Appellate Review Process

The appellate review process is the system established for those students who wish to do one of the following:

1. Appeal the assessment of an administrative hold.

2. Appeal an in-state tuition residency determination.

3. Appeal the assessment of a late registration penalty fee.

4. Appeal the assessment of a late payment penalty fee.

5. Petition to pay tuition and fees for a past quarter.

---

Guidelines

To initiate the process on any of the above five items, a student should call the Student Service Center (SSC) at (614)292-0300. Disputes regarding administrative holds and in-state tuition residency determinations (items 1 & 2 above) will be adjudicated only by the Registrar's Appellate Review Committee. Late payment penalties, late registration penalties, and requests to pay tuition and fees for a quarter that has ended (items 3, 4, & 5 above) are first adjudicated through the Registrar's Office. If a student's request/appeal for items 3, 4, & 5 are denied by the Registrar's Office, a student may then appeal the decision to the Registrar's Appellate Review Committee. This committee is viewed as the supreme appellate review authority for matters brought before it and all decisions by the committee are final.

---

Procedures

The procedures a student will follow are based upon what the student is appealing.

1. Administrative Holds or In-State Tuition Residency Determinations:

To appeal an administrative hold or an In-State tuition residency determination, a student must complete a "Registrar's Appellate Review Committee Request for Hearing" form available through the SSC. Information on the Registrar's Appellate Review Committee is below. This committee is viewed as the supreme appellate review authority for matters brought before it and all decisions by the committee are final.

2. Late Payment Penalties, Late Registration Penalties, Late Course Add Fee

Faculty Rule 3335-9-12 requires that students pay fees as a condition of registration (enrollment). Faculty Rule 3335-9-14 requires that all students pay in accordance with the fee payment deadlines established by the Office of Academic Affairs and implemented by the Office of University Registrar. The authority to assess penalties is in this rule, as is the authority for the Office of the University Registrar to waive the penalties.

Appeals regarding the assessment of a late registration penalty, a late payment penalty, or a late course add fee are handled accordingly. Late payment penalties and late registration penalties are first adjudicated through the Registrar's Office. To initiate the process on either of the above item, a student should contact the SSC.

If a student is appealing a late payment penalty, a late registration penalty, or a late course add fee, they will need to submit proof to the Registrar's Office that the assessment was a result of University error or extenuating circumstances. The student may bring or mail documentation substantiating their claim to the SSC at 281 W. Lane Ave. Examples of documentation for extenuating circumstances or university error are below but not limited to:

• Documentation Substantiating Extenuating Circumstances:

• Medical/Illness - A doctor's statement, hospital bills, etc.

• Family Emergency/Financial Difficulties - Letters from parents & documents explaining loss of income, a copy of an obituary for family death, etc.

• Other - Depending on the circumstance a copy of a police report, military deployment order, letter of support from employer or party responsible for third party payment, etc.

• Documentation Substantiating University Error:

The student must identify which university office erred. If a person or persons were involved, the student must identify the parties by name. The student must explain how they believe the office or person committed an error. The student must provide evidence of the harm done. The student must submit documentation substantiating that the office erred or an official letter from the office that erred accepting responsibility. The student's word alone is not sufficient.

The student will submit the appeal to the SSC. The case will be reviewed by three administrators in the Office of the University Registrar (OUR). These three administrators will make a decision about whether or not a fee reversal is warranted based upon the documentation provided. The student will be informed of the decision within three weeks. If the student disagrees, he or she can appear the decision of the first review by requesting to appear before the Appellate Review Committee. Information on the Registrar's Appellate Review Committee is below. This committee is viewed as the supreme appellate review authority for matters brought before it and all decisions by the committee are final.

3. Requests to Pay Tuition and Fees for Past Quarters

Faculty Rule 3335-9-12 requires that students pay fees as a condition of registration (enrollment). Faculty Rule 3335-9-14 requires that all students pay in accordance with the fee payment deadlines established by the Office of Academic Affairs and implemented by the Office of University Registrar. The authority to assess penalties is in this rule, as is the authority for the Office of the University Registrar to waive the penalties. IMPORTANT NOTE: It also expressly gives the Office of the University Registrar the authority to refuse registration (enrollment) if fees are not paid when they are due. When students petition to pay fees for a past quarter, they can only request to pay fees for all courses originally scheduled. Because of this, requests to pay tuition and fees for quarters that have ended are handled accordingly.

All requests to pay tuition and fees for a quarter that has ended are first adjudicated through the Registrar's Office. To initiate the process, a student should contact the SSC and must be able to provide proof that university error or extenuating circumstances existed that prevented them from paying their fees by their payment deadline and before the quarter ended.

The student may bring or mail documentation substantiating their claim to the SSC at 281 W. Lane Ave. Examples of documentation for extenuating circumstances or university error are below but not limited to:

• Documentation Substantiating Extenuating Circumstances:

• Medical/Illness- A doctor's statement, hospital bills, etc.

• Family Emergency/Financial Difficulties - Letters from parents & documents explaining loss of income, a copy of an obituary for family death, etc.

• Other - Depending on the circumstance a copy of a police report, military deployment order, letter of support from employer or party responsible for third party payment, etc.

• Documentation Substantiating University Error:

The student must identify which university office erred. If a person or persons were involved, the student must identify the parties by name. The student must explain how they believe the office or person harmed them. The student's must provide evidence of the harm done. The student must submit documentation substantiating that the office erred or an official letter from the office that erred accepting the blame. The student's word alone is not sufficient.

