Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the University of Central Florida Students for a Democratic Society (UCF SDS) in Orlando, Florida.

On June 18, an appeal was filed by UCF student and SDS member Marcus Polzer regarding the Formal Panel hearing that found Polzer in violation of two counts of Disruptive Conduct. Students have the right to appeal the findings of the hearing only on the basis of one or more of the following:

1. Irregularities in fairness and stated procedures that could have affected the outcome of the hearing.

2. Discovery of new and significant information that was not known or could not reasonably have been discovered and/or presented at the time of the initial hearing.

3. The sanctions are extraordinarily disproportionate to the violation(s).

On June 30, the charged student received a letter from an appellate officer regarding the appeal. The appellate officer is the final level of appeal and has the authority to approve, or alter the original sanctions, or remand the case for a new hearing. The officer chose to alter the sanctions to “more accurately correspond to the totality of the circumstances regarding this matter.” The semester of disciplinary probation has been reduced to a disciplinary warning and the “Impact of Future – Interview and Paper” sanction has been eliminated effective immediately.

UCF Students for a Democratic Society views this decision as a victory and proof that organizing and building up student power are effective at making our demands met. UCF is the students’ campus and we at SDS will continue to stand up and organize against political repression. Students are an integral part of this university, and we will make our voices heard. Dare to struggle, dare to win!

#OrlandoFL #FL #StudentMovement #PoliticalRepression #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #SDS