College can be the best four years of your life, but no one would ever call it "easy." Consider, for instance, the University of Rhode Island dismisses dozens of students every year. Some of those dismissals have to do with grades, but you can dismissed just as easily for cheating on an exam, getting into a fistfight in the cafeteria, or looking up the wrong sorts of things on your computer.
How do you keep yourself out of trouble?
- As a starting point, you make sure you know what can get you into trouble. When you know the rules, you're less likely to break one by mistake.
- Next, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with your school's administrative and judicial processes. That way, you'll be prepared if you should find yourself in trouble.
- Most important of all, you need to know how to get help if you need it. You can defend yourself from the threat of dismissal, but you don't want to have to do it alone.
The Lento Law Firm is always on your side. Our Student Defense Team takes student rights seriously. Whatever your situation, you can count on us to help you navigate it and to get you the very best possible resolution. To find out more, call 888-535-3686. Or, take a few minutes right now and fill out our online form.
Reasons for Dismissal from the University of Rhode Island
Knowing the rules and regulations at URI is obviously important if you want to avoid trouble. It can be important for another reason, too, though: any time you're accused of a mistake, you need to understand the accusations. That information is essential for developing a defense.
So, what is it you need to worry about at URI? What kinds of things can get you dismissed?
- Poor Academic Performance: As you probably already know, it's essential you keep your grades up. URI maintains a strict academic standing policy. According to that policy, a GPA below 2.0 means academic probation. Should you continue to struggle, probation can turn into dismissal.
- Academic Misconduct: The standing policy isn't the only policy you need to worry about at URI. You're also subject to an Academic Honesty policy, for instance. Cheating, plagiarism, and any other sort of misconduct related to your coursework can earn you course sanctions like lowered grades. Should you find yourself accused of multiple offenses, you can also face dismissal.
- Disciplinary Misconduct: Your conduct outside the classroom is under just as much scrutiny as your conduct in it. The Student Handbook contains a long list of “prohibited offenses” from trespassing to hazing, and any offense can lead to dismissal if it is serious enough.
- Sexual Misconduct: This is among the most serious types of allegation any student can face. Sexual misconduct isn't just a matter of school policy. It's also a matter of federal law. Title IX prohibits sexual discrimination and harassment and encourages schools to issue harsh penalties. In fact, dismissal is the most common sanction in these cases.
Misconduct Defenses
Any time you're accused of misconduct, whether academic, disciplinary, or sexual, you're entitled to defend yourself. URI has investigative and adjudicative procedures in place, and the university provides you with some important due process rights. Here's how cases usually unfold.
- First, someone must lodge a complaint against you, and the university must conduct a preliminary inquiry to decide whether or not the allegations are credible and actionable.
- As part of the preliminary inquiry, you'll be asked to visit with an assigned Conduct Officer to give your side of the story.
- If the Conduct Advisor decides to proceed with the case, you're entitled to a formal Notice of the Charges. This notice should explain the allegations and give you a list of your due process rights.
- The next stage of the case is an investigation. Again, the investigators may ask to meet with you to hear more about your side of the case. In addition, they'll meet with the Complainant (your accuser or alleged victim) if there is one, and they'll talk to any witnesses. They'll also collect any physical evidence.
- Once the investigation is complete, investigators submit a summary of their findings. At this point, the university sets a time and date for a hearing and appoints one or more decision-makers to preside over that hearing.
- At the hearing, you may present your full case. You may offer arguments, introduce evidence, and question witnesses. You may also raise questions for any witnesses against you, including the Complainant.
- Cases are decided using a legal standard known as "preponderance of the evidence." This standard is much less strict than "beyond a reasonable doubt." In simple terms, decision-makers must find you Responsible (guilty) if they are more than fifty percent convinced you committed an offense.
- You can appeal the outcome of your hearing, but only in certain circumstances. Grounds for appeal include the discovery of new evidence, an accusation of procedural error, or an accusation that your rights were violated in some important way.
Procedures can be complex, and while you have a number of important rights, it's not always easy to know how to use them effectively. Plus, cases can differ in subtle ways depending on the nature of the charges against you. For example, while you're entitled to choose an attorney to accompany you to Title IX hearings, only members of the URI community may advise you at other types of hearings.
Whatever the charges, though, your Lento Law Firm attorney will be well-versed on what to expect. Keep in mind as well that even if your attorney cannot sit beside you during your hearing, they can still play a crucial role in your case. Your attorney will work with you to develop a defense strategy, help you to gather and organize evidence, draft documents on your behalf, suggest questions for witnesses, and even coach you in making your presentation. Plus, they keep a close eye on everything that happens and make certain you're treated fairly and given the rights you deserve.
Academic Dismissal Cases
Academic dismissals are administrative rather than judicial matters. That is, the university doesn't have to prove anything. The objective fact of your GPA is the basis of dismissal.
If you have been dealing with extenuating circumstances, you can appeal an academic dismissal, and in these cases, you do need strong evidence to prove those circumstances. Your Lento Law Firm attorney can certainly help you with this process.
The attorneys at the Lento Law Firm also know some other less formal strategies you can use to avoid academic sanctions. For example,
- Learning disabilities like ADD, ADHD, and dyslexia can entitle you to course accommodations, like extra time to complete assignments. If you should discover you have a previously undiagnosed disability, you can ask URI to set low grades aside and let you retake those courses without penalty.
- Any time you feel an instructor is mistreating you, you have the right to bring your concern to the instructor's department head. At a minimum, this can lay the foundation for a formal grade appeal at the end of the semester.
- Some faculty will consider assigning extra credit and makeup work at the end of a semester. You will probably need to ask, but it could be that a paper rewrite or a makeup lab can save your GPA.
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.
