Mar 18, 2024  
2020-2021 Southeastern University - Traditional Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Southeastern University - Traditional Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Student Appeal and Complaint Policy


Southeastern University has instituted the following procedures for student complaints and adheres to these procedures. Students (traditional, evening, online, and graduate) are free to submit written complaints and appeals. Appeals and complaints are dealt with fairly and judiciously on a case-by-case basis. Students have the right of complaint and appeal in the following instances: 

 

Student Conduct - Appeal Process

Students have a right to appeal their disciplinary decisions: 

The terms under which a student can appeal a student conduct decision is under the following circumstances: 

  1. New information forthcoming, that could alter the decision that was made. 

  2. Gross violation of the Student Conduct Process 

  3. Punishment is inconsistent with the university policy. 

A sanction decision that is made by their respective Resident Director will be reviewed by the Director of Student Conduct in conjuction with the Director of Residence Life. 

Any sanction decision(s) that are made by  the Student Conduct Office wil be reviewed by the Executive Director for Student Development.

The student must fill out an online form found on MySeu in order for their appeal to be processed correctly. This form must be submitted within (24) twenty-four hours of receiving notification of the final decision letter.  After the twenty-four hour window has passed, the decision will become final and is not subject to further review within the institution.

Transfer Credit Appeals

Transfer students have the right to appeal transfer credit decisions made by the Office of the Registrar. The student must write a letter of appeal accompanied by any additional documentation requested by the Office of the Registrar. The appeal will be reviewed by the appropriate academic department chair/college dean with additional documentation and the student will be notified of the decision rendered.

Course Appeals

A student who has an unresolved issue in a course is encouraged to appeal to the Chair or Dean of the discipline of the course. If the student is unable to meet with the Chair or Dean, he may meet with the Registrar to receive assistance in bringing a resolution.

Advising Appeals

A student who has an unresolved issue and has not received satisfactory answers from his/her assigned Faculty Academic Advisor related to degree completion, transfer of credit, advising questions or non-response, may appeal to the Associate Director of Academic Advising. A meeting appointment will be set up promptly to consider the student’s unresolved issues, with the goal of successful degree completion. If the issue is still unresolved following the meeting with the Associate  Director of Academic Advising, the student may appeal to the Associate Provost for a resolution.

 

Appeal of Academic Suspension

A student may appeal an academic suspension to the Academic Condition Committee if there are valid extenuating circumstances that contributed to the poor academic performance. The student must submit a written appeal with supporting documentation addressed to the Academic Condition Committee Chairperson in care of the Registrar within one week of notice of pending suspension. If the appeal is granted, the student will be allowed to continue enrollment without a period of suspension or will be readmitted after the student has completed a period of suspension. The student must agree to a set of conditions that must be met until the student has successfully raised the G.P.A. to the minimum of 2.0. If the student fails to meet one or more of the conditions, a dismissal notice will be issued. 

Late Registration

Late registration after the drop/add deadline is permitted only by the permission of the Registrar and requires a written appeal.

Grades and Quality Points

Students who wish to appeal a grade must do so within the immediate succeeding semester. Otherwise, the recorded grade is permanent and can be changed only by repeating the course. Appeals begin with the instructor, then the Department Chair over the course, then the Dean over the course, if necessary.

Non-Academic Student Complaint/Appeal Process

Students with a complaint or problem concerning student life that is non-academic in nature should go to the Resident Director or the Office of Student Development. Financial problems, questions and issues regarding student accounts should be addressed in Student Financial Services. Student complaints and appeals will be addressed promptly. Requests for problem resolution may be submitted in writing. Students are welcome to visit the Retention Coordinator to get help with solving issues, including financial, residential, or academic when the student is unsure of where to go for a resolution.

 

Southeastern has a responsibility to respond quickly, equitably, and effectively when the university becomes aware of sexual misconduct and any other conduct that is motivated by sex, gender, or gender-expression that creates a hostile educational environment for Southeastern students. Southeastern is committed to prevention of all forms of sexual misconduct as well as the protection and rehabilitation of victims of such acts. Investigations of reported conduct must be impartial and reliable. Responses to reported conduct must adequately stop the behavior, prevent its recurrence, and address its effects. Southeastern University is committed to upholding Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. § 1681). The Statute is an all-encompassing federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex of students and employees of educational institutions that receive federal financial assistance.

Title IX reads:

“No person in the United States, shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance…”  Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and its implementing regulation at 34 C.F.R. Part 106 (Title IX).

 

For Southeastern’s full Sexual Misconduct Policy, please see www.seu.edu/titleix 

 

Bias Incident Reporting

Southeastern has a responsibility to respond quickly, equitably, and effectively when the university becomes aware of a bias incident and/or other conduct that creates a hostile educational environment for Southeastern students. Southeastern is committed to the prevention of all forms of misconduct as well as the protection and rehabilitation of victims of such acts. Investigations of reported conduct must be impartial and reliable. Responses to reported conduct must adequately stop the behavior, prevent its recurrence, and address its effects. The Bias Incident Response Team provides oversight of any Bias Incident policy and procedures.

The Bias Incident Response Team’s purpose is to help assess whether a behavior, event or action may be bias-related, to assist in ensuring that appropriate policies, procedures and protocols are applied, to help the University take a timely and comprehensive approach to addressing incidents, and to aid in communication with the University community about incident-related concerns.

 

This team consist of the following individuals as needed:

  • Director of Multicultural Affairs

  • Title IX Director

  • Director of Student Conduct

  • Vice President of Student Development

  • Faculty Diversity Chair

These procedures are for non-emergency incidents only.

 

For emergencies, including safety concerns for members of our community:

  • Dial 911, then contact the Department of Campus Safety at (863-667-5190) or security@seu.edu, or call local police.

For health concerns:

  • Contact the Student Health Center at (863.667.5180).

For gender discrimination, sexual harassment, or sexual assault:

  • Contact the Title IX office at (863.667.5236) or smpowell@seu.edu.

Student Disciplinary Appeal Process

Student Conduct - Appeal Process

You have a right to appeal the decision that was made by the Student Conduct Office. This appeal will go to the Executive Director for Student Development. Please fill out the form found at  https://my.seu.edu/appeal-process/  with all your information so that we may contact you with a response. Please remember that requests for appeal must be submitted within (24) twenty-four hours of receiving notification of the final decision letter. After the twenty-four hour window has passed, the decision will become final and is not subject to further review within the institution.

Please refer to the link on Extended Education Complaint Policies for more information, or specific questions for extended education programs.

 

Academic Integrity - Early Alert Program Appeal Process

When there is an instance of academic dishonesty, students will be referred to the Academic Center for Enrichment for plagiarism avoidance counseling, and the student will be required to complete the Academic Integrity course in My Fire (if the plagiarism was a level 2 or higher).  In the event a student desires to be removed from the course, or to appeal the outcome of the course, the following must be completed:

  1.  The student must write a letter of appeal to the Academic Intervention Committee stating reasons as to why they want to be removed from the Academic Integrity course and/or not incur a Z grade on their transcript.  Students will deliver or e-mail the letter of appeal to the program coordinator.

  2. The appeal will be reviewed by the Academic Intervention Committee.

  3. The student will be notified with committee’s decision. All decisions of the committee are final.