If you or a loved one are dealing with a dismissal or a suspension from a college or university in Nevada, you're probably worried about what happens next. You may even be fearful that your entire future is over. You go to college because of all of the amazing benefits that an education can bring you. Don't let being suspended or dismissed from your school or university due to unsatisfactory academic progress, academic misconduct, or other types of misconduct allow you to give up on your dreams. Even if your college or university has already given up on you, don't give up on yourself. This is actually the time when you need to fight like you've never fought before to ensure that you're able to live out your dream of getting your degree. There may be options and remedies available to you that you don't even know exist. Work with national academic attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento and his team at the Lento Law Firm. Call 888-535-3686 to get help.
Challenging Academic Progress Dismissal
Many students at colleges and universities in Nevada receive federal loans in order to pay for their education. This is true whether the schools they attend are public or private. What many parents and students may not realize is that in order for them to continue to qualify for these federal loans, the students must continue to maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) at the school. This usually means that they need to maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher. If they fail to meet these standards, they'll no longer qualify for their loans. Schools are actually prohibited from extending federal loans to students who don't meet minimum grade requirements. At schools within the University of Nevada system like the University of Nevada, Reno and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, as well as at schools like Nevada State, financial aid departments keep close tabs on students to make sure that they're making satisfactory academic progress. If the students fail to keep up their grades, they'll most likely be dismissed.
The problem here is that schools don't always apply their policies fairly when it comes to determining whether a not a student needs to be dismissed. They sometimes dismiss students who should have received lighter penalties based on their individual circumstances. A closer review of a dismissal case could reveal that a particular student did actually meet the SAP threshold.
Schools generally have an appeals process when it comes to suspensions and dismissals.
During an appeals process, it could be discovered that you actually satisfied the course requirements in a way that wasn't clear at first. The people making the decisions regarding your grades - your instructors, professors, etc. - may have made a mistake in grading that downplayed your achievements.
In some cases, students are dealing with extenuating circumstances that could make doing well in their classes next to impossible. For instance, some students may be suffering from physical, emotional, or mental illnesses that could make it extremely difficult for them to carry on with their studies. If it's not them, they could be dealing with family members who are dealing with these issues. Some students are working one or more jobs while going to school at the same time, making it extremely difficult for them to put in the time necessary to consistently achieve satisfactory grades. For whatever reason, it would be unfair to simply dismiss a student without taking into account extenuating circumstances. Yet, this happens all the time. Many schools make decisions without first assessing each student's specific circumstances.
Students who've been disciplined or dismissed may not be aware that they may have been able to appeal the way their school's SAP policies were handled in their cases. If you're in a situation where you're facing academic progression dismissal at your school in Nevada, immediately retain the services of national academic attorney advisor Joseph D. Lento and the expert team at the Lento Law Firm.
Challenging Misconduct Dismissal or Discipline
In addition to the requirements that Nevada schools need to follow regarding academic progression and federal funding, there are also rules and regulations regarding schools that receive federal funding and how they handle instances of student misconduct. Students at colleges and universities in Nevada could also be dismissed for academic misconduct or other types of misconduct. Schools and universities across the state are required to make sure that the students that live on their campuses are provided with a safe environment within which to pursue their education. There are also state and federal laws that help protect students in these environments.
Title IX is a federal law that is specifically designed to help protect students from sexual discrimination on US campuses. This federal law and others work together with schools' own rules of conduct in order to make sure that there is a blueprint that schools can follow that determines how those schools respond when faced with student misconduct. If allegations of misconduct are brought before the school, and those allegations have not been dealt with quickly and firmly, the school could be held liable. Schools must respond immediately to allegations that violate federal laws.
Because schools have to react quickly in order to protect students in these circumstances, they sometimes bring about punishment unfairly on accused students who have not been given the opportunity to defend themselves properly. In these cases, the students are essentially being denied their due process. There are many reasons that students could find themselves on the wrong side of allegations. They may have become the target of smear campaigns, or there may have been a misunderstanding that caused them to be accused of certain types of misconduct. There may even be situations where students have been outright intentionally and falsely accused. There are many circumstances where students are put into positions where they have to defend themselves against allegations that shouldn't have been brought in the first place.
In these circumstances, Joseph D. Lento and the experts at the Lento Law Firm know exactly what to do. They've spent years defending students across the country dealing with situations just like yours. They know exactly the types of information they have to present, they know how to interrogate the parties making the accusations, and they will do everything in their power to make sure that you are provided with a strong and vigorous defense that will provide you with the best opportunity to prevent or reverse a dismissal.
The Consequences of Discipline or Dismissal
It can't be overstated: the consequences of being dismissed from a college or university in Nevada can be devastating. Colleges and universities have the right to dismiss students who have engaged in misconduct or who have made unsatisfactory progress towards a degree. Those possibilities are clearly laid out in the student handbooks that students receive when they begin their journeys at the schools. Once a dismissal has been handed down to a student, that student's journey at the school is over. Unfortunately, the dismissal has even further-reaching consequences.
- When you've been dismissed from a university or college due to a lack of satisfactory academic progress or for misconduct, it can be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for you to transfer to another school. If you apply to a new school and your marred transcript is put up against the transcripts of other prospective incoming students, yours is going to come up short. Schools are usually unlikely to admit students who were dismissed from other universities. A dismissal stays on your permanent record, making it easy for schools to see what happened.
- It can be extremely difficult to get a job when you have a dismissal on your permanent record. A dismissal for misconduct can call your reputation into question, and a dismissal for unsatisfactory academic progress could make prospective employers question your ability to handle the rigors of the job you're applying for.
- You have to start paying back your student loans once you're no longer at a university. They come due once you're no longer in school, even if you haven't graduated. This could put intense financial pressure on you and your family, especially if you need your degree to find work in your field.
Appealing School Discipline or SAP Dismissal
If your Nevada university or college has already put you on academic probation or if you've already been dismissed from the school, you may have already given up, believing that you have no other options. Nothing could be further from the truth. You absolutely have the right to challenge your school's decision and fight for your right to return to school and complete your degree. In order to do this, you're going to need an experienced academic attorney-advisor on your side. Joseph D. Lento and his team have years of experience helping students across the country with this very issue, and they're ready to help you.
Alternative Options for Relief
If you're thinking, “But I've already appealed my academic dismissal or misconduct discipline decision,” don't think that that's the end. There are other avenues of relief that you are probably not aware of. Joseph D. Lento and his firm have handled hundreds of these types of cases, and doing so has allowed them to form relationships with scores of attorneys in schools' Offices of General Counsel as well as attorneys retained by schools from outside firms. These relationships have allowed the Lento Law firm to negotiate an alternative, acceptable relief that allows students to complete their education. Threatening to sue a school is not the most desirable option, but it could also be an option that the Lento Law Firm could explore if necessary.
Retain a National Academic Attorney-Advisor
Your future is at stake. Don't give up, even if you've already been dismissed. By retaining the services of academic attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento and his firm, you're giving yourself a fighting chance and saving your degree and your future.
Reach out to attorney advisor Joseph Lento and his team at the Lento Law Firm at 888-535-3686 for help. Your future is at stake.
