The prospect of dismissal at Long Island University (LIU) is no joke. Every semester, the university dismisses dozens of students for everything from cheating to stalking. And once you're dismissed from LIU, you'll find it difficult, if not impossible, to find another school willing to accept you.
In other words, you can't afford to take any serious allegation against you lightly. You can't deal with it yourself. You can't get your parents to intervene. You need professional help, the very best you can find. You want someone beside you who understands legal procedure, someone who's dealt with college judicial systems, someone with experience helping students defend themselves.
You want someone from the Lento Law Firm. Our Student Defense Team was founded to protect student rights. We're on your side no matter what the situation, and we'll fight to make sure you get the best possible resolution to your case.
What can we do to help you? Call 888-535-3686 right now to find out, or take a few minutes right now and fill out one of our online forms.
Reasons for Dismissal from Long Island University
There are literally dozens of reasons LIU might try to dismiss you. That's one reason it's so important to have the Lento Law Firm attorney at your side. We can help make sense of all the various rules and regulations. For instance, we can tell you that most of these rules can be organized into four basic categories of offense.
- Academic Deficiencies: The first thing you need to worry about is keeping your GPA up. After all, you came to LIU to be a student. Any time your GPA falls below 2.0, you can expect to be placed on academic probation. Should you continue to struggle while on probation, you can eventually be dismissed as well.
- Academic Misconduct: Your next concern is to make sure you're earning your degree honestly. LIU's academic integrity policy outlaws cheating, plagiarism, and any other activity that might tend to give you an unfair advantage in the classroom. First offenses can mean course sanctions, such as lowered grades. Second offenses, though, can mean dismissal.
- Disciplinary Misconduct: You're a student first, but you're also a member of a campus community, and that community has its own rules. The Student Code of Conduct bars misconduct like theft, hazing, and disorderly conduct. Any violation can lead to dismissal if it is serious enough.
- Sexual Misconduct: Though technically, these offenses are a type of disciplinary misconduct, they are treated as their own separate category. Sexually-based offenses are considered especially serious, and they are subject to federal investigation guidelines under Title IX. Simply put, the most likely outcome in such cases is dismissal.
Misconduct Defenses
LIU cannot simply dismiss you over a misconduct allegation, no matter how serious it may be. You have due process rights, including the right to a presumption of “Not Responsible” (innocent), the right to an investigation, and the right to defend yourself at a hearing.
- Cases begin with complaints. Anyone on campus may lodge such a complaint, including other students, instructors, staff, and administrators.
- If the university chooses to pursue charges against you, it will provide you with official notice of those charges. This notice should identify the Complainant (your accuser or alleged victim) and describe the exact nature of the allegations. It should also explain all of your due process rights.
- Next, the university instigates an investigation. You always have the right to meet with investigators and give your side of the story. However, you are not required to do so. Investigators will also speak with any witnesses and collect any physical evidence.
- Ultimately, investigators summarize their findings in a report. You have the right to review this report and, in some cases, to object to items contained within it. It is then forwarded to the university, which sets a time and date for a hearing.
- You present your case before one or more decision-makers. You may call witnesses and introduce evidence. You may also raise questions for witnesses against you and attempt to discount the other side's evidence.
- All cases are decided using a legal principle known as "preponderance of the evidence." This isn't "beyond a reasonable doubt." Decision-makers must find you Responsible if they are more than fifty percent convinced of your guilt.
- Following the hearing, you can file an appeal of the outcome. You have just seven days from the end of the hearing to file this appeal, however, the grounds for appeal are limited to
- Procedural error
- New and credible evidence
- A sanction that clearly does not fit the offense
You aren't always entitled to an attorney at LIU. Only in Title IX sexual misconduct cases may the Lento Law Firm attorney accompany you to meetings and proceedings, and even in these cases, they are not allowed to represent you. Their role is limited to offering advice and helping examine witnesses.
It's important to note, though, that the Lento Law Firm attorney can do far more for you than simply sit beside you at a hearing. You can count on your attorney to organize your entire defense. They'll help you uncover evidence, come up with questions for witnesses, and even coach you in making your presentation. Most important of all, they'll monitor all phases of the case to make sure you're being treated fairly.
Academic Dismissals
We haven't yet talked about academic dismissals because they're not based on misconduct. A dismissal over academic deficiencies is still a dismissal, though. How do you deal with this threat?
There are no formal ways to fight an academic dismissal. They're based on your GPA, so there's no need for an investigation or hearing. Even so, the Lento Law Firm attorney knows a number of informal strategies for keeping you out of trouble. For example,
- If you've been dealing with extenuating circumstances—a serious bout of depression, for instance, or a family emergency—you can appeal to the dean of your school or college for additional time on probation.
- If you suspect you might have an undiagnosed learning disability, you can ask LIU to conduct testing. Such a disability will usually entitle you to course accommodations, like extra time to complete assignments. You can also ask the university to set your low grades aside and give you time to retake those courses for replacement credit.
- One simple way to raise a GPA is to ask instructors for extra credit or makeup assignments. Some will say yes. Others will refuse. There is no penalty for asking, though.
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.
