College can be the best four of your life, but no one promises it'll be easy. Illinois State doesn't just give diplomas away. In fact, every year, the university dismisses dozens of students for everything from low GPA to stalking.
How do you make sure you're not one of them?
- First, you make absolutely certain you know the rules. That'll keep you out of trouble, but it will also give you a head start if you ever have to respond to an allegation.
- Next, you make absolutely certain you know how the administrative and judicial processes at ISU work. If trouble should come looking for you, you're going to need to know how to defend yourself.
- Last, and most importantly, you make absolutely certain you know how to get help if you need it. You should never simply accept an allegation against you, and you should always fight any attempt to dismiss you. A university is a big institution, though, with lots of complex rules and procedures. You don't want to take on this fight alone.
The Lento Law Firm is on your side. We know the law, and we know how Illinois State operates. We'll protect your rights, and we'll work to get you the best possible resolution to your case. But you have to contact us first. Dial 888-535-3686, or take a few minutes right now and fill out our online form.
Reasons for Dismissal from Illinois State University
Problem One: Knowing what it is that can get you dismissed from Illinois State. It turns out that's a pretty long list. There's a shortcut, though. Almost every dismissible offense can be placed into one of four categories. Know those, and Problem One is solved.
- Poor Academic Performance: As you might expect, ISU expects you to go to class and study. To help ensure you do that, it maintains something called an academic standing policy. Basically, you're supposed to keep your GPA above 2.0. If it falls below that number, you're placed on academic probation. If it falls at any point after probation, you face dismissal.
- Academic Misconduct: ISU also expects you to earn your degree honestly. That means no cheating, no plagiarism, no misconduct of any kind. A first offense usually isn't enough to get you dismissed. Get caught cheating more than once, though, and expulsion is definitely a possibility.
- Disciplinary Misconduct: Outside of class, your behavior is governed by ISU's Code of Student Conduct. The Code includes lots of prohibitions against things like trespassing, underage drinking, and vandalism. Any offense could potentially result in dismissal. Some, like hazing and drug possession, almost always result in dismissal.
- Sexual Misconduct: This is another type of offense that almost always leads to dismissal. Sexual misconduct is prohibited at all colleges and universities by federal law (Title IX). ISU must investigate all credible allegations, and the government encourages it to issue harsh sanctions.
Misconduct Procedures
Knowing the rules at Illinois State is an important start, but if you should find yourself accused of misconduct, you're also going to need to know how the university's judicial processes work.
- Cases usually begin with a "complaint" lodged against you with either the Office of Student Conduct and Community Responsibilities or the school's designated Title IX Coordinator.
- If the university decides to pursue the case, it must provide you with a Notice of the Charges. This Notice should include details of the allegation and a list of your due process rights, such as the right to be presumed “Not Responsible” (Innocent) until proven otherwise.
- One of your most important rights is the right to an advisor. This can be anyone of your choosing. In other words, a Lento Law Firm attorney can be on hand from the very beginning of your case. They cannot speak on your behalf, but they can advise you throughout the process.
- Investigators typically begin by meeting separately with both sides in the case. This is your first chance to give your side of the story. In addition, they talk to witnesses and gather any physical evidence.
- Once the investigation is complete, investigators submit their findings back to the university. The university then sets a time and date for a formal hearing and appoints one or more decision-makers to preside over this hearing.
- At the hearing, you present your full case. You may make opening and closing arguments, submit evidence, and call witnesses to testify. You may also cross-examine any witnesses against you.
- Cases at ISU are decided using a legal standard known as "preponderance of the evidence." According to this standard, decision-makers must find you Responsible (guilty) if they are more than fifty percent convinced you committed an offense.
- You have the right to appeal the hearing outcome. However, you cannot appeal simply because you disagree. You must have grounds. These can include a procedural error, the discovery of new evidence, an unsupported conclusion, or a sanction that is disproportionate to the offense.
While this outline holds for all misconduct cases, procedures can differ in small but important ways depending on the nature of the accusation. For example, in Title IX sexual misconduct cases, only advisors may conduct cross-examination. In all other cases, questioning is the exclusive purview of the presiding decision-makers.
No matter what charges you're facing, however, you can count on your Lento Law Firm attorney to be fully prepared. We know all the judicial processes at ISU and how to use them to your best advantage.
Academic Dismissal Cases
You may have noticed that we haven't yet mentioned the fourth kind of dismissal: academic dismissal. That's because these cases work quite differently from misconduct cases. For the most part, decisions are based entirely on GPA, and that's not normally a matter for debate.
However, even in these cases, your Lento Law Firm attorney can help you to challenge any sanction ISU may be trying to impose, including dismissal. For example,
- ISU offers an appeals process if your academic deficiencies are the result of extenuating circumstances. We can help you gather the appropriate evidence and file paperwork on your behalf.
- A learning disability could mean you deserve special classroom accommodations like extra time to complete assignments. If you should discover you have a previously undiagnosed disability, you can petition the university to set aside your low grades and allow you to retake those courses with accommodations in place.
- Some faculty are open to assigning extra credit and makeup work to students with borderline grades. This could be the simplest way to raise your course grade and, thus, your GPA.
Fighting for Your Future
By this point, it should be abundantly clear why trying to defend yourself from dismissal is always a dangerous proposition. It's no easy task taking on a university, and the stakes are incredibly high. Luckily, you don't have to go it alone. The Lento Law Firm was built to help students. Our Student Defense Team can also be fierce when it comes to protecting our clients, and we're not afraid of faculty and administrators.
Let us help you fight for your academic future. To find out more, contact the firm today at 888-535-3686. Or, fill out our online questionnaire.
