You've worked hard to earn a spot in one of the country's most prestigious schools, but if you're facing disciplinary proceedings at your Ivy League college, you run a real risk of seeing your future crumble before you. If you've been accused of a serious violation – which could result in much more than a warning and could even lead to your expulsion – you should contact an experienced Ivy League college discipline advisor immediately.
Attorney Joseph D. Lento has assisted college students nationwide as they fought for their academic careers and standing to remain intact. He knows his way around the disciplinary process and can help ensure your rights are preserved and that your university follows proper procedures during the course of your disciplinary process. He has helped clients at all Ivy League schools in various capacities, including, but not limited to, cases involving academic misconduct, Title IX, code of conduct issues, and student rights.
Brown University
Every Ivy League university has a student code of conduct that all students are expected to follow during the course of their attendance. The code lays out student rights and responsibilities as well as an explanation of the disciplinary process.
Generally, the student accused of a violation (called a “respondent”) is notified of the charges against them. There may be an informal hearing at which the student can affirm or deny the charges; a denial may lead to a formal hearing, which loosely follows a process similar to criminal trials.
An experienced student disciplinary advisor can assist you through all stages of the process, but it is especially important to receive guidance during any type of formal hearing, and that is regardless as to whether an attorney can be directly involved with the school or not (which is further nuanced by the particular circumstances at hand). Both because so much is at stake and also because an accused student's prospect of achieving a favorable outcome will be greatly increased if they have someone in their corner from as early as possible in the process, accused students must have an experienced advisor protecting their interests.
Although an accused student cannot depend on the school to protect their rights and interests, at a minimum, respondents should be entitled to view documents and other evidence, and also testify, question witnesses, and call witnesses of their own. Depending on the nature of the case, they may also decide against testifying under right against self-incrimination (although this is a nuanced consideration and will depend on school policies in this regard and also other considerations).
Potential Consequences from Student Disciplinary Hearing
With an adverse finding in a student disciplinary process, the university could decide to administer a range of penalties that range from a warning, which does not appear on the student's transcript, to the other extreme of expulsion, which means the student is removed permanently from the school.
Potential disciplinary consequences between those two include a reprimand that may include counseling, probation, and suspension. Students may also temporarily or permanently be restricted from campus housing. Many such disciplines remain on your academic record unless expunged.
Note that even the least serious sanction of a warning could be used against a student in any future disciplinary proceedings. If you are already on probation and are accused of a violation of the student code, you could be facing even stiffer penalties.
Speak with a Student Disciplinary Hearing Advisor
If you're facing disciplinary proceedings as an Ivy League college student, you should have an advisor experienced in student disciplinary proceedings by your side as soon as possible. There's simply too much on the line to risk going into the process alone.
Attorney Joseph D. Lento can help you just as he's assisted thousands of college students nationwide in school disciplinary hearings. Contact Joseph D. Lento online today or call 888-535-3686 today to start the conversation about your defense.
