California Northstate University's College of Dental Medicine is a prestigious private dental school. Established in 2015 in Elk Grove, California, the College of Dental Medicine — or CNUCDM — offers a DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine) program that helps students pursue a career as dental professionals.
The school is proud of its state-of-the-art technology, its innovative teaching, and the clinical experience it provides for its students.
It's also proud of its reputation as a rigorous, highly-academic program.
CNUCDM's student handbook makes it very clear that the school places special importance on its honor code. If a student breaks the rules set forth in the handbook, acts in a way that breaks the code, exhibits professionalism or ethical concerns, or is associated with behavioral conduct, they could be at risk for steep sanctions (up to and including dismissal).
For a dental student, dismissal could mean that their career as a dentist is over before it even starts. After all of the hard work and resources you've put into your education, you can't let that happen. Attorney-Advisor Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm Team are ready to provide experienced education defense so you can protect your future and your reputation.
Common Reasons for Dismissal at CNUCDM
There are several reasons a school could recommend dental school dismissal.
Some of the most common reasons include the following:
- Poor progression through the assigned course load
- Failure to meet standards in clinical performance
- Professional conduct concerns
- Ethical behavior concerns
Since CNUCDM is a professional school, professional concerns are of utmost importance. Inadequate professionalism may include failure to maintain ethical standards, failure to maintain strong patient relationships, and even failing to manage time and work effectively.
Any academic behaviors that violate the school's honor code, such as plagiarism and cheating, can also result in sanctions for involved students.
These are relatively vague guidelines. When enforcing these common reasons for dismissal, there's a lot of interpretation involved. And while it's important to remember the high-pressure context (and the fact that many CNUCDM students are prone to burnout), often, administrators do not consider the context when recommending sanctions.
This can be a big problem. If you are facing dental school dismissal at the College of Dental Medicine at California Northstate University, it's important to know that you have options. By working with Attorney-Advisor Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm Team, you can negotiate with your school to pursue a more preferable outcome.
How CNUCDM Adjudicates Dismissals
The school's handbook notes that any person accused of either non-academic or academic violations will face adjudication through the Office of Student Affairs.
Once the Office of Student Affairs learns of the complaints against you, you will experience some version of the following sequence of events:
- You will receive a written notice containing the allegations against you. This notice will include an invitation to a formal hearing.
- The hearing will take place. You will need to attend the full hearing and make your case in front of a panel of school representatives. The school's handbook refers to this hearing as “closed” to the informant, the respondent, and very few other people, so you may not be able to have an advisor in the room with you. However, even if you attend your hearing alone, Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm Team can prepare you with strategic statements, responses, and more so you can make the most of your hearing.
- After your hearing, your school will make a decision regarding your responsibility for any allegations against you. Your school will also determine whether any sanctions are necessary and, if so, what those sanctions should be.
This is more severe than you may think. If students of the College of Dental Medicine accrue enough professionalism concerns, those concerns will be added to the student's permanent record. And if the student is suspended or dismissed, that gets noted on a permanent record, too.
These sanctions can have disastrous consequences for your reputation and your academic future.
Fortunately, even notice of a steep sanction isn't the end of the road.
You can still pursue an appeal or negotiations with your school to work towards a better outcome.
The Appeals Process at California Northstate University, College of Dental Medicine
At California Northstate University College of Dental Medicine, the appeals process goes through the Dean. After you receive notice of your intended sanction, you can work with Attorney-Advisor Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm Team to write a strategic appeal letter. Once you send your letter to the Dean's office, the Dean will reply within ten business days. The Dean will then either participate in negotiations with you, during which you can propose reduced sanctions or reiterate that your sanction is considered final.
Working with Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm Team can vastly improve the success of these types of negotiations. The professionals of the Lento Law Firm Team have considerable experience negotiating with schools during and after the appeals process.
Retain the Services of Attorney-Advisor Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm Team
After making it this far in your education, it's clear that suspension and dismissal aren't really an option. Yet if your school is threatening you with dramatic consequences, you might not know where to turn. This can be immensely stressful, especially when you realize your entire future could be on the line.
If you're facing dismissal from CNUCDM, it's time to get in contact with Attorney-Advisor Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm Education Defense Team. Doing so will increase your chances of protecting your education and enjoying the most positive possible outcome. Contact the Lento Law Firm for more information by calling 888.535.3686, or reach out online to schedule a consultation at your earliest convenience.
