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Dismissal is always a scary prospect. It’s bad enough that you may be forced to give up the progress you’ve made at CUNY School of Professional Studies and walk away from the community of friends you’ve built, but the transcript notation that comes with dismissal could very well spell the end of your academic career altogether. Most schools won’t accept you if you’ve already been dismissed elsewhere, so transferring your way out of this problem probably isn’t an option.
You must fight every attempt to expel you. We can help. LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team was founded to protect student rights, and we back up that commitment with a background in university processes and procedures and a concrete understanding of how CUNY SPS operates. We’ll make sure you’re treated fairly and that you get the best possible resolution to your case.
To find out how we can help with your particular situation, call us today at 888-535-3686, or take a few minutes right now and fill out one of our online forms.
Reasons for Dismissal from CUNY School of Professional Studies
There are actually dozens of different reasons CUNY SPS can decide to dismiss you. That’s one reason so many students find themselves in trouble every semester. However, all of the schools’ rules and regulations can be grouped into four simple categories. Learn these, and you’ll have an easier time avoiding problems.
- Academic Deficiencies: College isn’t high school, and you can lose your spot at CUNY SPS if you don’t keep your grades up. The school’s academic standing policy requires you to maintain a GPA of at least 2.0. Anything lower means probation, and if you can’t improve while on probation, you face dismissal.
- Academic Misconduct: The CUNY SPS academic integrity policy prohibits all classroom dishonesty, including both cheating and plagiarism. First offenses usually garner classroom sanctions like lowered grades. Additional offenses, though, can get you dismissed.
- Disciplinary Misconduct: You are also subject to CUNY SPS’s Student Conduct Code. This policy applies to your non-academic conduct and covers things like theft, disorderly conduct, and drug possession. Any violation can lead to dismissal, even a first offense, if it is serious enough.
- Sexual Misconduct: CUNY also maintains a strict policy against all forms of sexual misconduct, from simple harassment to sexual assault. Such policies are mandated by the federal government under Title IX, and dismissal is the most common penalty.
Misconduct Defenses
When it comes to misconduct, you always have the right to defend yourself through the CUNY SPS disciplinary process. You are entitled to an investigation and a hearing. You have a number of additional due process rights as well, such as the right to a presumption of innocence (“not responsible”) and the right to review all evidence uncovered in the case.
Here’s a brief outline of the entire process.
- Cases begin when someone lodges a complaint with a student affairs officer or the Title IX Coordinator.
- If the university decides to investigate, you must be issued notice of the charges. This notice should explain the allegations you face and include a list of your due process rights.
- You have the right to an advisor of your choice. This means your LLF National Law Firm attorney can accompany you to all investigative meetings and to any hearings.
- The university must conduct some type of investigation. It cannot proceed without substantiating evidence. You have the right to give your side of the story, to submit evidence, and to suggest witnesses.
- Once the investigation is complete, investigators submit a written report of their findings to the appropriate administrative office. The university then sets a time and date for a hearing before one or more trained decision-makers.
- At the hearing, both sides present their cases. You may introduce evidence, including witness testimony. In addition, you may raise questions for any witness testifying against you.
- At the conclusion of the hearing, decision-makers deliberate as to your level of responsibility. They are required to use a legal standard known as “preponderance of the evidence” to do this. This standard states that you are guilty if they are more than fifty percent convinced of your guilt.
- You further have the right to appeal the hearing outcome. However, you must have clear grounds for doing so. Grounds usually include issues like procedural errors, the discovery of new evidence, or a disproportionate sanction.
Keep in mind that this is merely an outline. Cases can be quite complex and involve subtle interpretations of school policy and the law. Sexual misconduct cases, for instance, usually require a very close reading of the CUNY SPS consent definition.
You can be sure that your LLF National Law Firm attorney knows what to expect in every situation. They’ll make sure you’re fully prepared for whatever you have to face. They’ll protect your rights at every step of the way, and they’ll show you how to use judicial procedures to your best benefit.
Dealing With Academic Dismissal
Academic dismissals are quite different from misconduct dismissals. There’s no accusation in these cases, no investigation, and no hearing. Decisions are based exclusively on your GPA, and dismissal can be essentially automatic.
Even in these cases, though, your LLF National Law Firm attorney knows how to protect you. They can offer a number of suggestions for using the CUNY SPS system to keep your GPA up. For example,
- ·Any time you feel an instructor is mistreating you, you should report this immediately to your instructor’s department head. In some cases, you may get immediate relief. In others, this will lay the groundwork for a formal grade appeal once the semester is over.
- · Low grades can be a sign of a learning disability. Your LLF National Law Firm attorney can make sure you get fair testing and work with your instructors to implement any necessary accommodations. You’re also entitled to drop low grades from your GPA and retake courses.
- · You can always ask instructors for extra credit or makeup assignments. In some cases, a single lab assignment or a paper rewrite can be enough to salvage your GPA.
Fighting for Your Future
By this point, it should be abundantly clear why trying to defend yourself from dismissal is always a dangerous proposition. It’s no easy task taking on a university, and the stakes are incredibly high. Luckily, you don’t have to go it alone. LLF National Law Firm was built to help students. Our Student Defense Team can also be fierce when it comes to protecting our clients, and we’re not afraid of faculty and administrators.
Let us help you fight for your academic future. To find out more, contact the firm today at 888-535-3686. Or, fill out our online questionnaire.