7. Where there are suspected patterns of serious offenses, records of previous similar violations of
the Community Standards and Code of Conduct may be considered during the hearing and
sanctioning process.
8. Witnesses and evidence that is not disclosed in advance of the hearing may be excluded at the
discretion of the hearing officer and/or board members.
9. If the accused student has been provided a copy of the complaint and fails to attend the hearing, the
hearing board may, at its discretion, proceed with the hearing and arrive at a resolution or hearing
outcome.
10. The complainant and accused are permitted to present no more than three (3) material
witnesses, all of whom may be questioned by the Hearing Board members and parties
represented in the case.
11. The dean of students may also contact witnesses to appear at a hearing. The hearing may
proceed even if all witnesses are not present.
12. The complainant and accused student each have the right to have one adviser present at the
hearing proceedings. The adviser must be a current full-time student, faculty, or staff member of
the Spelman College. The adviser cannot be an attorney, law student, or relative.
13. The Hearing Board will determine the case outcome and provide notice of sanctions within 5–7
business days.
14. A resolution or hearing outcome reached by a hearing board may be appealed by the accused
student(s) or the complainant(s) to the Community Standards Appeal Board.
Appeal Procedures
Spelman College will allow one (1) appeal of a hearing case outcome and sanctions. The complainant
and/or accused student have the right to appeal the case outcome based on the following:
1. New evidence, unavailable during the original hearing that could determine a different outcome
2. Hearing procedures deviated from the written procedures in the Student Handbook which is
perceived to have significantly impacted the fairness of the hearing process
3. Sanction(s) are perceived to be grossly disproportionate to alleged offense
4. The case outcome is not aligned with the evidence
5. Perceived bias on the part of a hearing board member that deprived the process of impartiality
The appeal must be typewritten and addressed to the Community Standards Appeal Board, and
submitted to the Office of Dean of Students within three (3) business days from the issuance of the
decision letter. The student who is placed on an interim suspension will continue under the provision
and/be subjected to limited privileges while awaiting the outcome of the appeal.
Appeals must be detailed and state the grounds for appeal in order to be valid for review. Appeals
serve as a review of the written evidence to determine the validity of the appeal and are not intended
to serve as another hearing of the case.
The Community Standards Appeal Board will take one of the following actions:
1. Uphold the decision of the Community Standards Review Board
2. Grant the appeal with special provisions or with the removal of some or all sanctions
The appeal decision will be shared with all parties involved in the case, with the expectation for
compliance with the decision of the Community Standards Appeal Board.
If an appeal is not filed within three (3) business days of the date the parties received the decision
from the hearing officer or hearing board, the right to appeal is waived and the original decision will
become final.
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