Guidelines for writing a letter appealing a suspension from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside

Appealing a suspension is not just a matter of jumping through hoops to
return to school. The appeal process requires you to think through the
reasons for the suspension and to plan a course of action to be more
successful. Your letter should address three questions:

• What issues led to your suspension? (If a second/subsequent suspension, be sure to consider and address the whole picture, not just the recent problems.)
• What steps have you taken to address those issues?
• What is your concrete plan of action to be more successful if allowed to return?

Issues:

There are reasons why your grades were low enough, long enough to result in suspension. Identify them and outline them in your appeal. Be specific. Don't merely say you were not ready for college; instead, state clearly what parts of the college experience were difficult for you. If personal, family, financial or emotional circumstances contributed to your lack of success, detail their impact on you and your academic behavior. Focus on how these problems affected your academic performance. Most likely, you will identify more than one factor affecting your grades.

Steps already taken:

Whether you have been out of school for a week, or for years, you need to have already taken steps to improve your academic performance. What steps have you taken, and how do these steps address the issues you outlined above? Be specific. If you had trouble with the "freedom" at Parkside, what have you done to develop the ability to handle it now? If money problems had diverted your attention before, how have you reduced your money concerns? What have you done to resolve any family problems? IF YOU ATTNEDED ANOTHER SCHOOL AFTER LEAVING PARKSIDE, PLEASE ATTACH A COPY OF YOUR TRANSCRIPT.

Plan:

Remember, to simply say that you will work harder or that now you are ready is not a plan. What will you do differently? Exactly how will you provide structure for life in the residence hall if you didn't have it before? If you never seemed to have time to get your work done, what concrete
time-management plan will you put in place? Why are you now in a position to successfully handle the same challenges you faced before? Tie your plan directly to the factors you identified that contributed to your suspension. Identify specific resources you will use in case the factors resurface.

Tactics:

Be honest and thorough; check spelling and grammar; be concise and to the point. Be sure that the appeal reflects your thoughtfulness and your
concrete plan.