The prospect of dismissal from your college or university is always a serious matter. Obviously, dismissal means a disruption in your studies. It means giving up the progress you've made to this point. It can, however, also spell the end of your college career altogether. If you're dismissed from St. John's University, you'll find it difficult, if not impossible, to find another school willing to take a chance on admitting you.
If you're in trouble, if someone has mentioned the possibility of dismissal to you, you can't afford to take it lightly. You need the very best help you can find. You need someone from the Lento Law Firm.
The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team was created to make sure all students get the fair treatment they deserve and that they have every reasonable opportunity to earn their degrees and go on to successful careers. We don't believe a mistake—or even two or three mistakes—should stand in your way, and we're willing to fight to protect your rights.
To find out more about just what we can do, contact the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 or fill out our online questionnaire.
Reasons for Dismissal from St. John's University
As it turns out, there are actually dozens of different reasons St. John's can decide to instigate dismissal proceedings against you. That's one of the reasons it can be so hard to fight dismissal. However, for the most part, all of these reasons can be grouped into four basic categories.
- Poor Academic Performance: Your first priority as a St. John's student is to succeed academically. Your school or college has an academic standing policy, and you must meet certain requirements to remain enrolled. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, for example, requires you to keep a GPA above 2.0. If you fall below that number, the university will place you on probation. Fall further, and you can also be dismissed.
- Academic Misconduct: Strict standing policies sometimes drive students to cut corners. Academic misconduct, though, can get you dismissed just as quickly as a low GPA. The St. John's Honor Code explicitly forbids cheating and plagiarism, and it sets stiff penalties for anyone caught violating the Code. A first offense isn't usually enough to warrant dismissal. Further offenses can lead to expulsion, though.
- Disciplinary Misconduct: The Honor Code governs your behavior in class. Outside of class, your behavior is governed by the St. John's Student Code of Conduct. This Code regulates things like underage drinking, damage to property, and disorderly conduct. Any violation can potentially result in dismissal. Some, like hazing and drug possession, almost always lead to dismissal.
- Sexual Misconduct: Likewise, sexually-based offenses are most often punished with dismissal. Such misconduct isn't just a violation of school policy but of the federal Title IX statute. The government requires schools to investigate all credible complaints, and it encourages schools to issue harsh penalties to offenders.
Misconduct Procedures
A proper defense from dismissal demands a clear understanding of the processes and procedures that are involved. In misconduct cases, you can expect the school to conduct an investigation, and you should have the right to defend yourself at a hearing. Here's how those processes typically work.
- Cases begin with a complaint lodged against you either with the Dean of your school, the Office of Student Conduct, or the Title IX Coordinator.
- The appropriate office evaluates the complaint and determines whether or not it deserves further investigation.
- If the school decides to formally charge you with a policy violation, it provides you with a Notice of the Charges. This Notice should describe the allegations and explain your due process rights.
- The university then conducts an investigation. Investigators usually start by talking separately with both sides of the case. In addition, though, they gather physical evidence and interview potential witnesses.
- At the conclusion of the investigation, investigators submit a summary of their findings. This summary serves as the foundation for the next phase of the case, a formal hearing.
- The hearing affords you the opportunity to make your full case. You may submit evidence, for example, call witnesses to testify, and raise questions for any witnesses testifying against you.
- Misconduct cases are generally decided using a legal standard known as "preponderance of the evidence." Far less strict than "beyond a reasonable doubt," "preponderance" requires decision-makers to find you Responsible (guilty) if they are more than fifty percent convinced you committed an offense.
- Your case is not necessarily over should you lose. You have the right to appeal the hearing outcome. However, grounds for appeal are limited to issues like the discovery of new evidence or a procedural error.
While this general outline applies in all misconduct cases, procedures can differ in small but significant ways depending on the specific nature of the charges. Academic misconduct procedures, for instance, don't necessarily guarantee you the right to be accompanied at the hearing by an attorney. Disciplinary misconduct cases, in contrast, explicitly allow you to bring an advisor of your choosing with you to meetings and hearings. In Title IX sexual misconduct cases, you're required to have an advisor conduct a cross-examination, though you are not necessarily required to choose an attorney as your advisor.
No matter what kind of charges you're facing, you can count on the Lento Law Firm to be fully prepared to defend you. They've worked on hundreds of misconduct cases, and they're familiar with all St. John's procedures.
Academic Dismissal Cases
You may have noticed there's been no mention yet of academic dismissal cases. That's because academic dismissals are handled quite differently from misconduct dismissals. There's no investigation, for instance, and you have no opportunity to defend yourself at a hearing. These dismissals are based almost exclusively on your GPA, and the university does not consider that a subject for debate.
Luckily, your Lento Law Firm attorney can suggest some strategies for combatting this type of dismissal as well. For instance,
- If your low grades are the result of extenuating circumstances—a death in the family, for instance, or a serious illness—you can appeal directly to your school or college dean for more time to improve.
- Some instructors are open to assigning extra credit or makeup assignments. Keeping your GPA out of the danger zone can be as simple as completing an extra lab assignment or rewriting a paper.
- If you have a learning disability, you may be entitled to certain course accommodations, such as extra time to complete assignments or access to certain technologies during tests. If you're denied these accommodations, you have the right to appeal your grade.
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. 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, use our online form.
