We don't have to tell you: keeping yourself on track as a premed student at Scripps College is no easy task. It's hard enough keeping your grades up in courses like organic chemistry, but your every free moment is spent shadowing healthcare professionals, studying for the MCAT, or filling out medical school applications.
Given all that stress, it's no surprise that premed students sometimes reach a breaking point. Maybe you've made a mistake. Or maybe you're the victim of a misunderstanding or an unfair accusation. Whatever the situation, a single misconduct allegation can do serious damage to your chances at med school. You cannot afford to take any charge lightly.
That means you need to defend yourself. You need to prepare your case carefully, and you need to make sure you have the right help on your side.
The Lento Law Firm is the premier firm in the country when it comes to protecting student rights. Our Student Defense Team has helped hundreds of students over the years. We know what the law has to say about education, and we're familiar with all of Scripps College's rules and regulations. Most importantly, we're always on your side. We'll make sure you're treated fairly and that you get the best possible resolution to your case.
To find out more, call 888-535-3686 or take a few minutes right now and tell us a little about your situation.
Misconduct at Scripps College
One of the difficulties of keeping yourself out of trouble at Scripps is that there are just so many different policies. It can be hard to keep all the many rules straight. One thing that can help, though, is grouping them all into categories. It turns out there are just three categories of offense. Know these, and you can avoid most trouble.
- Academic Misconduct: First, you have to be careful how you complete your coursework. Any action that could potentially give you an unfair advantage in earning your degree is a violation of the Scripps Academic Integrity policy. That includes cheating and plagiarism, but any sort of dishonesty can lead to an allegation.
- Disciplinary Misconduct: Outside of class, your behavior is governed by the Scripps Student Code of Conduct. There, you'll find prohibitions against non-academic misconduct like underage drinking, theft, disorderly conduct, and misuse of computer resources.
- Sexual Misconduct: Though they are technically a form of disciplinary misconduct, sexually-based offenses are treated as a separate category of offense. In part, this is because they are covered under Title IX, a federal law, and the government sets strict standards about how accusations should be handled.
No matter what offense you've been charged with committing, you absolutely must take it seriously. Obviously, different types of offenses garner different penalties. Even if you're just facing a warning for failing to properly cite a source, if that warning shows up in your permanent record, it could damage your medical school applications. As a society, we hold doctors up to higher standards than everyone else. Those expectations begin now.
As a result, you never want to try and deal with an allegation by yourself. There's too much at stake, and the processes and procedures are too complex. The Lento Law Firm is dedicated to your success. Trust us to guide you through every step of the process.
Misconduct Procedures
Scripps College has a number of separate judicial processes for dealing with different types of offenses. In general, though, they all follow a similar outline.
- Cases begin with an allegation. Allegations can come from anyone on campus, including faculty, students, administrators, and staff.
- You are entitled to know the charges against you. Whether formally or informally, Scripps will let you know what you've been accused of doing, what the disciplinary process involves, and what rights you have within that process.
- You can expect the college to undertake some form of investigation. In academic misconduct cases, this could be as simple as gathering examples of your coursework. In Title IX sexual misconduct cases, on the other hand, investigations can last for several months and involve multiple witness interviews and the collection of physical evidence.
- Once the investigation is complete, investigators submit a written report of their findings. You have the right to review all evidence against you.
- You have the right to a hearing, whether that hearing is administrative or takes place before a full judicial board. As part of the hearing, you have the opportunity to introduce evidence, including witness testimony. You may also raise questions about evidence against you.
- Ultimately, one or more decision-makers are tasked with determining your level of "Responsibility" (guilt). Keep in mind that they don't have to find you guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt." Instead, they use a lesser standard known as "preponderance of the evidence." Basically, you're guilty if it seems "more likely than not" that you committed the offense.
- You also have the right to appeal the hearing outcome. However, you must have grounds to file an appeal, and these are limited to new evidence, the denial of your due process rights, or a disproportionate sanction.
Unless you've been charged with Title IX sexual misconduct, Scripps College doesn't allow you to bring an attorney with you to investigative meetings and proceedings. The Lento Law Firm views that as a denial of your rights. However, you should know that our job is not merely to sit beside you while you answer questions or present your case. From the moment you are charged, we'll help you begin building your defense, from uncovering evidence to coming up with questions for witnesses. We'll make sure you're fully prepared to present your case, and we'll keep a close eye on proceedings to ensure you're treated fairly.
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 Scripps 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, fill out our online questionnaire.
