If you're on this page, it likely means you're facing dismissal from Western Michigan University. You're looking for answers.
The first thing you should know is that the situation is serious. If WMU does decide to dismiss you, you'll find it virtually impossible to find another university willing to accept you. For all practical purposes, your academic career will be over, and you know what the job market looks like when you don't have a college degree.
The second thing you need to know, though, is that you can recover. WMU offers a number of processes and procedures for defending yourself and holding on to your place there.
The third thing you need to know is that you can't hope to handle these processes and procedures all on your own. You need help, the best help you can get, the kind of help you can only get from the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team. We know what the law has to say about your situation. We also know how the Western Michigan bureaucracy operates and how to use the system to your best advantage. For more information on how we can help you, contact the Lento Law Firm at 888-535-3686 or use our automated online form.
Reasons for Dismissal from Western Michigan University
If you're facing dismissal, it's crucial you find out exactly what you've been charged with doing. The more you understand what WMU thinks you did, the better chance you'll have of defending yourself.
- Poor Academic Performance: First up, you can be dismissed for low grades. Western Michigan has an academic standing policy that requires you to maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. If your GPA falls below that number, you face academic probation. If it stays below that number, you can also face dismissal.
- Academic Misconduct: Cheating, plagiarism, and any other acts that might give you an unfair advantage in earning your degree are expressly prohibited. As with your academic performance, one mistake probably won't get you dismissed. Dismissal is certainly a possibility, though, if you're caught more than once.
- Disciplinary Misconduct: You aren't just a student at Western Michigan. You're also a member of the campus community. As such, you're expected to abide by community rules. The Student Code contains 32 pages of rules about everything from when you can enter campus buildings to who is allowed to consume alcohol. Any violation can result in dismissal. Some, like hazing and drug possession, almost always lead to dismissal.
- Sexual Misconduct: Sexually based offenses also commonly lead to dismissal. Sexual misconduct isn't just against school policy; under Title IX, it's against federal law. Schools are required to investigate every credible allegation and are encouraged to issue harsh sanctions.
Misconduct Procedures
You may have noticed there are basically two types of dismissals: dismissals for misconduct and dismissals for low GPA. Let's talk a little about how to avoid a misconduct dismissal.
Misconduct is always a matter of allegation. That is, WMU can't simply dismiss you. It must give you the opportunity to defend yourself, and further, it must give you some due process protections to help you defend yourself.
- Cases typically begin with a complaint lodged against you, either with the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities (SRR) or the Title IX Coordinator.
- Any time you are under investigation, the school must issue you a Notice of Charges. This notice details the allegation and explains your due process rights.
- One of your most important rights is the right to a Support Person, someone to accompany you to meetings and hearings. This person cannot speak on your behalf, but they can be on hand to advise you throughout the process. Importantly, this Support Person can be a Lento Law Firm attorney.
- The first part of a case is an investigation. Investigators usually start by interviewing both sides. In addition, they gather any physical evidence and conduct witness interviews.
- Investigators are tasked with submitting a written report at the end of their work. This report becomes the foundation for the next stage in the case, a hearing.
- The hearing is your best opportunity to make your full case. You can submit evidence, call witnesses to testify, and raise questions for any witnesses testifying against you.
- Hearings are structured like criminal court proceedings, but they are not the same as court proceedings. One of the most important differences is that decision-makers don't have to find you guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt.” If they are more than 50 percent convinced of your guilt, they must find you “Responsible” (guilty).
- Your last right is the right to appeal the hearing outcome. However, grounds for appeal are limited to issues like the discovery of new evidence, the revelation of a procedural error, or a decision not based on the evidence.
You should know that cases can differ in small but important ways depending on the exact nature of the charges. For instance, in Title sexual misconduct cases, only support persons may cross-examine witnesses. In all other cases, questions must go through the decision-makers presiding over the case.
In any case, though, you can be certain that the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team knows all of the various rules and procedures in place at Western Michigan. They'll help you navigate the system and work with you to get the best possible outcome.
Academic Dismissal Cases
The second type of dismissal is an academic dismissal. These can actually be a little more difficult to fight than misconduct dismissals. That's because they're based on your GPA, and that isn't ordinarily a matter of debate.
Even so, the Lento Law Firm knows some important strategies for helping to protect you in these cases as well. For instance,
- Low grades are sometimes the result of extenuating circumstances. If you've been dealing with a serious illness or had to attend to a family member's death, you can appeal directly to your college dean for more time to improve.
- Low grades can also be the result of a learning disability. If you should discover you have such a disability, you can petition Western Michigan to drop low grades from your transcript, preserving your GPA. You can then retake those courses with appropriate accommodations in place.
- If you've suffered mistreatment in the classroom, you may have grounds for a grade appeal. Report any mistreatment directly to your instructor's department head.
Fighting for Your Future
By this point, you should have a clear sense of why you should never fight dismissal on your own. Procedures can be complex and difficult to navigate, and the full weight of your school will be against you. Plus, it's no exaggeration to say that your entire future is on the line. Luckily, you don't have to fight alone.
The Lento Law Firm was built to help students. We're committed to protecting your rights and to getting you every reasonable opportunity to complete your degree.
Our Student Defense Team knows how to negotiate with faculty and administrators, but we can also be fierce when we need to. Let us help you fight for your academic future. To find out more, contact the firm today at 888-535-3686. Or, use our automated online form.
