"Doctor" is a revered position in our society. It's not just about a good salary. We treat doctors with a special kind of respect. The other side of respect, though, is that we hold doctors more accountable than other professions. We expect them to have the highest ethical and moral standards, and we expect their behavior always to be above reproach.
Those expectations start now while you're still an undergraduate. If you're premed and looking to apply to medical school at the end of four years, it's important you not just keep your grades up but that you keep your record clean as well.
Of course, we all make mistakes, even bright, hard-working premed students. It's also true that misunderstandings happen, and you can never tell when you may be the victim of a false allegation. When these kinds of situations come up, you can't afford to handle them all on your own. There's too much at stake. You need help—professional help. You need an attorney from the Lento Law Firm.
The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team was specifically founded to protect student rights. We take every charge seriously. That means knowing the law; it means understanding all of Santa Clara University's judicial rules and procedures. We are always on your side, no matter what has happened, and we'll do everything in our power to get you the best possible resolution to your case.
We've helped hundreds of students. What can we do for you? Call 888-535-3686, or take a few minutes right now and tell us a little about your situation.
Misconduct at Santa Clara University
If you've been charged with some form of disciplinary misconduct, it's almost certainly one of three types of offenses:
- Academic Misconduct: These violations have to do with how you complete your coursework. The university's academic integrity code outlaws offenses like cheating and plagiarism, but at a Jesuit university, any form of dishonesty can get you into trouble.
- Disciplinary Misconduct: These non-academic offenses have to do with your general campus conduct. The Student Conduct Code includes prohibitions on things like theft, weapons possession, disorderly conduct, and violence.
- Sexual Misconduct: Federal law—Title IX—requires all colleges and universities to investigate credible claims of sexually-based offenses, from simple sexual harassment to stalking, dating violence, and rape. Title IX further encourages schools to institute harsh penalties for offenders.
Keep in mind just what's on the line. It doesn't really make a lot of difference whether you stand accused of failing to cite a source or committing violent assault with a weapon. You need a Lento Law Firm attorney on your side to help you deal with it. Medical schools take academic misconduct very seriously. They take disciplinary and sexual misconduct even more seriously. If you're going to survive an allegation—even an entirely false allegation—you're going to have to fight, and you don't want to do it alone.
Misconduct Procedures
What does a fight at Santa Clara University look like? There are some clear rules and procedures, and you have some important due process rights. You have to know how to use these effectively, though, if you want to defend yourself successfully. Here's the simplified version of what you can expect:
- Depending on the specific charges against you, your case could be handled by one of several different administrative offices. Most adopt the same basic process, though.
- Your first important right is the right to Notice of the Charges against you. The university must tell you what you've been accused of doing. You should be presumed innocent from the start, and you should have the chance to answer charges through an investigation and a hearing.
- Investigators usually begin by separately interviewing the Respondent (you, the accused) and the Complainant (your accuser or alleged victim). In addition, they collect any physical evidence and speak with any witnesses to the incident.
- Investigators submit their findings to the appropriate university office, which then sets a time and date for a hearing.
- Hearings take place before one or more decision-makers who have received some training in SCU procedures. You'll have the opportunity to argue for your innocence or offer mitigating circumstances to explain your behavior. You may introduce evidence and call witnesses. You may also raise questions for any witnesses against you.
- Once the hearing is complete, decision-makers deliberate on your level of responsibility (guilt). To do this, they use a legal standard known as “preponderance of the evidence.” This isn't “beyond a reasonable doubt.” You are responsible (guilty) if it seems “more likely than not” that you committed an offense.
- You can contest the hearing outcome, but only if you believe you were treated unfairly. Grounds for appeal at Santa Clara are limited to issues like new evidence and procedural errors in the case.
SCU isn't required to follow courtroom procedures. That's why the standard of evidence is far more lax than it would be in an actual criminal case. In addition, you are not allowed to bring your attorney with you to investigative meetings and hearings.
Make no mistake, though, you do need a Lento Law Firm attorney on your side. Your attorney will map out your entire case. They'll work with you to uncover evidence, suggest questions for witnesses, coach you in presenting your case, and file any necessary appeals. They'll also monitor every aspect of your case from beginning to end and make sure you're treated fairly.
Fighting for Your Future
Fighting a misconduct charge is never an easy proposition for anyone. As a pre-med student, though, you face special challenges. Beyond the complexities of the Santa Clara 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 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, fill out our online questionnaire.
