You're not just a premed student; you're a premed student at UNC-Chapel Hill. Your academic program is among the toughest in the country. You've got an outlandish schedule every single semester, and you can't afford for your grades to fall even a bit if you want to get into medical school.
It's easy to get so caught up in academic demands that you take your eye off the ball in other areas of your life. The thing is, though, a disciplinary misconduct sanction on your record can actually do more damage to your chances at med school than a low grade or two. After all, who doesn't struggle in OChem? If you get so desperate you try cheating, though, you're almost certainly going to wind up with a whole other level of problems.
We get it. Mistakes happen. Or maybe you're simply the victim of a misunderstanding or an outright false allegation. Whatever the situation, we're here to protect you and to make sure you have every possible chance to earn your degree and go on to a successful healthcare career. The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team was founded to fight for student rights. We've helped hundreds of students just like you defend themselves from all types of charges. We know the law. We know how UNC-Chapel Hill's judicial system works.
What can we do for you? Call 888-535-3686 to find out. Or take a few minutes right now and tell us a little about your situation.
Misconduct at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Part of the problem of keeping your record clean at UNC Chapel Hill is that there are just so many different rules and regulations. It can be difficult, in fact, to keep them all straight.
One thing that can help is to think about them in terms of categories. There are really only three categories of offense. Know those, and you can usually avoid most problems.
- Academic Misconduct: First, you have to earn your degree honestly. The UNC Chapel Hill Honor Code makes it clear that plagiarism and cheating are strictly forbidden. In fact, any sort of classroom dishonesty can lead to sanctions, whether it's inventing lab results or telling a student in another class what to expect on an exam.
- Disciplinary Misconduct: In addition to strict standards of academic integrity, the Honor Code contains a long list of Offenses Against Persons and Offenses Against Property. In simple terms, you are part of a community, and you're expected to be a good citizen of that community. Underage drinking, drug possession, disorderly conduct, and similar non-academic offenses can get you into as much trouble as cheating, if not more.
- Sexual Misconduct: Sexually-based offenses are among the most serious any student can be accused of committing. Such violations aren't just counter to UNC-Chapel but, under Title IX, counter to federal law.
As you might expect, a serious offense like stalking carries a weightier punishment than something like writing your name on your dorm room wall. Title IX offenses, for instance, frequently result in dismissal. Even if you're just facing a warning for plagiarism, though, you must take the allegations seriously. As a pre-med student, you don't have the luxury of ignoring "minor offenses" with "light punishments." Any disciplinary sanction listed on your transcript can cost you the opportunity to attend medical school.
What does it mean to take allegations seriously? It means responding to charges, carefully building a defense, and making sure you have the very best help you can find. The moment you're charged with an offense at UNC Chapel Hill, it's important you contact the Lento Law Firm. We can make sure you're treated fairly, and we give you your very best chance to defend yourself successfully.
Misconduct Procedures
How you defend yourself at UNC-Chapel Hill can vary based on the nature of the charges against you and the severity of those charges. One reason you need an attorney on your side is that it can be difficult to navigate UNC-Chapel Hill's complicated judicial system.
That said, there are basic elements common to all cases:
- First, all cases begin with a complaint. As the accused, you are referred to as the “Respondent.” If there's an accuser or alleged victim, they are referred to as the “Complainant.” The issue is whether or not you are “Responsible for” (guilty of) an offense.
- If you are officially charged with an offense, the university will provide you with Notice of the Charges. This notice should explain the allegations and apprise you of your due process rights.
- You actually have a number of important rights as the Respondent. The university must treat you as “Not Responsible” until you're proven “Responsible,” for instance. You also have the right to an advisor and to choose an attorney to serve as your advisor. This means your Lento Law Firm attorney can accompany you to meetings and hearings.
- The university will conduct some type of investigation. Even an instructor who accuses you of cheating must offer some evidence to prove their accusations. You have the right to give investigators your side of the story.
- Investigators are tasked with gathering witness testimony and physical evidence. Ultimately, they compile this material into a written document. You have the right to review this document and, in some cases, to object to what it contains.
- The university then holds a full hearing. This is your opportunity to make the case for your innocence or to offer mitigating reasons for your behavior. You may introduce evidence, and you may call witnesses to testify.
- One or more decision-makers will preside over the hearing and, in the end, render a verdict. In doing this, they use a legal standard known as "preponderance of the evidence." This standard requires them to find you Responsible (guilty) if they are more than 50 percent convinced of your guilt.
- Finally, you have the right to appeal the hearing outcome if you were treated unfairly in any way during the process. Keep in mind, though, that this is not a chance simply to disagree with that outcome. You must have clear grounds for an appeal.
It's no easy task preparing a misconduct case. No two allegations are alike, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to a defense. Where you're accused of having committed the offense can raise issues of jurisdiction. You may need to parse the university's definition of "consent." Co-defendants can complicate matters. There could be questions over whether a particular rule was properly defined by an instructor.
Lento Law Firm attorneys think like lawyers because, well, we are lawyers. We spend our time working on student disciplinary cases, though, which means we're familiar with all the types of questions and problems that can come up in a campus defense. You can count on us to know what to expect in every situation and to guide you through all of it one step at a time.
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 University of North Carolina Chapel Hill 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.
