Nursing Student Handbook 2012-2013

122 College of Nursing Hearings Protocol and Procedure • The student will be notified of the date, place, and time of the hearing via certified mail to the student’s last known address or hand delivered with receipt. • Any student who fails to appear at the designated date and time will automatically waive his or her right to appeal. • The Appeals Committee hearing will proceed under the direction of the chair. • A quorum must be present to convene an official appeal hearing and will be constituted by 50 percent or more of the voting membership including the chair. • The student will provide the committee chair with a list of any witnesses he or she may have, in writing, no later than two business days before the hearing date. Only witnesses with direct information that is new and relevant and has not been presented previously to the program director and associate dean or the Department Committee on Student Progress will be considered. • The student will be present only during his or her testimony. • Witnesses, if any, may be present only during their testimony. Each witness will be housed in a separate waiting area to avoid any contact among witnesses or with the student. • The Appeals Committee may question any witnesses present during the hearing. • The Appeals Committee will have the option of calling more witnesses. The student shall not be present during the questioning of any witnesses. Appeals Committee Hearing Process • The chair will convene the hearing with only committee members present. • The chair will advise the committee members of the violation(s) and the department decision, review the evidence, respond to any questions, and provide opportunity for preliminary discussions. • The chair will call the student into the hearing room and introduce the student to the committee members. • The student will have an opportunity to present his or her appeal, provide statements and evidence in defense of alleged violation(s), appeal the degree of disciplinary action, summarize his or her position, and respond to any questions from the committee members. • The chair will then dismiss the student from the hearing. • Witnesses will be called individually by the committee and questioned without the student being present. • Witnesses may be asked to remain outside the hearing room for later recall or may be dismissed at the committee’s discretion. • The committee members will render a decision on the student’s appeal by a majority vote of the voting members in attendance. The committee may delay the vote if it determines that additional information or facts are needed before a vote. Note: At the discretion of the committee, the chair of the respective department Committee on Student Progress and/or the respective director/associate dean/dean may also be called during the hearing.