You cannot afford to take the threat of dismissal from Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) lightly. Dismissal doesn't just mean removal from EKU. Your record will forever reflect your dismissal offense, and that means you probably won't find another college or university to accept you. You won't even be able to tell a potential employer you have some college hours since doing that will mean showing them your transcript.
What does taking the threat seriously mean, though? It means finding out everything you can about the charges against you. It means learning how to navigate the university's complex administrative and judicial processes. Most of all, it means hiring someone from the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team to help you defend yourself. We are the premier law firm in the country when it comes to protecting students from misconduct charges. We'll ensure that EKU treats you fairly and that you get the very best possible resolution to your case.
What can we do for you? Find out by calling 888-535-3686, or take a few minutes right now and fill out this online form.
Reasons for Dismissal from Eastern Kentucky University
You can't hope to defend yourself if you don't understand the nature of the charges against you. That's especially true if you're innocent since you have no basis for responding to those charges.
There are essentially four categories of offense at EKU.
- Academic Deficiencies: It's important you keep your GPA up. The EKU academic standing policy requires you to maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA. Falling below that number means probation, and falling further can mean dismissal.
- Academic Misconduct: You are also responsible for following EKU's academic integrity policy. This policy relates to how you complete your coursework and contains rules against things like cheating, plagiarism, and misrepresentation. First offenses usually garner in-class sanctions such as lowered grades. Serious and multiple offenses, though, can be punished with dismissal.
- Disciplinary Misconduct: Your non-academic behavior is governed by the Student Code of Conduct. That policy deals with misconduct like underage drinking, hazing, violence, and trespassing. In this case, even a first offense can lead to dismissal if it is serious enough.
- Sexual Misconduct: Title IX, a federal law, requires all colleges and universities prevent sexual discrimination and harassment. EKU takes its responsibility under the law very seriously. The minimum penalty in such cases is usually suspension. Dismissal is the most likely penalty.
Misconduct Defenses
EKU cannot simply dismiss you. You are always entitled to “due process,” which means you must be given a fair chance to argue your innocence. In fact, the university must treat you as “Not Responsible” (innocent) until you've been proven “Responsible” (guilty).
- Anyone at the university may accuse you of misconduct. EKU must first review the charge and determine whether or not it is credible enough to warrant an official investigation.
- You should be informed of any investigation against you. The university must provide you with a Notice of the Charges.
- One of your most important rights during the process is the right to two "support persons" who can accompany you to meetings and proceedings. You may choose anyone you want for these roles. This means the Lento Law Firm attorney can be at your side from the beginning of the case to help you answer any questions.
- The university then conducts a full investigation. Even if you've only been accused of plagiarism, your instructor must conduct some form of investigation, such as collecting and reviewing examples of your academic work.
- Once they've completed their investigation, investigators make a full report of their findings. You always have the right to review this material as you prepare for the hearing.
- At the hearing, you'll present your full case before one or more trained decision-makers. You can offer up arguments, submit evidence, and call witnesses to testify. You can also raise questions for anyone testifying against you.
- The legal standard used at EKU is "preponderance of the evidence." Unlike "beyond a reasonable doubt," this standard requires decision-makers to find you Responsible (guilty) if they are even fifty percent convinced of your guilt.
- Finally, you have the right to appeal the hearing outcome. However, you must have “grounds” for such an appeal. Simply disagreeing with the outcome is not grounds. You must be able to show you were treated unfairly in some way during the process.
Every case follows this basic outline. Cases can differ markedly, however, depending on the specific nature of the charges. For example, in most cases, decision-makers ask witnesses questions, though you may suggest what questions they should ask. The one exception is Title IX sexual misconduct cases. Here, only advisors may conduct cross-examination.
Whatever the allegations against you, the Lento Law Firm will be fully prepared, not just to come up with compelling arguments for your innocence but also to help you work your way through the judicial system at EKU.
Academic Dismissals
Due process works differently for academic dismissals. Instead of conducting an investigation and a hearing, EKU gives you multiple chances to improve when your GPA falls.
If you eventually reach the point of dismissal, then it can be hard to defend yourself. However, even in these instances, the Lento Law Firm attorney knows some valuable strategies for avoiding the threat of dismissal.
- Maybe the easiest way to improve your GPA is to retake courses in which you've earned a “D” or “F.” New grades replace old grades, so a “B” or “A” the second time around can make a considerable difference.
- If you should discover you have a previously undiagnosed learning disability, you can ask EKU to set aside your low grades. You're entitled to fair treatment, and you may need some course accommodations to make that happen.
- You also have the option to ask your instructor for extra credit or makeup work. Not every professor is open to this idea, but if yours is, raising your grade could be as simple as rewriting a paper or completing an extra lab assignment.
Fighting for Your Future
By this point, it should be abundantly clear why trying to defend yourself from dismissal is always a dangerous proposition. It's no easy task taking on a university, and the stakes are incredibly high. Luckily, you don't have to go it alone. The Lento Law Firm was built to help students. Our Student Defense Team can also be fierce when it comes to protecting our clients, and we're not afraid of faculty and administrators.
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.
