The premed program at Boston University is no joke. Like any premed student at any college or university, you have to keep your GPA while taking some pretty difficult courses. In the meantime, you have to spend your free time shadowing healthcare professionals and studying for the MCAT. You want to bolster your resume with student activities. That's a lot for anyone to deal with. But you're not just at any school. You're at Boston University, and your road is definitely more difficult than most.
Plenty of students crack under that kind of pressure. You certainly wouldn't be the first premed student to make a mistake and wind up accused of some form of misconduct. It's just as true, though, that the allegation against you could be the result of a simple misunderstanding or a malicious false accusation.
It doesn't really matter how you wound up in trouble. The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team gives you your best chance at getting out of it. We believe in what you're doing, and we're committed to making sure you make it to medical school and go on to a successful career. We back up that commitment with knowledge of education law and experience dealing with campus judicial systems.
What can we do for you? Find out by calling 888-535-3686, or take a few minutes right now and tell us a little about your situation.
Misconduct at Boston University
BU is an enormous school, and like any large institution, it's complex, with a long list of often confusing rules and regulations. Even the brightest students can have trouble keeping everything straight. Let us help. Virtually all offenses can be grouped into three simple categories. Knowing these can usually keep you out of trouble, even if you don't know every specific policy.
- Academic Misconduct: It won't surprise you to learn that BU expects you to earn your degree honestly. What use is a doctor who had to cheat to make it through OChem? The Academic Integrity policy specifically prohibits cheating, plagiarism, and any other type of academic dishonesty.
- Disciplinary Misconduct: Where the Academic Integrity policy controls your behavior in class, the Student Responsibilities policy dictates your behavior out of class. Rules here bar things like underage drinking, theft, disorderly conduct, and violence.
- Sexual Misconduct: Finally, like all college and university students, you are subject to Title IX. The federal government requires BU to investigate virtually all sexual misconduct complaints, and it pressures the university to issue harsh sanctions like suspension and dismissal.
Of course, some offenses are more serious than others. Stalking can get you into a lot more trouble than forgetting to properly cite a source in a paper. As a premed student, though, you can't afford to take any charge of misconduct lightly. Even if the proposed punishment is nothing more than a warning, that warning can hurt your chances at medical school if it should show up on your transcript or get mentioned in some professor's recommendation letter.
Given how much is at stake, you need a professional on your side. You need someone from the Lento Law Firm to help you defend yourself and make sure you're treated fairly.
Misconduct Procedures
Just like the rules and regulations at Boston University, the various judicial systems can be complicated and difficult to navigate. We can, however, give you a general outline of what to expect.
- Most cases begin with an allegation. Anyone can accuse you of misconduct, from faculty and other students to administrators and university staff.
- In all cases, though, you are entitled to notice of the charges against you. This notice should explain the particulars of the allegation and give you a list of your due process rights.
- Once you've been charged, the university will conduct some form of investigation, even if it's just a matter of collecting examples of your classwork to use to substantiate a cheating allegation.
- As part of the investigation, you have the right to give your side of the story. Again, your attorney can help you do this. They cannot speak for you, but they can help you as to how to answer questions.
- Investigators also speak with witnesses (including the Complainant) and gather any physical evidence. Ultimately, they turn all of this information over to the university, and it becomes the foundation of the school's case against you. However, you always have the right to review this evidence.
- Next, you'll face a hearing before one or more trained decision-makers. As part of the hearing, you'll have the chance to offer arguments, introduce evidence, and call witnesses to testify. You may also raise questions for any witnesses against you.
- Once both sides have presented their cases, decision-makers then employ a legal standard known as “preponderance of the evidence” to determine whether or not you are “Responsible for” (guilty of) the offense. Unlike “beyond a reasonable doubt,” this standard allows decision-makers to find you guilty if they are more than fifty percent convinced you committed the offense.
- You can appeal the hearing outcome if you need to. However, you must be able to show you were treated unfairly in some way. Grounds for appeal are generally limited to issues like procedural errors or the discovery of new evidence.
As this outline suggests, defending yourself at BU is never an easy proposition. It can be made even more difficult, though, by the fact that different charges involve slightly different processes. For example, if you've been charged with Title IX sexual misconduct, it's important to know that you have the right to cross-examine your accuser. They also have the right to cross-examine you. Keeping track of all the various procedural rules is hard enough, but if you're going to effectively defend yourself, you need to do more than just know what to expect. You need to know how to use various procedures to your benefit.
All this complexity is another important reason why you need the Lento Law Firm attorney on your side. We're familiar with all of BU's various judicial processes, and we can help you prepare no matter what the charges against you.
Fighting for Your Future
Fighting a misconduct charge is never an easy proposition for anyone. As a premed student, though, you face special challenges. Beyond the complexities of the Boston University judicial system, you have to worry about whether sanctions appear on your permanent record. Even if you are eventually cleared of wrongdoing, you have to worry about who might find out about the allegations and whether that might interfere with their 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's Student Defense Team. 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, contact the firm today at 888-535-3686. Or, fill out our online questionnaire.
