The threat of dismissal can be a scary thing. After all, it doesn't just mean dismissal from Western Washington University (WWU). It also means a transcript notation about the nature of your offense, and that can make it difficult, if not impossible, to find another college or university.
You can survive this threat, though. You need to know the rules at WWU. You need to know how the administrative and judicial processes work. Most of all, you need help. You can't hope to win your case all on your own.
The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team is dedicated to protecting student rights. We know the law, and we know WWU policies and procedures. We've helped hundreds of students just like you get their academic lives back on track.
The moment you find yourself accused of misconduct or your GPA should slip a bit, contact the Lento Law Firm immediately to find out how we can help. Call 888-535-3686, or take a few minutes right now and fill out an online form.
Reasons for Dismissal from the Western Washington University
It's always a good idea to know your university's rules and regulations. Obviously, that can keep you from making a mistake. It's useful even if you're not planning on getting into trouble, though. If you've been accused of an offense, and you're entirely innocent, you need to understand what you've been accused of in order to defend yourself.
At WWU, there are four reasons you can find yourself facing dismissal:
- Academic Deficiencies: First, you have to keep your GPA up. WWU defines good standing as a cumulative GPA above 2.0. Fall below that number, and you're placed on probation. That's one step away from dismissal.
- Academic Misconduct: While you're keeping your GPA up, you want to make sure you're doing it honestly. Cheating and plagiarism are explicitly prohibited under WWU's Academic Integrity policy, and while first offenses usually mean course sanctions like lowered grades, second offenses can result in dismissal.
- Disciplinary Misconduct: Outside of class, your behavior is subject to WWU's several non-academic conduct policies. These have to do with how you treat other members of the campus community and how you behave on campus generally. Specific rules concern things like underage drinking, drug usage, violence, and vandalism. In this case, any violation can lead to dismissal, even a first offense, if it is serious enough.
- Sexual Misconduct: The most common penalty for sexually-based offenses is dismissal. Not only is sexual misconduct among the most serious charges a college student can face, it's a violation of federal law under Title IX. You can expect WWU to investigate every credible allegation as thoroughly as possible.
Misconduct Defenses
Now that you know the offenses, how do you go about defending yourself? That can depend on the nature of the offense. If you've been accused of misconduct—academic, disciplinary, or sexual—there's a process. WWU can't simply dismiss you because you've been accused. You are presumed "Not Responsible" (innocent) until proven "Responsible." That means you get an investigation, and you get the opportunity to defend yourself at a formal hearing.
- Different offices handle different types of complaints. For instance, the Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services handles general allegations of disciplinary misconduct. On the other hand, the university's designated Title IX Coordinator usually handles sexual misconduct allegations.
- Any time you are under investigation, WWU must issue a Notice of the Charges. This notice should identify the Complainant (your accuser or alleged victim) and describe the allegations against you. It should also apprise you of your due process rights, such as the right to review all evidence against you and the right to advance notice of all meetings and proceedings.
- Among your rights, you are entitled to an advisor, and you can choose an attorney to serve in this role. That means someone from the Lento Law Firm can accompany you to all meetings and proceedings and help you answer questions.
- You're also entitled to give investigators your side of the story. Of course, they'll also interview the Complainant and any other witnesses, and they'll collect physical evidence associated with the case.
- Ultimately, investigators submit a summary of their findings. You have the right to review this summary. The university then sets a time and date for the hearing.
- At the hearing, you have the opportunity to make arguments, submit evidence, and call witnesses to testify. You may also raise questions for any witnesses against you.
- One or more trained decision-makers will preside over your case. They use a legal standard known as “preponderance of the evidence” to determine whether or not you are “Responsible for” (guilty of) an offense. Basically, if it seems “more likely than not” that you committed the offense, they are required to find you guilty.
- You can appeal the hearing outcome, but you must have grounds. Grounds at WWU are generally limited to issues of fairness, such as whether procedures were followed in the case, whether new evidence has come to light since the hearing, or whether the sanction is appropriate to the offense.
This is a general outline. Cases can be incredibly complex and involve issues ranging from the wording of a specific rule to the definition of "consent." The nature of the charges can also affect how you prepare your defense. You can count on your Lento Law Firm attorney, though, to guide you through the entire process, no matter the charges. We know what to expect, and we can help you use the system to your best advantage.
Academic Dismissals
If you're facing an academic dismissal, the approach to defending yourself is considerably different. There are no investigations in these cases and no hearings. Instead, you must look for informal strategies to protect yourself. Here again, though, your Lento Law Firm attorney is well-versed in all the many options. For example:
- If you've been dealing with extenuating circumstances, like a death in the family or some other personal emergency, you can appeal to the dean of your school or college for more time to improve.
- If you should discover you have a learning disability, you can talk with Disability Services about course accommodations like extra time on assignments. You can also ask the university to set aside your low grades and allow you to retake courses once accommodations are in place.
- Classroom mistreatment is grounds for a grade appeal. If you feel an instructor is treating you unfairly, you should report that immediately to your instructor's department head in order to establish a record.
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.
