Take a close look at the Tufts University School of Medicine's values, and you'll notice that your responsibility as a medical student goes beyond simply mastering course material and learning the skills that go with being a physician. You are also expected to demonstrate the "highest standards of integrity" and a sense of "personal accountability."
In practical terms, this means any hint of academic misconduct can be enough to get you dismissed from TUSOM.
The thing is—nobody's perfect, not even doctors. We all make mistakes. Or maybe you didn't make a mistake. Maybe you're the victim of an honest misunderstanding or a false allegation. Whatever your situation, the attorneys at the Lento Law Firm want to help keep you on track. Our Student Defense Team is dedicated to protecting student rights. We know the LKSOM judicial system, and we can show you how to use it to our advantage.
We can't do any of those things, though, until you contact us. To find out how we can help with your case, call 888-535-3686 today, or take a few minutes right now and fill out one of our online forms.
The Tufts University Academic Misconduct Policy
The School of Medicine at Tufts doesn't maintain its own academic misconduct policy. Instead, it follows the Tufts University policy. That policy contains all the usual prohibitions you'd expect from a world-class university, including bars on
- Cheating: The unauthorized use of any resource in completing coursework. This might include anything from consulting a textbook during an exam to asking another student to take an exam for you.
- Plagiarism: The attempt to pass another person's work off as your own.
- Inappropriate Collaboration: While many courses and instructors at the SOM encourage collaboration, unauthorized collaboration is a form of academic dishonesty.
- Academic Dishonesty: Misrepresenting coursework in any way.
- Research Misconduct: Fabricating or falsifying research results.
- Facilitation: Helping any person to violate the academic misconduct policy.
While the university specifically mentions these offenses, more broadly, you are prohibited from taking any action that could potentially gain you an unfair advantage in completing your coursework or earning your degree.
While TUSOM follows the university's Code of Conduct, it imposes its own penalties on students who violate the Code. While undergraduates at Tufts who violate academic integrity are generally punished with in-class sanctions like lower grades, medical students are held to a higher standard. Even the hint of impropriety raises questions about a student's fitness to practice medicine. In keeping with this principle, the minimum penalty in academic misconduct cases is normally suspension. The more common penalty is expulsion from the program.
Any time your career is at stake, you must take the situation seriously. That means ensuring you have the best possible legal help in preparing your case. No one in the country offers better legal resources for students than the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team.
Navigating the TUSOM Judicial System
Here again, TUSOM abides by Tufts University policies when it comes to investigating and adjudicating allegations of academic misconduct. Importantly, those policies protect your due process rights any time you're accused of violating school rules and regulations. For instance, you are entitled to a presumption of innocence ("not responsible"), to a thorough investigation, and to defend yourself at a formal hearing.
- Anyone may lodge a complaint of academic misconduct against you. The Tufts Office of Community Standards (TOCS) coordinates all disciplinary procedures.
- If you have been charged with an offense, the TOCS must issue you notice of those charges, and that notice must explain the allegation and list your due process rights.
- The university needs evidence to substantiate any allegations against you. As a result, it must conduct some form of investigation, even if that simply means collecting examples of your work and interviewing your instructor. As part of this process, you have the right to give your side of the story. Further, you should be apprised of any evidence investigators uncover.
- Once the investigation is complete, investigators turn over their findings to the TOCS, which then determines what type of resolution is appropriate. In cases where suspension and expulsion are possible sanctions, you are entitled to a full hearing before a trained, unbiased hearing panel.
- The hearing is your best opportunity to make the case for your innocence or to otherwise explain your actions. As part of the process, you have the right to present evidence and call witnesses. In addition, you may pose questions for anyone testifying against you.
- The hearing panel is required to use the legal standard “preponderance of the evidence” in deciding the case. According to this standard, you are responsible (guilty) if it seems “more likely than not” that you committed the offense.
- Finally, you have the right to appeal a responsible outcome. You cannot appeal simply because you disagree with that outcome, however. You must have grounds for an appeal, some evidence that you were denied a fair opportunity to make your case.
One of your most important rights during the investigation and adjudication processes is the right to an advisor of your choice. This means the Lento Law Firm attorney can be at your side throughout the entire case to help you answer questions and offer advice on defending yourself. Beyond this, though, you can expect your attorney to prepare you fully to present your defense. They'll work with you, for instance, to collect evidence. They'll coach you in answering investigative questions and make sure investigators respect your due process rights. They'll draft your hearing presentation and suggest questions for witnesses. And, if necessary, they'll help you uncover grounds to support an appeal.
Put Your Future in the Lento Law Firm's Hands
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 that they 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.
