A student may appeal the determination of the Dean of Students Office that a university-initiated temporary medical withdrawal or other alterations to the ability to fully participate in programs, services, or activities at DePaul will begin, including aspects of the plan for return. A student has five (5) business days from the date on which the student was informed of the determination and plan to request this appeal.
A student may appeal on the following three grounds:
- A substantial procedural error occurred that unreasonably impaired the student's ability to achieve a fair process or final decision and that made the process or final decision fundamentally unfair;
- New information of substantive nature, impossible to have been considered at the time of the original determination, has been discovered and it would be fundamentally unfair not to consider the information; or
- Aspects of the determination and/or plan for return are fundamentally unfair or inappropriate.
The student must submit their appeal to the Vice President for Student Affairs. In the appeal, the student should explain why one or more of these three grounds for appeal has been met. In reviewing the student's appeal, the Vice President for Student Affairs will review the information received from or on behalf of the student, and all other available information, including all information considered by the Dean of Students Office. If deemed necessary, the Vice President for Student Affairs may also speak further with the student or others to ask additional questions or otherwise collect additional information.
After review, the Vice President for Student Affairs will make a determination that:
- The appeal is denied because none of the grounds for an appeal have been met. The determination and plan for return will remain as-is.
- The appeal of the withdrawal determination is denied because none of the grounds for an appeal have been met, but the appeal of the plan for return is granted because one or more of the grounds for appeal have been met. The determination will remain as-is, but the plan for return will be modified; or
- The appeal of the withdrawal determination is granted because one or more of the grounds for an appeal have been met. The university is no longer initiating a temporary medical withdrawal or other alterations to the ability to fully participate in the program, services, or activities at DePaul at this time.
DePaul will notify the student of the appeal determination in writing within five (5) business days of when the appeal is received. However, the university reserves the right to extend this time limit, in its sole discretion, in order to ensure a proper review of all relevant material. The university will provide the student with written notice of any extension.
The decision of the Vice President for Student Affairs is final.
If a student is no longer temporarily medically withdrawn, alterations to the ability to fully participate in programs, services, or activities at DePaul are no longer in place as the result of an appeal, or modifications are made to the plan for return the Dean of Students Office will work with the student to address any outstanding concerns on an individualized basis.