It gets harder to graduate from college every year. How hard is it to earn your degree at Northern Illinois? The university dismisses dozens of students every year. Those dismissals aren't all about grades, though a low GPA can certainly get you into trouble. There are rules about how you complete your coursework, rules about where you can go on campus, and, of course, rules about what you are and are not allowed to say.
How do you keep your own academic future on track?
The good news is, NIU has administrative and judicial processes in place to help you defend yourself. The bad news? It's not always easy to navigate those processes or to know how to use your student rights effectively.
We can help. The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team was founded to help students get the justice they deserve. We've helped hundreds of students defend themselves from all kinds of dismissal threats. We're familiar with the NIU system, and we know how to use it to your advantage.
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 Northern Illinois
Let's start with the basics. What is it that can get you dismissed from Northern Illinois?
- Academic Misconduct: NIU expects you to earn your degree honestly. The academic misconduct policy specifically bars cheating and plagiarism, but any classroom dishonesty can get you into trouble. First offenses usually result in lowered grades. Second offenses can lead to dismissal.
- Disciplinary Misconduct: Outside the classroom, your behavior is subject to NIU's Code of Student Conduct. That policy deals with more general campus issues like underage drinking, hazing, and theft. Any violation can be grounds for dismissal if it is serious enough.
- Sexual Misconduct: This type of offense is almost always punished with dismissal. Title IX, a federal law, prohibits all forms of sexual discrimination and harassment on college campuses. As a result, NIU takes allegations extremely seriously.
- Academic Deficiencies: In addition to misconduct, a low GPA can also get you dismissed from NIU. The university's academic standing policy requires students to maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average. Anything below this means probation, and if you continue to struggle while on probation, NIU can dismiss you entirely.
Misconduct Defenses
NIU cannot simply dismiss you over an allegation of misconduct. You are always Not Responsible (innocent) until proven Responsible (guilty), and the university must go through a process to ensure justice is done. Here's what that process looks like.
- Cases typically begin with a complaint. As the accused, you're referred to as the Respondent. If there is a specific accuser or alleged victim, they are referred to as the Complainant. The point of the case is to determine whether or not you are Responsible for (guilty of) a specific policy violation.
- If the university decides to pursue your case, they must issue you a Notice of the Charges. This Notice should outline the allegations against you and provide you with a full list of your due process rights.
- You have a number of important rights, such as the right to review evidence in the case and the right to advanced notification of all meetings connected to the case. Perhaps your most important right, though, is the right to an advisor. You can select your advisor, which means someone from the Lento Law Firm can be present at all of your proceedings. They cannot speak for you, but they can offer advice on how to conduct yourself and how to respond to questions.
- NIU conducts a preliminary review of all cases. As part of this review, you'll be asked to give a statement. The university may also interview witnesses and gather physical evidence.
- Once the preliminary review is complete, NIU sets a time and date for a hearing.
- Your hearing is overseen by an administrative “hearing official.” Your case is actually heard, though, by a panel made up of trained students, faculty, and administrators.
- As part of the hearing, you're allowed to make arguments, introduce evidence, and call witnesses. You also have the right to question any witnesses against you. Of course, the other side in the case has these same rights.
- Once both sides have made their cases, decision-makers deliberate your level of responsibility. In contrast to a criminal court, the determination is based on a legal standard known as "preponderance of the evidence." In simple terms, this standard requires that they find you responsible if they are more than fifty percent convinced you committed an offense.
- You can appeal the hearing outcome. You cannot, however, appeal just because you don't like that outcome. You must have “grounds.” At NIU, grounds can include procedural error, the discovery of new evidence, or an unreasonable sanction.
While this outline applies to all misconduct cases, procedures can differ in small but significant ways depending on the nature of the charges. Different panels hear different cases, for instance, and different types of cases utilize different methods of cross-examination.
No matter what the charges against you, though, your Lento Law Firm will be fully prepared to guide you through the entire process from the moment you are charged until your final appeal is exhausted. They know all the judicial rules and procedures at NIU and can help you use your rights effectively.
Academic Dismissal Cases
In misconduct cases, the university must prove you committed an offense, and you cannot be dismissed unless or until it does so. Not so in academic dismissal cases. These are based strictly on your GPA.
However, there are ways to fight these types of dismissals as well. For instance:
- If your deficiencies are the result of extenuating circumstances, you can appeal to your college dean for more time to improve.
- You always have the right to fair treatment in the classroom. If you're being mistreated, you should report that to your instructor's department head or, failing that, your college dean. You may deserve a better grade than the one you received.
- If you have a learning disability, you may be entitled to course accommodations like extra time to finish assignments or access to special technology. If you should discover you have such a disability, you can petition NIU to set aside your low grades and let you retake courses without penalty.
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.
