We're sure you know by this point that medical school is tough. You can understand why. No one wants to sit in a waiting room wondering if their doctor actually knows what they're doing. You can probably also understand why some med students might be driven to take shortcuts. You find yourself some night trying to cram the names of all the bones in the human hand into your brain, and suddenly taping the list to the inside of your water bottle starts to seem very appealing.
The thing is, academic misconduct, cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation, can get you kicked out of Georgetown's School of Medicine a lot faster than low grades.
We all make mistakes, even aspiring doctors. It's also the case that misunderstandings happen. False accusations happen. You always deserve a fair chance to defend yourself, and you deserve the best possible help in doing it.
The best possible help is an attorney from the Lento Law Firm. Our Student Defense Team was founded, as the name suggests, to protect students. We know your rights. We also know how GUSOM processes and procedures work, and we can even show you how to use them to your advantage.
What can we do for you? Find out by calling 888-535-3686 today, or take a few minutes right now and fill out one of our online forms.
Defining Academic Misconduct at GUSOM
You should know the drill by this point in your academic career. You've been taught the basics of academic integrity since at least high school. They may have come up in elementary school. You know all about cheating and plagiarism. More broadly, you know that anything that could even potentially give you an unfair advantage in completing your coursework qualifies as academic misconduct.
In fact, the Georgetown University School of Medicine doesn't even bother outlining academic dishonesty in concrete terms. Certainly, the Student Handbook talks about “honesty” and “integrity.” The Handbook's list of “Values, Virtues, and Principles” includes “Act and speak with integrity,” “Be responsible and accountable,” and “Be honest.”
The School of Medicine doesn't use words like “cheating” and “plagiarism.” Similarly, it doesn't go into detail about what might happen if you're caught committing some form of academic misconduct. Most undergraduate institutions, including Georgetown, set classroom sanctions for first offenses—a lower grade on an assignment or a lower course grade. Second offenses might result in probation or suspension. It takes additional offenses to wind up dismissed. Things are different at medical school. A single offense is enough to get you put out of the program. In fact, you can probably survive a failed course; you almost certainly can't survive a responsible (guilty) finding in a misconduct case.
The bottom line is that you cannot afford to take any accusation lightly. If you don't respond quickly and decisively, school administrators and your peers will all assume the worst. You must have an attorney in your corner and not just any attorney. You need someone from the Lento Law Firm, someone who understands the stakes and who has experience representing student clients. No one gives you a better chance of salvaging your future than the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team.
What to Expect From Your Defense
The idea that you could wind up dismissed over a single offense may seem harsh, and in some ways it is. There is some good news, though: GUSOM can't simply dismiss you without cause. You are always entitled to due process and a number of important due process rights. As a starting point, the School must treat you as innocent (“not responsible”) until proven guilty (“responsible”). It must have concrete evidence to do that, and it must give you the chance to respond to that evidence.
Here's what the Handbook has to say about the disciplinary process.
- All misconduct complaints at GUSOM are forwarded to the Senior Associate Dean for Students. This official evaluates complaints and determines whether or not they are credible and actionable, and they have the power to dismiss complaints that don't meet these standards.
- The Associate Dean must provide you with written notice of any official charges against you. The School cannot investigate you in secret. Notice should describe the allegations and include a list of all your due process rights.
- One of your most important rights is the right to an advisor of your choice. Before you speak to anyone about the allegations against you, it's crucial that you talk with the Lento Law Firm. We can prepare you for what you're facing and make sure the School respects all of your other rights.
- The Associate Dean appoints a four-person subcommittee to investigate the complaint. As part of this investigation, you have the right to give your side of the story. In addition, the subcommittee should keep you apprised of any evidence it uncovers so that you can begin preparing your formal defense.
- Note that for the case to proceed, the subcommittee must unanimously decide that evidence substantiates the charges against you. If that should happen, the subcommittee then forwards the case to the full Committee on Students for a hearing.
- The hearing affords you the opportunity to offer evidence in defense of your innocence. You may also call witnesses to testify, and you are entitled to raise questions about any evidence being used against you, including witness testimony.
- The Committee then determines your level of responsibility. To do this, members employ a legal standard known as “preponderance of the evidence.” According to this standard, you are responsible if it seems “more likely than not” that you committed the offense.
- GUSOM policy also gives you the right to appeal a responsible outcome. However, you must have grounds to do so. This usually means new evidence, a procedural error with the case, or an unfair sanction.
While you are entitled to an advisor, your advisor cannot speak for you. You must defend yourself. The Lento Law Firm will make sure you're ready to do that, though. We can work with you to gather evidence and coach you on how to respond to investigative questions. We'll outline your central arguments and draft your hearing presentation. You can count on us to use every resource at our disposal to get you the very best possible resolution to your case.
The Lento Law Firm is Always on Your Side
The Lento Law Firm knows what's at stake in a way other firms just don't. The attorneys who make up our Student Defense Team have dedicated their lives to ensuring schools treat students fairly, and they care about your future. No one else has the knowledge of campus justice we do. No one else can show you how to use the system to your advantage.
If you're being forced to fight for your educational future, don't try to handle the situation yourself, and don't trust your case to a local attorney. Find out more about what the Lento Law Firm can do by calling 888-535-3686, or take time right now to fill out our online questionnaire.
