If you're in trouble at Cal State, LA, and if someone has mentioned the possibility of dismissal, you can't afford to take the situation lightly. Undergraduates can and often do transfer from one school to another over the course of their academic careers, but you'll find transferring is difficult once the school has dismissed you. Few schools are willing to take a chance on a student who's already gotten into trouble.
Luckily, you don't have to handle this situation all on your own. The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team is here to help. The attorneys at the Lento Law Firm know what you're up against. College is hard, and students make mistakes. Those mistakes shouldn't cost you your chance at a degree. The firm's attorneys know the law; they know how Cal State, Los Angeles works, and they have the background and experience to make sure you're treated fairly.
Reasons for Dismissal from Cal State, Los Angeles
Protecting yourself from dismissal starts with knowing the rules. If you don't know what can get you dismissed, you don't know what behaviors to avoid. The good news is that all dismissable offenses at CSLA can be grouped into just four categories. The bad news is that each of those categories contains many different types of violations.
- Academic Deficiencies: First up, you must do well academically if you want to remain at CSLA. The university maintains a strict academic standing policy that requires you to keep a cumulative grade point of no less than 2.0. You won't be dismissed the first time you fall below that number, but you might be if you continue to struggle.
- Academic Misconduct: As you might expect, you can also get into serious trouble for cheating or plagiarizing. Here again, one offense probably isn't enough to get you dismissed. A second offense is, though.
- Disciplinary Misconduct: The Academic Honesty policy at CSLA governs your student behaviors. Outside of class, you're subject to a different set of guidelines: the Student Code of Conduct. That Code is actually set by California state law, and it covers everything from theft and trespassing to hazing and weapons possession. Any single violation can get you dismissed if it's serious enough.
- Sexual Misconduct: Sexually-based offenses are almost always subject to dismissal. These are among the most serious charges a college student can face. In fact, colleges and universities are required by federal law (Title IX) to follow very specific procedures in how they investigate and adjudicate allegations.
Defending Yourself from Misconduct Charges
Misconduct cases can differ in important ways depending on the nature of the charges. For example, if your instructor should accuse you of cheating and sanction you with a lower grade on the assignment, your only real recourse is to go through the student grievance process to challenge those decisions. In contrast, sexual misconduct cases always involve a lengthy investigation and a full, formal hearing.
If you're facing dismissal, though, you have the same basic rights in all cases. Here's how the process generally works.
- First, someone lodges a complaint against you. The school must decide whether or not that complaint is credible and actionable before it can initiate an investigation.
- Any time you are under investigation, you are entitled to Notice of the Charges. This notice should include an explanation of the allegation and a list of your other due process rights.
- Among your rights, you are entitled to a presumption of “Not Responsible” (innocent) until proven Responsible (guilty). You're entitled to review all evidence in the case. You're entitled to advanced notification of any meetings or proceedings. Maybe the most important of these rights is the right to an advisor. An advisor not only helps you prepare your case but accompanies you to meetings and to the hearing and can offer advice throughout. If you're facing dismissal, you are entitled to select an attorney to serve as your advisor.
- Investigators usually start by meeting separately with both sides of the case. This is your first chance to tell your side of the story. You may also offer up evidence and suggest witnesses. Investigators then move on to collecting evidence.
- At the end of the investigation, investigators submit a summary of their findings back to the university. The school must then set a time and date for a hearing and select decision-makers to rule on the case.
- The hearing affords you the opportunity to lay out your entire case. You may contest evidence, call witnesses, and ask questions of any witness testifying against you.
- Ultimately, decision-makers use a legal standard known as “preponderance of the evidence” to determine the hearing outcome. This standard requires them to find you Responsible if they believe it is “more likely than not” that you committed an offense.
- You can appeal the hearing outcome, but only for certain very specific reasons. These include a finding that isn't supported by evidence, procedural errors, the discovery of new evidence, or a sanction that doesn't fit the offense.
Whatever misconduct accusation you might be facing, the Student Defense Team attorneys at the Lento Law Firm are well-versed in all of CSLA's processes and procedures. You can count on them to help you develop a defense strategy and to help you navigate the often confusing judicial system from start to finish.
Academic Dismissals
Academic dismissals work very differently from misconduct dismissals. In most cases, dismissal is based on objective fact—your GPA—which means investigations and hearings are unnecessary.
That doesn't mean you must simply accept such a dismissal. You do have options to protect yourself, even in these cases.
- CSLA allows students to petition for immediate reinstatement when they've been dismissed for academic cause. A successful petition means you're placed on Special Academic Status and allowed to continue for one more semester.
- Extenuating personal circumstances can also be grounds for more time to improve. You should bring such circumstances to the attention of your school or college dean.
- If you should discover you have a learning disability, you can ask the university to set aside low grades and let you retake courses with accommodations in place.
Here again, cases can differ widely depending on the exact circumstances that led to the dismissal. Whatever your situation, though, the attorneys at the Lento Law Firm can help you develop and implement a plan.
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 Student Defense Team was built on helping students just like you handle all types of misconduct charges. We know how to negotiate with faculty and administrators; we know how to interview witnesses; we know how to put together water-tight appeals. To find out more about exactly what the Lento Law Firm Team can do for you, contact us today at 888-535-3686 or use our automated online form.
