College can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. It's more than just a chance to earn a degree. It's an opportunity to make new friends, to establish your independence, and to figure out just who you are. College isn't easy, though. Courses are tough, and faculty can be demanding, and that's just the beginning. You're under constant scrutiny as a college student, and you can be dismissed for the slightest misstep, anything from trespassing to dating violence.
How do you keep your academic career on track?
- First, you make sure you know all the rules. Just what can get you dismissed, and how do you avoid making mistakes?
- Next, you find out all you can about the processes and procedures at Broward so you know how to defend yourself if you need to.
- Finally, and most importantly, you figure out how to get help defending yourself. Fighting dismissal isn't easy. You need someone on your side who understands the system and who has experience helping students get the justice they deserve. You need attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento and his Education Law Team.
Reasons for Dismissal at Broward College
Let's start with the basics: what are the rules at Broward College? Here's what you need to know: there are four categories of offenses that can get you dismissed.
- Academic Deficiencies: Broward College has a clear academic standing policy. You're expected to maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average and to earn a 2.0 each semester. If you can't meet those standards, you're placed on warning status. Continue to struggle, and you can be put on academic probation or dismissed for up to a year.
- Academic Misconduct: You can also be dismissed for any type of academic dishonesty, including cheating and plagiarism. First-time violations don't usually rise to the level of dismissal. A particularly serious offense can, though, or multiple violations.
- Disciplinary misconduct: In addition to its academic misconduct policy, Broward also maintains a strict Code of Conduct that governs your behaviors outside of class. Any violation, from disorderly conduct to hazing, can result in dismissal.
- Sexual misconduct: This offense almost always results in dismissal. Sexual misconduct is not only a violation of school policy but also of federal law (Title IX). All colleges and universities are required to take allegations seriously, conduct thorough investigations, and apply strict sanctions to anyone found Responsible (guilty).
Defending Yourself from Misconduct Charges
If you've been accused of any type of misconduct at Broward College, you have the right to defend yourself, and the school maintains clear procedures for doing so.
- Cases begin with a formal complaint made either to the Dean of Students or—in the case of Title IX sexual misconduct—the Title IX Coordinator.
- The school must then make a preliminary decision as to whether the case seems credible.
- If the school decides to proceed, it opens an investigation into the facts of the incident. You can expect Investigators to interview you and the Complainant (your accuser). In addition, they collect any physical evidence and identify potential witnesses.
- Throughout the process, you have several important rights, such as the right to be presumed “Not Responsible” until proven “Responsible.” In addition, you have the right to an advisor, and this advisor can be an attorney.
- Once the investigation is complete, the case moves into its next phase: a hearing before a Conduct Committee or a Title IX Hearing Officer.
- The hearing offers you a chance to submit evidence and call witnesses. You also have the right to cross-examine any witnesses against you.
- At the conclusion of the hearing, the appointed decision-makers deliberate as to your level of Responsibility. In doing so, they use a legal standard known as “preponderance of the evidence.” In simple terms, they must find you Responsible if they believe it is “more likely than not” that you committed an offense.
- You may appeal the hearing decision, the sanction applied, or both. However, grounds for appeal are strictly limited to a procedural error, the discovery of new evidence, or a sanction that is disproportionate to the offense.
You should know that there are some minor variations in how different investigations and hearings are conducted, particularly with respect to Title IX cases. For example, in a Title IX case, all cross-examination must be conducted by advisors. As a result, if you do not have an advisor, the school must appoint one for you.
However, you can trust Joseph D. Lento and his Education Law Team to be familiar with all the different possibilities. They know the law; they also know how the judicial system at Broward operates, and they can help you navigate that system no matter what you've been charged with.
Academic Dismissals
Dismissals for academic deficiencies can often be more difficult to deal with than misconduct dismissals. That's because Broward College doesn't offer any formal way to challenge such dismissals. The school assumes that because decisions are based on objective fact—your GPA—there's no need for investigations and hearings.
That doesn't mean you must simply accept such a dismissal. There are always ways to protect your academic career. For example,
- If you have a learning disability like ADD, you may be entitled to course modifications. If you're denied these modifications, you can appeal your course grade.
- Any other type of classroom mistreatment can also be grounds to appeal your grades.
- Some faculty are open to the possibility of grade negotiation. If you have a strong argument—like your work significantly improved over the course of the semester—you can sometimes convince an instructor to reconsider your final grade.
You can count on Joseph D. Lento and his team to know all the options available to you and to help you choose the one that's right for your particular situation.
Fighting for Your Future
By this point, you probably have a clear sense of why you need the help of an attorney-advisor to fight dismissal decisions. Campus judicial procedures can be complex and difficult to navigate, and the full weight of your school will likely be against you.
You need someone watching over your shoulder, making certain you're treated fairly and that you get the justice you deserve.
The Lento Law Firm was built on helping students just like you handle all types of misconduct charges. They know how to negotiate with faculty and administrators; they know how to interview witnesses; they know how to put together water-tight appeals. To find out more about exactly what Joseph D. Lento and his team can do for you, contact the Lento Law Firm today at 888-555-3686, or use our automated online form.
