If you or someone that you care about is dealing with dismissal from a college or university in Utah, you're understandably concerned. Getting to college is the culmination of many years of hard work for most students. Reaching this goal will help ensure that they are able to enter the careers of their choice or go on to postgraduate work, which will then bring them to their dream careers.
Getting dismissed from school due to unsatisfactory academic progress, academic misconduct, or any other type of misconduct will set your future plans on fire. Many people never recover from these types of situations, and their whole futures are altered. The good news is it doesn't have to be that way. An expert attorney advisor can help you fight to preserve your future.
Don't give up just because your Utah college or university has already made its decision. There is always an opportunity to overturn a decision or challenge the decision. You just need the right team by your side. Call Joseph Lento and his team at 888-535-3686 if you need help now.
Challenging Academic Progress Dismissal
When you enter one of Utah's 36 universities or colleges, the expectation is that you maintain satisfactory academic progress, or “SAP,” in order to move forward in your program. For instance, Southern Utah University's SAP policy details which grades are considered passing and what could happen if students don't meet the threshold. Even two-year colleges like Salt Lake Community College have an SAP policy. By having these academic standards in place, a school can be sure that you are upholding the requirements of the degree and will be graduating having met all of the expectations of your program. Most schools in Utah require at least a 2.0 average in order for a student to be considered in good standing. If students fall below that threshold, the school may make the decision to dismiss that student if all other efforts to improve the scores fail.
In addition to schools having their own academic standards, they also have to follow federal guidelines when it comes to the academic standing of their students. Students in both private and public colleges and universities in Utah receive federal loans to help pay for their education. Those loans can and will be taken away if a student does not meet the minimum 2.0 GPA academic threshold.
In order to help students in these cases, schools like Brigham Young University often set students up with academic probation or remediation. The goal of both of these types of programs is to help a student who is failing raise their grade point average back to an acceptable level. After the remediation or probation program, the student will come off of the remediation program if their scores improved. If their scores don't improve, the student could be asked to leave.
The problem with these types of programs is that scores and grades are not always distributed fairly. A professor may deem one student's attempts at improving their score satisfactory while deeming another student's attempts unsatisfactory. This could happen even if both students submitted the same quality and level of work: teachers are not always objective. This would obviously put the student getting a failing grade at a disadvantage since failure to complete a remediation or probationary program satisfactorily ends in dismissal.
This is exactly why if you're currently in the process of dealing with remediation or probation, it could be in your best interest to deal with an attorney advisor now. You need to have someone on your side who understands and can help ensure that you are given a fair opportunity to present and represent yourself when the time comes.
Many students are struggling with extenuating circumstances that make it difficult for them to succeed in school at any given time. Some students may be dealing with health issues, both physical and mental, while others may be dealing with sick parents or family members. Still others may be struggling to pay for school while going to school, putting them at a disadvantage against students who don't have those heavy issues to deal with. All of those circumstances need to be taken into account when determining whether or not a student should be dismissed.
Schools Make Mistakes
Many colleges and universities in Utah have made mistakes when it came to making decisions about students. In some cases, they never got key information about their students' personal lives, while in other cases, they may have deemed it irrelevant. For whatever reason, the student ended up being on the losing side of the process.
You and your loved ones don't have the knowledge and skillset to represent yourselves in the right way and these types of cases. This is the first time that you're dealing with it, and you're most likely unfamiliar with what to say, present, and do when you have to defend yourself.
Joseph Lento and his firm have years of experience defending students stuck in these very types of situations. They know what information needs to be gathered and presented to show the student in the very best possible light. They've dealt with university administrations and university counsel across the nation for years, and they know exactly what needs to be done in order to give you the best chance possible.
Challenging Misconduct Dismissal or Discipline
Utah's colleges and universities have very strict laws when it comes to dealing with academic misconduct or other types of misconduct on their campuses. From private colleges to public universities, schools have ethics and codes of conduct in place that they expect all of their students to live and abide by. This is to help ensure safety and fairness on the University's campus.
In addition to making sure that their own codes of conduct are followed, colleges and universities in Utah also follow federal law when it comes to protecting students on campus. Federal laws like Title IX are intended to protect students from sexual discrimination. If schools don't respond promptly to allegations made against a student that violate Title IX, they could be held liable. For this reason, they tend to move quickly in these types of misconduct cases. They also move quickly and firmly on academic misconduct cases in order to protect their own academic reputations.
Unfortunately, Utah schools often make mistakes in these cases. They don't provide enough of an opportunity for students to fully defend themselves, and even if they do, students don't know how to defend themselves.
If you're dealing with this now, you need to work with Joseph Lento and his team. They've defended hundreds of students across the country with cases just like yours, so they know the ins and outs of the many types of misconduct issues that university students face.
Don't risk everything by working with an attorney who has no experience in this area or worse, trying to defend yourself on your own. There are too many layers and levels to the academic misconduct process that you have absolutely no idea about. You are literally fighting for the rest of your life and your future. Don't make the mistake of not taking this as seriously as you should.
Consequences of Dismissal
The aftermath that follows being dismissed from your college or university in Utah can be devastating. You could lose everything that you've worked for up until that point.
- Once a dismissal goes on your academic record, it's never removed. This can make it really hard for you to get accepted to another school, further derailing your opportunity to fix your life.
- Loans are due if you're no longer attending classes, so you'll have to start paying them back right away. So, in addition to having to pay back any loans that you've already taken out for school, you'll need to figure out how to pay for any school that you may get into in the future.
- You may find it extremely difficult to get into a post-graduate program even if you are accepted into another undergraduate program. Many postgraduate degrees are strongly rooted in ethics, and if you have an academic misconduct mark on your record, this can make it really difficult for you to get accepted. Even if the misconduct isn't the real reason you get rejected, you'll always wonder.
- You could face difficulty finding a job, a huge issue if you have to pay back loans. Your dismissal will be on your permanent record, and employers will see it.
Get the Help That You Need
If you're dealing with dismissal from your Utah college or university due to unsatisfactory academic progression or misconduct of any type, you don't have any time to waste. You need to get help now so that you can get back on track. Don't assume that just because your case has already been decided that all hope is lost. There's always hope as long as you have an experienced team on your side that knows how to take the next steps.
Joseph Lento and his team have years of experience helping students all across the country with issues just like yours. Give them a call at 888-535-3686 so that they can help you. Your future depends on it.
