There's maybe nothing scarier for a college student than the threat of dismissal. Dismissal wouldn't just be the end of your career at the University of Missouri, Kansas City (UMKC). It could very well be the end of your career in academia. With a transcript notation about the nature of your offense, you probably can't just transfer your way out of the problem.
If you're facing this threat, you have to take it seriously. That means finding out all you can about the nature of your offense. It means learning how to navigate UMKC's administrative and judicial systems. It also means finding the best help you can.
The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team was founded to help protect student rights. No firm in the country knows more about education law. No firm in the country better understands how universities operate. No firm in the country gives you a better chance at holding on to your spot at UMKC.
The moment you find yourself accused of misconduct or your GPA should slip a bit, contact the Lento Law Firm immediately. Call 888-535-3686, or take a few minutes right now and fill out an online form.
Reasons for Dismissal from the University of Missouri, Kansas City
Let's start by talking about what can get you dismissed from UMKC. It's a long list, but almost every item on that list can be placed into four basic categories.
- Academic Deficiencies: Obviously, academics matter. That's why you came to UMKC in the first place. Any time your GPA falls below 2.0, the university places you on academic notice. Continue to struggle, and you can eventually wind up dismissed altogether.
- Academic Misconduct: Of course, UMKC also outlaws all forms of academic dishonesty. In fact, this is the first category of offense listed in the school's Standards of Conduct. Examples of misconduct include cheating and plagiarism, but any action that could potentially give you an unfair advantage in completing your coursework qualifies. First offenses don't usually result in dismissal, but additional offenses can.
- Disciplinary Misconduct: The Standards of Conduct also include prohibitions on several kinds of non-academic misconduct, like underage drinking, theft, trespassing, and disorderly conduct. Even first offenses are sometimes punished with dismissal if they are serious enough.
- Sexual Misconduct: This type of offense is most often punished with dismissal. Sexually-based offenses are actually violations of federal law under Title IX. The government requires schools to investigate allegations, and it encourages stiff penalties.
Misconduct Defenses
How you go about defending yourself from the threat of dismissal depends on the exact nature of the threat. If you've been accused of some form of misconduct—academic, disciplinary, or sexual—you're entitled to a presumption of innocence (“Not Responsible”). In order to dismiss you, the UMKC must first conduct an investigation and then hold a hearing. Here's what you can expect:
- Cases begin with a complaint. Anyone at the university may make such a complaint—an instructor, another student, an administrator, or staff. However, the university must decide whether the complaint has merit before opening an official investigation.
- Should UMKC open an investigation, you'll receive a Notice of the Charges. This notice should identify your accuser and provide you with details of the allegation. It should also include a list of your due process rights.
- One of your most important rights is the right to an advisor, someone to help you prepare and present your case. This advisor can be an attorney, which means someone from the Lento Law Firm can be at your side from the moment you're charged until your final appeal is exhausted.
- Investigators usually begin by interviewing both the Respondent (the accused, you) and the Complainant (your accuser, the alleged victim). In addition, they'll interview other witnesses and collect any physical evidence.
- As part of their job, investigators complete a written summary of their findings. This becomes the basis for the hearing that follows.
- Hearings take place before one or more trained decision-makers. Both sides get to make their cases by presenting evidence and calling witnesses to testify. You also both have the right to cross-examine any witnesses against you.
- All UMKC cases are decided using a legal standard known as “preponderance of the evidence.” Basically, decision-makers find you Responsible (guilty) if they are more than fifty percent convinced you committed the offense.
- You have the right to appeal the hearing outcome, but only under certain circumstances. Grounds for appeal at UMKC include some deviation from normal procedure, the discovery of new evidence, an allegation of bias or a conflict of interest, and a sanction that seems disproportionate to the offense.
This general outline applies to all misconduct cases, but the details of how a case unfolds can have a lot to do with the specific charges. For example, Title IX guidelines give both parties the opportunity to cross-examine one another. Differences like these can play a large role in how you prepare to defend yourself.
You can count on your Lento Law Firm attorney to know all the various processes and procedures at UMKC. They'll help you make sense of the judicial system and show you how to use all of your due process rights to your best advantage.
Academic Dismissals
There is another kind of dismissal at UMKC: academic dismissal. These require a different kind of approach. You can appeal such dismissals if you can demonstrate that your academic deficiencies are the result of extenuating circumstances, such as a family emergency or a serious bout with depression. However, there are no hearings. Instead, you submit your appeal and any accompanying evidence to a committee that makes its decisions in closed-door sessions. Here again, though, your Lento Law Firm attorney can play an important role in helping you document your circumstances and complete the necessary paperwork.
In addition, the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team knows a number of less formal strategies for keeping your GPA out of the dismissal danger zone. For instance:
- Consistently low grades can be a sign of a learning disability. You can ask Disability Services to get you tested, and if you do have such a disability, you can petition the university to drop low grades from your transcript and allow you to retake those classes.
- If you feel you've been mistreated by an instructor, you may have grounds for a formal grade appeal. You should report such mistreatment immediately to the instructor's department head.
- You can always ask instructors for extra credit or makeup assignments. It could be that an extra lab or a paper rewrite is enough to prevent dismissal.
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.
