Physician is an esteemed profession. One reason for that? It's no easy task to make it into this profession. You probably already know about the difficult academic challenges you face as a premed student at Davidson. We all want to know that the doctor who's working on our case is fully qualified.
You may not know about the high personal and ethical expectations premed students face. It turns out that we also want to know that the doctor working on us has unimpeachable moral standards and an absolute dedication to doing what's right. These expectations begin now while you're still an undergrad. One incidence of cheating or a citation for disorderly conduct can be enough to ruin your career in medicine before it even starts.
Of course, we all make mistakes. It's also true, though, that misunderstandings happen. Sometimes, false allegations happen. If you've found yourself accused of any type of misconduct at Davidson, you can't afford to try to handle the situation yourself. You need the best help you can find. You need someone from the Lento Law Firm. The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team is dedicated to protecting your rights. We care about what you do, and we want to see you succeed.
What can we do for you? Call us at 888-535-3686 to find out, or take a few minutes right now and tell us a little about your situation.
Misconduct at Davidson College
If you're in trouble at Davidson, chances are that it has to do with one of three different types of offense.
- Academic Misconduct: First, you're expected to earn your degree at Davidson honestly. The college doesn't bother to enumerate every single possible offense you might commit. Instead, it maintains a blanket Code of Responsibility. That code specifically mentions plagiarism and cheating, but you can expect any sort of dishonesty to result in a charge of misconduct.
- Disciplinary Misconduct: The Code also applies to your general campus conduct. Again, it doesn't mention things like underage drinking, hazing, or theft, but these are definitely included in strictures like “treat others with respect.”
- Sexual Misconduct: Davidson's policy on sexual misconduct, on the other hand, is quite specific. That's because such offenses aren't just against school policy but against federal law. Title IX sets the guidelines all schools must follow, and Davidson's policy reflects those guidelines.
Finally, it's important you recognize that, in many ways, the specific charge against you doesn't matter. Oh, it matters in terms of how you defend yourself, as we explain below. It doesn't matter in terms of the seriousness of the situation. Even if you're only being threatened with a warning for plagiarism, that warning could cost you your chance at medical school if it should appear in your permanent record.
You must safeguard your record. The Lento Law Firm is here to help you do that.
Misconduct Procedures
A misconduct allegation can be a stressful experience, and, as we mentioned already, you need to take it seriously. However, you can defend yourself with the right help. In fact, Davidson College even gives you some useful tools to do that.
- Any member of the campus community can lodge a complaint against you, including other students, an instructor, an administrator, campus staff, or security personnel. The complaint must be credible, though, and actionable before Davidson will issue a formal charge.
- Davidson can't investigate you without first issuing you a Notice of the Charges. This notice identifies the Complainant (your accuser) and explains the charges. It also contains a list of your other due process rights.
- Among your rights, you are entitled to a campus Defense Advisor. In addition, you are allowed to bring a “support person” with you to meetings and hearings. This person can be the Lento Law Firm attorney. They cannot speak on your behalf, but they can be on hand to help you answer questions and to advise you as you present your case.
- Investigators usually start by asking the Respondent (you) and the Complainant to submit to separate interviews. In addition, they'll talk with witnesses and collect any physical evidence. Their goal is to collect their findings in a written report.
- The investigative report is submitted back to the university, which then sets a time and date for a hearing. In addition, Davidson appoints one or more trained, unbiased decision-makers to preside over the case.
- At the hearing, you may offer up arguments in support of your innocence or to explain your actions. You back these arguments with physical evidence and witness testimony. In addition, you have the right to cross-examine any witnesses testifying against you.
- Once both sides have had the chance to make their cases, decision-makers deliberate as to your level of Responsibility (guilty). They use a legal standard known as “preponderance of the evidence” to do this.” Under this standard, you are guilty if it is “more likely than not” that you committed the offense.
- You have one additional right—the right to appeal the hearing outcome. However, you must have grounds for an appeal, something like a procedural error, new evidence, or a finding that doesn't seem based on the evidence.
All cases at Davidson follow this basic outline. However, procedures can differ in small but significant ways depending on the precise nature of the charges against you. For instance, Title IX rules allow the Respondent and Complainant to cross-examine each other directly. As you might imagine, you have to be especially careful in how you prepare for such cases.
Whatever the charges, you can be sure the Lento Law Firm is fully prepared. They know what the law has to say about college students. They also know how Davidson's judicial system operates. They can help you navigate that system, start to finish, and show you how to use procedural rules to your best advantage.
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 Davidson College 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 those allegations might interfere with med school 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 complete our online questionnaire.
