When you are caught up in trying to keep your GPA high—balancing the various demands of your comp, calculus, and chemistry professors—it’s easy to forget that your general campus conduct matters just as much as your grades. In fact, your behavior can get you thrown out of Harvard far faster than a D or an F. One bad joke or an unfortunate Google search can be enough to do it.
Universities are under enormous pressure from politicians and special interest groups these days, and they take every misconduct accusation seriously. Investigations are often overly zealous; administrators don’t always afford students their due process rights, and sanctions have gotten completely out of hand. Even minor offenses sometimes garner punishments like suspension and dismissal.
You don’t have to deal with a misconduct allegation all on your own, though. The LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team was built to defend students from misconduct charges. We’re defense lawyers, so we know how to develop strong arguments, how to uncover evidence, and how to protect your rights. Our focus, though, is on student clients. That means that in addition to the law, we also know how Harvard processes and procedures operate. Whatever problem you might be facing, we have the background and experience to help you get through it.
You can’t afford to wait, though, to see what the university might do. You can be sure that Harvard is already building its case. You should be building your defense. Call 888-535-3686 to tell us about your situation, or take a few minutes right now and fill out one of our online forms.
Harvard’s Standards of Conduct
You can find Harvard’s list of rules and regulations in the Standards of Conduct section of the Student Handbook. It’s not always easy to interpret these rules and regulations, though. Some Harvard has taken the time to codify, like
- Non-Discrimination and Anti-Bullying
- Sexual Misconduct
- Physical Violence
- Drugs and Alcohol
- Unauthorized Recording
- Misuse of Copyrighted Materials
- Hazing
- Possession of Explosives (including fireworks)
- Betting
Even these can be confusing sometimes, though. It’s not always easy to parse university consent policies, let alone understand what verbal sexual harassment actually means. Even judges sometimes have trouble defining what constitutes “fair use” when it comes to copyrighting. And do sparklers count as “fireworks”?
More problematic, though, is the fact that many of Harvard’s rules are unspoken or, as the handbook puts it, “uncodified.” The handbook includes phrases like “mature,” “responsible,” and “respectful,” and expects students simply to know implicitly what they should and shouldn’t do.
Some of these unspoken rules, of course, are pretty easy to guess. You can be sure theft, vandalism, and using the internet to look up how to make pipe bombs are all frowned upon. What is the university’s policy on skateboarding, though? Can the use of curse words result in a sanction? And what exactly constitutes “disorderly conduct”?
When topics like these are left “unspoken,” the university is free to level all sorts of accusations at students for anything it decides violates its general principles.
The bottom line is you’re vulnerable to disciplinary charges that may not even be included in the student handbook. In this situation, you can’t afford to try and handle a misconduct accusation on your own. You need someone on your side who can interpret regulations and protect your rights. You need someone from LLF National Law Firm.
Mounting a Defense to Misconduct Accusations
The good news is that Harvard can’t simply decide you’ve broken a rule and punish you for it. The university maintains strict processes for investigating and adjudicating misconduct allegations, and it affords you a number of important due process rights.
Here’s what you can expect from the process.
- A misconduct charge can arise from anywhere at any time. You can be accused by other students, faculty, staff, administrators, and anyone else connected to the Harvard community.
- Any time you’re under investigation, though, the university must provide you with a Notice of the Charges. This notice should identify your accuser and provide details about the allegations.
- Among your rights, you have the right to a presumption of innocence (“Not Responsible”), the right to review all evidence against you and the right to advanced notification of all meetings and proceedings.
- Investigators generally start by separately interviewing both you and the Complainant (your accuser). In addition, they speak with witnesses and collect any physical evidence.
- Ultimately, investigators compile their findings into a written report. You have the right to review this report, and it’s important you do so since it serves as the foundation of the hearing that follows.
- Once Harvard’s Administrative Board receives this report, it sets a time and date for a hearing before a Disciplinary Subcommittee. Prior to the hearing, you may raise questions about any Subcommittee member you feel may be biased against you.
- The hearing is your opportunity to present your full case. That means you may introduce evidence and call witnesses. You also have the right to raise questions for any witness testifying against you.
- Hearing decisions are based on a legal standard known as “preponderance of the evidence.” If Subcommittee members believe it is “more likely than not” that you committed an offense, they must find you Responsible (guilty).
- You can appeal the hearing outcome. However, you must have grounds for such an appeal. Grounds at Harvard are limited to procedural errors and the discovery of new evidence.
In ordinary disciplinary misconduct cases, Harvard prohibits you from bringing an attorney with you to meetings and hearings. Do not let this discourage you from contacting the LLF National Law Firm. The LLF National Law Firm attorney can help you with all phases of your cases, from outlining your essential arguments to coming up with questions for witnesses to drafting documents on your behalf to coaching you in presenting your case. No one has the authority to prevent you from consulting an attorney, and no attorneys are better prepared to protect your rights than those at LLF National Law Firm.
Fighting for Your Future
Don’t risk your academic future by trying to handle a disciplinary misconduct charge yourself. Processes and procedures are complex and difficult to navigate. Make sure you have a professional on your side, someone who not only knows how to construct a strong defense but who has experience helping student clients defend themselves from university charges. The LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team will make sure you’re fully prepared to defend yourself. They’ll protect your rights. They’ll help you to get the very best possible resolution to your case.
Sometimes, you have to fight for your educational future. We can help. To find out more, contact LLF National Law Firm today at 888-535-3686. Or, fill out our online questionnaire.