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SOWELA Technical Community College

Nursing Appeals

Institutional Information

School of Nursing and Allied Health Appeals Policy

The policy bas been updated and is effective as of October 2024.

The purpose of this policy is to allow students the opportunity to appeal the entry and/or progression criteria of a specific Nursing and Allied Health program. This opportunity aligns with Institutional Values and Philosophy of student success.

  • Faculty will be named to the Appeal Committee at the beginning of the Fall semester and will serve for at least one academic year. The chair of the committee will be named by the Dean.
  • The committee will meet three times a year: at the end of the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters.
  • The student appeal must be turned in by 3:00 PM on the day final grades are due (refer to the academic calendar for date). No late appeals will be accepted. If an appeal is received after the due date, the student will be notified that the appeal will not be reviewed until the next committee meeting the following semester. The appeal must be submitted using the School of Nursing and Allied Health Appeal Form (opens new window).
  • All student appeals will be submitted to the Dean of the School of Nursing and Allied Health through Formstack. The Dean will then submit the appeal forms to the Chair of the Appeal Committee.
  • The committee will utilize the approved appeal rubric to review the appeal. The student will be notified by a committee member of the date and time the appeal will be reviewed. The student may be present during the time their appeal is heard to further speak to their appeal request. The students will be given five minutes to present their appeal. It will not be held against the students if they do not attend their appeal time.
  • The student will be notified in writing of the committee's decision. While every attempt will be made to get to the decision in a timely manner, there is no guarantee that a finalized decision will be reached before the start of the next semester. If the decision to approve the student appeal is made, the applicable governing body for the nursing programs will be notified if required. The approval from the applicable governing body may not be received prior to the start of next semester, therefore the student may have to wait until a later semester to reenter. The semester of reentry into the respective program is also dependent upon the number of seats available. Notification of a governing body does not apply to the Surgical Technology and Sterile Processing Technology Programs.
  • Following notification of a decision of reinstatement, the student must meet with the appropriate program coordinator to review the reentry plan. The student must agree in writing to follow the prescribed plan for reinstatement in its entirety. If the student does not agree to any part of the plan, the offer for reinstatement will be rescinded. The reinstatement plan is determined by the committee and forwarded to the program coordinator.
  • Students will be allowed only one appeal while in their respective curriculum. Students cannot appeal to enter at a different campus (ie. If a student is not eligible to return to the Lake Charles site, they cannot reenter at the Morgan Smith, Leesville or Oakdale sites. They are all the same curriculum and college).
  • All decisions made by the committee are final. Nursing appeals cannot be made to the Dean of Instruction, Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, or the Chancellor after the decision is rendered by the School of Nursing and Allied Health (SoNAH) Appeals committee.
  • The following are the reasons students can appeal to the School of Nursing and Allied Health Appeal Committee for the Practical Nursing (PN) or Allied Health programs:
    • Exceeded number of repeated courses per program policy.
    • Exceeded number of entries into the program per program policy (PN students are only allowed two entries into the program).
    • Exceeded number of grades 'D', 'F', or 'W' per program policy.
      • If the appeal is granted, the student will need to meet with the program coordinator to discuss the reentry process and plan. If the student earns another D, F or W after the appeal is granted in another semester, the student will be dismissed from the program. Students are only allowed one appeal.
      • All decisions made by the committee are final. Appeals cannot be made to the Dean of Instruction, Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, or the Chancellor after the decision is rendered by the SoNAH Appeals committee.

The following is the policy for the ASN RN program:

  • A student that earns one or more D, F, or W (at SOWELA or another academic institution) within 3 years of the ASN RN application submission date:
    • This will be considered the first occurrence.
    • The student can apply to the ASN RN program without submitting a Nursing appeal.
    • If the student earns another D, F or W in a subsequent semester after they are accepted into the ASN RN program in either a nursing or non-nursing course, they will need to submit a nursing appeal to continue in the program.
    • If the appeal is granted, they will need to meet with the program coordinator to discuss the reentry process and plan. If the student earns another D, F or W after the appeal is granted in another nursing or non-nursing class, the student will be dismissed from the program. Students are only allowed one appeal.
    • All decisions made by the committee are final. Appeals cannot be made to the Dean of Instruction, Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, or the Chancellor after the decision is rendered by the SoNAH Appeals committee.
  • A student that earns one or more D, F, or W (at SOWELA or another academic institution) greater than 3 years from the ASN RN application submission date:
    • The student does not need to submit a nursing appeal, and these grades are not considered a first occurrence.
    • Once the student is admitted into the ASN RN program, they will be allowed 2 occurrences (semesters with D, F, or W earned).
      • The first semester a D, F, or W is earned in a nursing or non-nursing course, the student does not need to submit a nursing appeal. They can continue in the program.
      • The second semester a D, F, or W is earned in a nursing or non-nursing course, the student will need to submit a nursing appeal.
      • If the appeal is granted, they will need to meet with the program coordinator to discuss the reentry process and plan. If the student earns another D, F or W after the appeal is granted in another nursing or non-nursing class, the student will be dismissed from the program. Students are only allowed one appeal.
      • All decisions made by the committee are final. Appeals cannot be made to the Dean of Instruction, Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, or the Chancellor after the decision is rendered by the SoNAH Appeals committee.