If you're a pre-med student at Northwestern, you've worked long and hard to get to this point in your academic career. If you're on this path, you've taken some very difficult classes, but you've managed to keep your grades up. Maybe you've already taken the MCATs as well, or at least begun studying for them.
The good news is you've made it this far, and if you can stay on track, your future looks incredibly bright. The bad news is that you've got more at stake now than the average student. One misconduct charge can put everything in jeopardy. Obviously, a serious charge, like weapons possession or sexual assault, could get you dismissed from Northwestern, and you'll find few other colleges willing to accept if that should happen, let alone medical schools. You need to know, though, that even minor charges like trespassing or sexual harassment can tank your med school applications.
At the first sign of trouble then, it's vital you contact the Lento Law Firm. Our Student Defense Team is committed to making sure students get fair treatment from their universities and every reasonable chance at academic success. We know the law. We also know how Northwestern's administrative and judicial procedures work. We handle all types of misconduct cases, and we're ready to use what we know to defend you.
First, though, you have to call. Call 888-535-3686 today, or take a few minutes right now and fill out our online form.
The Stakes
As a society, we hold doctors to higher standards than other kinds of professionals. Doctors literally hold the power of life and death in their hands, and we want to be reassured that they take this responsibility seriously. It isn't just that we expect physicians to know what they're doing. We also expect them to have the highest ethical standards and be of the strongest moral character.
Those expectations start well before you become a doctor. Most state medical boards take past misconduct extremely seriously when deciding whether to issue medical licenses. Medical schools, which operate as gatekeepers, often perform background checks on candidates and keep a close eye not just on what you're learning but on how you're behaving.
This is why it is so important not only to stay out of trouble but to respond to any and all allegations that do come up the moment they're made. You need to understand Northwestern's judicial processes so you can defend yourself. You also need to keep a careful eye on your record since mistakes can and do show up there.
Below, you'll find some useful information on how investigations and hearings are conducted at Northwestern. The most important thing to know, though, is that you don't want to go into an investigation by yourself. There's too much at stake, and the process is too complex. You need help from the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team. We can defend you, we can file appeals on your behalf, and we can even work to remove negative information from your permanent record.
Misconduct Procedures
No matter what the charges against you may be, whether they relate to academic misconduct, general disciplinary misconduct, or sexual misconduct, you are entitled to due process. According to Northwestern policy, the university must conduct an investigation, and it must give you the chance to prove your innocence at a hearing. Here's how the process typically works.
- Cases begin when someone makes an official complaint about you to either the Office of Community Standards (OCS) or, in the case of sexually-based accusations, with the university's designated Title IX Coordinator.
- The university undertakes an “initial inquiry” to determine whether the charges against you are credible and actionable. If it decides to move forward, it issues you a Notice of the Charges, which explains the allegations and provides a list of your due process rights.
- The Title IX Coordinator or the OCS then proceeds to an investigation. In most instances, investigators begin by talking separately with both sides in the case. In addition, they interview witnesses and collect any physical evidence.
- Among your several rights, you have the right to an advisor, and this advisor can be an attorney. You should make sure that you have a Lento Law Firm attorney at your side any time you go into investigative meetings. They cannot speak for you, but they can protect your rights and help you answer questions.
- At the conclusion of the investigation, investigators submit a written summary of their findings. This document becomes the foundation for the hearing that follows. Once it has been submitted, the university sets a time and date for a hearing and selects one or more decision-makers to preside over the case.
- At the hearing, you have the opportunity to make your full case for your innocence or to offer mitigating factors to explain your actions. You can introduce evidence. You may be able to call witnesses, depending on the type of hearing. You can also raise questions for any witnesses against you.
- Hearings at Northwestern are decided using a legal standard known as “preponderance of the evidence.” According to this standard, decision-makers must find you Responsible for (guilty of) an offense if they are more than fifty percent convinced you committed that offense.
- Whatever the outcome of the hearing, you can appeal, but grounds for appeal are strictly limited to
- The discovery of new information
- A procedural error
- A finding that doesn't match the facts in the case
While this outline should give you a general idea of how cases work, there are dozens of contingencies to think about. For instance, in Title IX sexual misconduct cases, only advisors may cross-examine witnesses. In cases that don't involve suspension or expulsion, there is no formal hearing. Rather, you meet with an administrator from the OCS and participate in an informal discussion. In academic misconduct cases, your instructor makes an initial determination about your guilt and appropriate sanctions, and you must appeal that determination to OCS.
The one thing you can count on is that your Lento Law Firm attorney will be well-versed in all of Northwestern's procedures. We know the system, and we know how to use it to your best advantage.
Fighting for Your Future
Fighting a misconduct charge is never an easy proposition. Beyond the complexities of the Northwestern judicial system, you have to worry about whether sanctions are recorded in your record. You have to worry about who might find out about the allegations and whether that might interfere with recommendation letters. You have to keep a close watch on social media and make sure your reputation doesn't suffer online. It's an enormous amount of work to have to deal with on your own.
That's why the minute you suspect you might be in trouble, it's vital that you contact the Lento Law Firm. We can negotiate with faculty and administrators if that's what's called for, but we can also be fierce in defending our clients.
Let us help you fight for your academic future. To find out more, call the firm today at 888-535-3686. Or, fill out our online questionnaire.
