Dismissal from your university can be a scary proposition. You're facing not just the end of your career at Fordham University but maybe the end of your academic career altogether. Dismissal always includes a transcript notation about the nature of your dismissal, and most colleges and universities won't accept you with something like that on your record. You could be heading out onto the job market with no degree at all.
If someone has mentioned the possibility of dismissal to you, you should know that you don't have to go through the process alone. The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team is here for you. We're committed to the idea that every student deserves fair treatment. We don't believe a false allegation or even a mistake or two should stand in the way of earning your degree. And we can back up these commitments. We know education law, and we know how Fordham University works.
What can we do for you? Call 888-535-3686 to find out, or take a few minutes right now and fill out an online form.
Reasons for Dismissal from Fordham University
First things first: What is it that can get you dismissed from Fordham? It turns out that's a long list, which can make defending yourself especially tricky. Almost every offense, though, is covered by one of four university policies. Knowing these is a good place to start.
- Academic Deficiencies: Fordham expects you to go to class and to study. You're a student, after all. To provide you with an incentive to do these things, the university maintains an academic standing policy. To remain in good standing, you must earn a minimum 2.0 GPA. Should your GPA fall a bit, you face probation. Should it fall a lot, you can face suspension and even outright dismissal.
- Academic Misconduct: You can also be dismissed for academic misconduct. The university's Standards of Academic Integrity specifically mention plagiarism and cheating, but any classroom dishonesty can result in an accusation. Again, one offense probably isn't enough to get you expelled. Should you find yourself accused a second time, though, dismissal is definitely a possibility.
- Disciplinary Misconduct: How you behave outside of class is just as important as how you behave in class. You'll find a complete list of campus rules in the University Code of Conduct, including strictures against drug possession, unauthorized entry, and tampering with fire equipment. Any violation can result in dismissal, even a first offense, if it is serious enough.
- Sexual Misconduct: Sexually-based offenses almost always result in dismissal. Title IX, a federal law, requires all colleges and universities to rigorously police sexual discrimination and harassment, and "harassment" in this case includes all forms of sexual misconduct, from simple verbal harassment to stalking, dating violence, and rape.
Misconduct Defenses
How you go about defending yourself from dismissal depends a lot on the nature of the dismissal. If you've been accused of some form of misconduct, you have the right to an investigation and a formal hearing. You're presumed Not Responsible (innocent), and the university must prove you Responsible (guilty) before it can dismiss you. That gives you a number of strong advantages if you know how to navigate the system properly.
- Anyone can accuse you of misconduct at any time—an instructor, an administrator, a staff member, or another student. However, the appropriate university office must decide whether the allegations are credible and actionable before proceeding.
- If the university does decide to proceed, it must provide you with a Notice of the Charges. That notice should include the name of your accuser and a description of the allegations against you. It should also list all of your due process rights.
- You should expect the university to conduct some type of investigation, even if it is merely to collect examples of your coursework to substantiate an academic misconduct accusation. Obviously, you'd be happier if you hadn't been accused in the first place, but given that you were, an investigation is actually to your advantage. An investigation gives you the opportunity, for instance, to tell your side of the story.
- Once the investigation is complete, investigators submit a written report of their findings. You should have the opportunity to read through this report.
- The report serves as the foundation for the next phase of the case, an official hearing. At the hearing, you'll have the opportunity to defend yourself formally. You can present arguments, introduce evidence, and call witnesses to testify. You can also raise questions for any witnesses against you.
- A trained hearing official presides over your case and ultimately decides whether or not you are Responsible for the offense. They use a legal standard known as "preponderance of the evidence" to do this. That standard requires them to find you Responsible if they are more than fifty percent convinced of your guilt.
- You can appeal the outcome. Fordham's appeals policy doesn't specifically limit the grounds for appeal, but often universities restrict appeals to issues of fairness such as procedural errors, the discovery of new evidence, or an unsupported decision.
This outline applies to all cases at Fordham, but cases can differ in small but important ways depending on the nature of the charges. One key difference has to do with your rights to an advisor. In academic and disciplinary misconduct cases, you may choose an advisor from the university community to help you present your case. If you're facing a Title IX sexual misconduct charge, you may select an attorney as your advisor.
Keep in mind, though, that your Lento Law Firm attorney can play a crucial role in your case whether or not they are allowed to accompany you to meetings and hearings. Your attorney can prepare all aspects of your case, from developing a strategy to uncovering evidence. They can help you prepare questions for witnesses and give you practice in presenting your arguments. Most importantly, they'll keep a close watch on all aspects of the case and make sure you are treated fairly and that you get a just outcome.
Academic Dismissal Cases
If you're facing an academic dismissal, you need to know that the process for defending yourself is considerably different. These dismissals are based almost exclusively on your GPA, and that's not normally a matter for debate.
Here again, though, you can count on your Lento Law Firm attorney to come up with a plan to salvage your career at Fordham. For instance,
- If you've been dealing with extenuating circumstances, such as a family crisis or a long-term illness, Fordham allows you to appeal your dismissal. Your Lento Law Firm attorney can help you collect evidence and draft your appeal.
- Consistently low grades can be a sign of an underlying learning disability. Your Lento Law Firm attorney can get you tested and, if necessary, petition Fordham to drop low grades from your transcript. Once you've been given fair accommodations, you can then retake courses for replacement credit.
- The Lento Law Firm attorneys can also coach you on how to negotiate with faculty. It is sometimes the case that a strong argument can get you a higher grade. If, for instance, your final exam score is especially high, you might try asking a professor to use it as your overall course grade.
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.
