College can be one of the most amazing experiences of your life. It's a chance to learn, establish your independence, make new friends, and figure out just who you want to be. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy, though. Plenty of students start college with big dreams but don't actually make it to that graduation stage. In fact, Oregon State dismisses dozens of students every year for everything from low grades to cheating to underage drinking.
The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team can help make sure you're not one of them. What can an attorney do to help you with college? The attorneys at the Lento Law Firm don't just know the law and what rights you have as a student, though that can be important. They also know the Oregon State system and how to use it to your advantage.
If you're in trouble, facing dismissal, and aren't sure what to do, you owe it to yourself to contact the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team and find out how they can help.
Reasons for Dismissal at Oregon State University
How do you avoid dismissal at Oregon State University? You start by knowing the rules. Just what is it that can get you dismissed, and how do you avoid making a costly mistake?
- Academic Deficiencies: College isn't like high school. If your grade point should fall below 2.0, OSU will place you on Academic Probation, and if you continue to struggle, you can also be dismissed.
- Academic Misconduct: OSU also takes academic integrity seriously. Cheating, plagiarism, falsification, and tampering are all violations of the school's Academic Misconduct policy. Decide to take an academic shortcut, and you might fail a class or potentially wind up dismissed.
- Disciplinary Misconduct: Beyond the classroom, your campus conduct is subject to OSU's Student Code of Conduct. There you'll find prohibitions against things like theft, disorderly conduct, hazing, and dozens of other offenses. Any violation can potentially result in dismissal.
- Sexual Misconduct: Sexually-based offenses are almost always punished with dismissals. These are among the most serious offenses a student can commit. In fact, sexual misconduct isn't just against school policy; under Title IX, it's governed by federal law.
Defending Yourself from Misconduct Charges
Knowing the rules at Oregon State can keep you out of a lot of trouble. Every now and then, trouble comes looking for you, though. So, you also need to know how the judicial procedures at the university work, so you can defend yourself if you need to.
- Most cases begin with a complaint made either to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (SCCS) or, in the case of Title IX allegations, the Title IX Coordinator.
- Any time you are under investigation, you are entitled to a written Notice of the Charges. This notice should provide you with important details about the allegations as well as a complete list of your rights.
- You have a number of important due process rights, such as the right to a presumption of Not Responsible (innocence) and the right to review all evidence in the case. You are also allowed to select an advisor, and this advisor can be an attorney.
- The investigation typically involves interviews with all parties. You can offer evidence during these interviews and suggest witnesses.
- At the conclusion of the investigation, investigators submit a written report of their findings. The school then sets a time and date for a hearing and appoints a decision maker or panel to hear the case.
- The hearing affords you the opportunity to argue for your innocence. You may submit evidence, and you may call witnesses to testify on your behalf. You also have the right to ask questions of any witness against you. The Complainant (your accuser) or school has the right to make their case as well.
- Decision makers use a legal standard known as “preponderance of the evidence” to decide whether or not you are Responsible for (guilty of) an offense. According to this standard, they must find you Responsible if they believe it is “more likely than not” that you committed the offense.
- You can appeal the hearing outcome, but only under certain circumstances. These include the discovery of new evidence, an allegation of a procedural error, an allegation of bias on the part of a decision maker, or a sanction that is disproportionate to the offense.
Campus judicial procedures can be difficult to understand. You need someone on your side who is familiar with them, someone who can guide you through the process from the moment you're charged until your last appeal is exhausted. The Student Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm have helped hundreds of students defend themselves from university charges. They know your rights in the Oregon State system and how to use those rights to your best advantage.
Academic Dismissals
Dismissals for academic deficiencies work very differently from dismissals for misconduct. In most instances, academic dismissals are automatic, based solely on your GPA. Decisions are actually issued, though, by the Faculty Senate Academic Standing Committee, and that committee has the power to “grant exceptions” to the policy. That means there is always some room for negotiation, especially if your deficiencies are the result of some extenuating circumstance.
The attorneys at the Lento Law Firm know a number of other useful strategies for avoiding academic dismissal as well. For example,
- If you suffer from a learning disability, you are often entitled to classroom accommodations like extra time to complete assignments. If you should discover you have a disability at some time during your university career, you can also petition the school to drop low grades from your transcript and allow you to retake those courses.
- You are entitled to fair treatment in every course you take. If you should suffer any mistreatment, you should report this to your instructor's department head. You may be entitled to a grade revision.
- You can always ask instructors for extra credit or makeup assignments. A short lab assignment or a paper rewrite could be enough to get your GPA above that 2.0 level.
Fighting for Your Future
By this point, you probably have a clear sense of why you need the help of an attorney-advisor to fight dismissal decisions. Campus judicial procedures can be complex and difficult to navigate, and the full weight of your school will likely be against you.
You need someone watching over your shoulder, making certain you're treated fairly and that you get the justice you deserve.
The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team was built on helping students just like you handle all types of misconduct charges. We know how to negotiate with faculty and administrators; we know how to interview witnesses; we know how to put together water-tight appeals. To find out more about exactly what the Lento Law Firm can do for you, contact us today at 888-535-3686, or use our automated online form.
