Type of Appeal

Students may file an appeal if dissatisfied with a decision rendered by the College.  The process of appealing depends on the decision made.

Title IX

Discrimination or harassment on the basis of sex and any federally funded program or activity.
How to appeal: Visit the Title IX website

Academic Honor Council Decisions

Students found in violation of the Eckerd College Honor Code may appeal the finding and the sanction to the Dean of the Faculty (or designee). Appeals are limited to the following grounds: 
  1. A procedural error or omission occurred that significantly impacted the outcome of the hearing (e.g., substantiated bias, material deviation from established procedures, etc.). 
  2. To consider new evidence, unknown or unavailable during the original hearing or investigation, that could substantially impact the original finding or sanction. A summary of this new evidence and its potential impact must be included in the appeal. 
  3. The sanctions fall outside the range of sanctions the College has designated for this offense. 
Appeals must be filed in writing with the Dean of the Faculty (or designee) within five (5) business days of the notice of the outcome of the hearing, barring exigent circumstances. Any exceptions are made at the discretion of the Dean of the Faculty (or designee). The decision on an appeal will typically be made within five (5) business days from the date of submission. 

The Dean of the Faculty (or designee) will conduct an initial review of the written appeal to determine if the appeal is timely and whether it is based upon any of the three grounds delineated above. If the appeal is timely and is based on any of the three grounds for appeal, the Dean of the Faculty (or designee) will review the appeal. If the appeal is not timely or is not based on the limited grounds for appeal, the original finding and sanction will stand, and the decision is final. 

Appeals are not intended to be full re-hearings of the complaint. Appeals are typically confined to a review of the written documentation or record of the original hearing and pertinent documentation regarding the grounds for appeal. The original finding and sanction are presumed to have been decided reasonably and appropriately, and appeals decisions are to be deferential to the original decision-maker, making changes to the finding only where there is clear error and to the sanction only if there is a compelling justification to do so. 

After reviewing the written appeal and the record of the original hearing, the Dean of Faculty (or designee) will make a decision on whether to grant or deny the appeal. In some cases, the decision may be to remand to the same AHC Hearing Panel with appropriate instructions for correction and reconsideration. 

Student Conduct Hearing Outcomes

Follow the instructions by the Office of Community Standards.
Must be filed within 10 business days of the start of the fall or spring semester.  

Grade Appeals

Grading is a matter of professional judgment of the course instructor. The institution gives instructors the responsibility of assigning grades based on a method that is professionally acceptable and applied equally to all students in a class. It must be recognized that individual faculty members may have different standards and individual approaches to grading that are valid. Eckerd College presumes that the judgment of the instructor of record is authoritative, and the final grades assigned are correct.

If a student wishes to appeal a grade based on a compelling reason, such as clerical error, prejudice, or capriciousness, he/she should make that appeal in writing to the Dean of Faculty's Office. The following must be taken into consideration if a student wishes to appeal a grade:
  1. The grade appeal considers whether a grade was determined in a fair and appropriate manner; it does not attempt to grade or re-grade individual assignments or projects. It is incumbent on the student to substantiate the claim that his or her final grade represents unfair treatment, compared to the standard applied to other students.
  2. A grade appeal shall be confined to charges of unfair action toward an individual student and may not involve a challenge of an instructor's grading standard. 
  3. Only the final grade in a course or project may be appealed. 
  4. In the absence of compelling reasons, such as clerical error, prejudice, or capriciousness, the grade assigned by the instructor of record is to be considered final.

Pets on Campus

Parking

Financial Aid

Send appeal to finaid@eckerd.edu.

Billing Appeals

How to appeal:

  1. Students should meet with a Student Account Representative to discuss the amount and nature of the disagreement and the reason why the student feels the charge is incorrect.
  2. This meeting should occur within (60) days of the initial billing of a disputed charge.
  3. The Student Accounts Representative reviews and responds immediately to the student's dispute.
  4. If the response is considered incorrect by the student, the student may appeal by completing the appeal form within (30) days of the initial meeting.
  5. The completed form should be submitted to the Bursar who will present the appeal to the Appeals Committee.
  6. The members of the Appeal Committee are as following:
    1. Associate Vice President
    2. Financial Aid Director
    3. Bursar
The committee will meet on a monthly basis or as often as necessary to review and make the appropriate decisions on pending appeals. Once a decision is made, a response letter with an explanation of the decision will be E-mailed to the student's college domain electronic address.

The Bursar will keep a report of all appeals submitted and the resolution made for each appeal.