The SSC will forward the appeal and accompanying documentation to the Office of the University Registrar where it will be reviewed and a decision will be rendered. If the student would like to appeal the initial decision, he or she must go through the process to request an appeal before the full committee. This committee is viewed as the supreme appellate review authority for matters brought before it and all decisions by the committee are final.

---

The Registrar's Appellate Review Committee

• Authority of the Committee:

Faculty Rule 3335-9-16, Administrative Holds, subparagraph (C), and Council on Enrollment & Student Progress. Meeting Minutes, April 17, 2001.

• Jurisdiction of the Committee:

The duty of this committee is to investigate and decide suitable action for all requests involving disputes over late payment and registration penalty fees, administrative holds and residency classification. The committee must comply with Faculty Rules and University guidelines, Ohio Revised Code, and the Ohio Student Residency for State Subsidy and Tuition Surcharge Guidelines established by the Ohio Board of Regents. The committee neither has the jurisdiction to change established procedures of the University nor create new ones but may make recommendations for changes.

• Organization of the Committee:

Coordinators from the Office of the University Registrar, working with the Faculty Council & Vice President of Student Affairs (Counsel of Graduate Students, the Undergraduate Student Government and the Inter-Professional Council) will select committee members for openings during each August. An orientation meeting will be held each September for the committee.

• Notice of Proceedings:

A request for a hearing before the committee must be made in writing through the Office of the University Registrar. Two weeks prior to a committee hearing, a letter will be sent to each student from the Registrar’s office, providing notification that the committee at the next hearing will adjudicate their appeal. Instructions will be provided in the letter indicating what they student must do if they wish to be present at the hearing. Students must submit their appeal to the Registrar's office two weeks prior to a hearing date in order for the appeal to be eligible for review by the committee.

• Duties and Responsibilities:

It is the committee’s duty and responsibility to hold monthly hearings during October through August of each academic year so that they may investigate all disputes over late payment and registration penalty fees. They will also hold hearings and investigate appeals on decisions concerning in-state residency for tuition purposes and disputes regarding administrative holds. The committee will hold a vote at the conclusion of each hearing with a majority decision finalizing the outcome. The committee members will make their decisions based upon the information provided by the plaintiff, the University Registrar’s Office, and from the hearing. Decisions need to be made in accordance with Faculty Rules and University guidelines, Ohio Revised Code, and the Ohio Student Residency for State Subsidy and Tuition Surcharge Guidelines established by the Ohio Board of Regents. It is each committee member’s responsibility to review the materials concerning each case that will be heard at the next scheduled hearing.

• Membership, Quorum, and Hearing Composition:

The members of the Committee will include:

• Four (4) Administrative & Professional staff members, with vote;
  Including college level A & P staff (i.e. Asst. Deans, Directors, College secretaries, advisors)

• Six (6) regular faculty members, with vote;

• Two (2) graduate or graduate/professional students, with vote;

• Two (2) undergraduate students, with vote;

• A Coordinator, without vote, will assist the committee with administrative matters but does not participate in the decisions of the committee.

• A technical advisor, without vote, from different university support services (i.e., Financial Aid, Fees & Deposits), may be called upon by the committee for clarification, technical advice, or consultation on cases or hearing matters related to their functional area.

The terms of the committee members shall be;

• Administrative & Professional staff, (3) year term and can be reappointed but a (1) year hiatus may be allowed after each term;

• Faculty, (3) year term and can be reappointed but a (1) year hiatus may be allowed after each term;

• Students, (1) year term and can be reappointed indefinitely.

Normally, five (5) members of the committee shall constitute a hearing panel. The typical panel shall include at least two (2) faculty members, two (2) administrative/ professional staff, and any one (1) student (undergraduate, graduate, or graduate/professional). If a quorum is not present, the complainant, if present, will be given the option to proceed with the hearing and, if he or she elects to do so, will waive any objection to the composition of quorum of the panel. If the plaintiff elects not to proceed, it shall be without prejudice to the plaintiff and the hearing will be rescheduled with either the same or a different panel.

If the plaintiff wishes to request that he or she be represented in the hearing, or wishes to provide additional information, advanced arrangements must be made through the Registrar’s office. If present, legal counsel will be given an opportunity to address the committee; however, questions regarding the student’s appeal will be directed to the student involved. In addition, while consultation with legal or other counsel will be permitted, the student will be responsible for presenting the appeal.

NOTE: Normally, in order for a student’s case to be reviewed by the Registrar’s Appellate Review Committee, it is a requisite of the committee that the submission SHOULD include documentation that the issue, which brings the case before the committee, is the result of university error or extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control. Even though the student may appear before the committee, if granted a hearing, his/her written submission (the record) must stand on its own merit. Student submissions that fail to meet this test may be denied a hearing and the case will be considered closed at that point.

Chairperson

A chair will be appointed by the Registrar’s office for each committee hearing during the formation of the committee for the academic year. The chairs should normally have had (1) years experience on the committee and must be either faculty or an Administrative & Professional staff member.

Hearing Dates

The committee will normally hold hearings once each month based on the availability of the committee members. The committee will typically meet from October through August. No hearings will be held in September.

Appeals

This committee is viewed as the supreme appellate review authority for matters brought before it and all decisions by the committee are final.