee which is comprised of a representative from each college and the Dean of Students office. Each committee member shall review appeals for purposes of preparing a recommendation for the committee as a whole. Although each student appeal is unique, in general a suspension appeal will be examined for:
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Clearly explained extenuating circumstances with appropriate documentation.
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Evidence that the student has identified and addressed the reasons leading to poor academic performance. A faculty/program advisor and/or instructor may be able to provide additional context concerning previous poor academic performance.
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Demonstration of continually increasing GPA since being placed on academic probation.
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A specific and realistic academic plan. Refer to “Tips on Writing Your Suspension Appeal.”
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Evidence that there is a significant probability of the student returning to at least a 2.00 cumulative GPA if granted one additional semester of probation. One example of such evidence is a comparison of GPA needed in one semester to recent semester GPAs.
Proceedings of the committee relative to academic suspension are privileged and are not available for general discussion or distribution. Committee decisions are final. All appeals files shall remain with the Office of Academic Support and Advising following committee action.
General Information
Following the end of a regular semester, it is assumed that students who have been academically suspended will have pre-registered for courses the next semester. Registrations will remain valid until such time as all written appeals are acted upon. At the conclusion of the actions relative to written appeals, the courses of all students who did not appeal their suspensions or who filed unsuccessful appeals will be dropped. Students that are enrolled in Summer courses that have already begun prior to the completion of the appeal process, will remain in those courses, but courses that have not started will be dropped.
Summer session does count as one additional semester to raise their cumulative GPA if the student’s appeal is approved. If the appeal is denied, the student will remain suspended regardless of their cumulative GPA at the completion of their Summer coursework.
Re-entry into the institution does not automatically guarantee re-entry to an academic program.
Sexual Misconduct/Title IX Statement
UNC is legally obligated to investigate disclosure of sexual misconduct (including, but not limited to sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, and intimate partner violence). If you disclose an incident of sexual misconduct or violence, whether you are the victim, the alleged, or an individual with knowledge of such misconduct, we have an obligation to report it to UNC’s Title IX Coordinator. Examples of disclosure may include communication in-person to an advisor or staff member, via email/phone/text message, or through your written appeal. Once a disclosure is received UNC may be obligated to initiate a formal investigation which may include contacting the reporting party, the alleged, and campus or community law enforcement agencies.
If you wish to speak confidentially about an incident of sexual misconduct, please contact the UNC Counseling Center (phone/website) or the Assault Survivors Advocacy Program (ASAP). Information reported to these offices will not be reported and will remain confidential.
The University Counseling Center
(970) 351-2496
http://www.unco.edu/counseling
The Assault Survivors Advocacy Program (ASAP)
24 hour hot line at (970) 351-4040
http://www.unco.edu/asap
If you would like to learn more about sexual misconduct or report an incident, please visit http://www.unco.edu/sexualmisconduct/. The University of Northern Colorado prohibits and will not tolerate sexual misconduct or gender-based discrimination of any kind.