California Northstate University (CNSU) College of Dental Medicine is America's youngest dental school. Its mission is to provide its students with a stellar education as well as provide great oral health benefits to the citizens of northern California. Their goal is to help people who do not have the means to take care of their own dental care.
The school expects its students to abide by a set code of ethics. It believes that academic integrity must be a formal commitment, even if the student is facing some sort of adversity. It believes that by following this code, the academic community will naturally perform in a way that puts the dental school community in the best light. The core values held by the school include honesty, respect, integrity, legal and ethical behavior, and professionalism.
Academic Dishonesty and Misconduct
The University has a conduct policy in place called the CHS 3801 Academic Integrity and Good Conduct Policy. It states that every individual person on campus is responsible for their own conduct, collectively ensuring the school's stellar reputation. The school stresses that there are severe consequences for violations of either the Code of Academic Integrity or violations of the Good Conduct Code of Honor.
Some examples of academic dishonesty include the following:
- Cheating on a test
- Plagiarizing material (including self-plagiarism)
- Claiming that you wrote a document or completed a project when someone else did
- Buying essays or term papers to pass them off as your own
- Claiming credit for research that you did not participate in
- Collaborating with another person on academic work without explicit permission from the professor
Investigating Academic Misconduct
The CNSU Dental School stresses that all students must refrain from engaging in any type of academic dishonesty. Accusations of academic dishonesty are not only levied at students who actually commit the offense but also at students who fail to report it.
Once an allegation has been made, the school will begin a fact-finding mission. There will be a preliminary meeting held with the alleged offender. At this meeting, information will be evaluated, and a determination will be made as to whether or not to move forward with a hearing or to close the issue with a relatively mild sanction. Milder sanctions are usually reserved for less serious offenses.
If the respondent denies having participated in any sort of misconduct, but there is evidence to suggest that something did happen, the matter will then be referred to the University's Committee on Academic Integrity and Good Conduct (the “Committee”).
The person who brought the allegation to the attention of the school must submit whatever evidence they have to support their claims. That report will then be sent over to the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs. Once the Committee gets notice of the incident, it will schedule a meeting with the respondent.
That formal hearing will be closed to everyone except the Committee, the respondent, the individual or individuals who reported the incident, and anyone else who has any information relevant to the situation. Once the evidence is presented, the Committee will meet privately and make a determination. They may recommend disciplinary action, or they may not. Once a committee has made its decision, the respondent will receive written notification of the decision.
If the respondent wishes, they may appeal the decision in writing within ten business days of the decision.
They can appeal:
- On the grounds that there were no facts to support the findings
- On the fact that the disciplinary action doesn't match the findings
- If they believe the formal hearing was unfair or biased
- If there is new evidence that wasn't available when the hearing was originally held
Remediation at California Northstate Dental School
Some students may be strongly encouraged to go through the remediation process at the school. Dental school can be extremely difficult, and sometimes even the very best students fail to keep up their grades to even the minimum requirement of 2.0.
In these cases, the Dental School may offer students the opportunity to do remediation. Remediation is the opportunity for a student to bring up a near-failing grade to a passing grade.
At CNSU, you may have the opportunity to remediate a grade of “D” (and only a grade of D) and try to get it up to a “C” if your course instructor allows it. You have up to 14 days to complete tasks like retaking an exam, completing coursework, whatever other tasks your instructor requires you to do in order to successfully remediate. You'll only be able to remediate up to three courses during your time at the school.
While remediation may seem like a great opportunity for students to be able to bring up their grades, it can be a very scary situation since whether or not you receive a passing grade after remediation is entirely at the discretion of the professor. Failure to successfully remediate could bring your overall GPA to below 2.0. If your grade falls below 2.0 and you fail to pull it up during a probationary/remediation period, you could be asked to withdraw from the school.
Sanctions That Could Affect Your Academic Life
Students who've committed academic dishonesty or who are going through the remediation process are at risk of losing everything. If you've been found guilty of academic dishonesty, you could be facing sanctions as mild as warnings or as severe as expulsion from the University. If a professor has deemed your attempts at remediation inadequate, you could be dismissed from the program.
Expulsion or dismissal can turn your life upside down. These actions will most likely end up on your permanent record, resulting in the following issues:
- It could make it next to impossible for you to find work if you're ever able to graduate since this information goes on your permanent record.
- You may not be able to transfer to other schools because the information regarding your dismissal or withdrawal may be listed on your permanent record.
- You will be responsible for paying off any loans that you've taken off during that time, even though you didn't finish school. This will be in addition to any costs you incur if you're able to transfer to a new school.
Get Legal Help
Dealing with academic sanctions that come about as a result of academic misconduct or failure to meet academic standards at California North State Dental School isn't something that you should deal with alone. There's too much at stake.
The law office of Joseph D. Lento has successfully helped students dealing with adverse academic issues for years. They know what to do to help you navigate the process so that you have the best chance of succeeding.
Reach out for help at 888-535-3686 today to schedule an evaluation of your case. Your future may depend on it.
