Academic misconduct allegations can arise without warning, like a heart attack that brings your future in the medical field to its knees. Whether you feel you’ve been wrongly accused or a lapse in judgment has come back to bite you, it is your right to seek a fair, ideally merciful outcome to disciplinary proceedings.

Do not expect the adjudicating bodies at Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine (DMU-COM) to rule in your favor just because you’re a hard worker or because you’ve displayed an aptitude for medical practice. Many talented, tireless DO students have faced severe disciplinary action due to a single allegation of misconduct.

You deserve certainty and stability when defending yourself from the threat that alleged misconduct presents to your future in medicine. Call the LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team at 888-535-3686 or contact us online as soon as possible about how we can help you.

What Does “Academic Misconduct” Mean at Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine (DMU-COM)?

The DMU-COM Student Handbook does not have a tidy list of behaviors that constitute academic misconduct, as many schools do. It does, however, allude in a disjointed manner to several categories of offense that could trigger an allegation of academic misconduct, including:

  • Acts of Dishonesty

  • Acts of Academic Dishonesty

  • Research Misconduct

  • Conduct which Adversely Affects the DMU Community

  • Conduct Affecting Intellectual Property

  • Interfering with the Disciplinary Process

  • Facilitating Acts of Misconduct

  • Conduct Affecting Computer Resources or Technology

Portions of the Student Handbook also allude to plagiarism and certain other forms of academic dishonesty, implicitly or explicitly indicating that such conduct is against the rules (and possible grounds for discipline).

The school’s Student Code of Conduct cites “Honesty, Accountability, Collaboration, and Inclusiveness” as the fundamental pillars of integrity. Any academic behavior that violates these or other Code of Conduct mandates may be grounds for a formal allegation of misconduct.

How DMU-COM Authorities Handle Alleged Academic Misconduct by DO Students

First, know that the DMU Integrity Committee will be charged with adjudicating any accusations of misconduct aimed in your direction. As its name suggests, this committee’s primary function is “determining whether or not a violation of the Student Code of Conduct has occurred,” and the body consists of:

  • Six faculty members

  • One Chair (which is one of those six faculty members)

  • A Conduct Officer who is considered an “ex-officio member” and possesses a vote in disciplinary proceedings

The Student Handbook details procedures explicitly designed to “address allegations of misconduct,” as listed in the same handbook. Here is a step-by-step accounting of how DMU-COM receives and responds to allegations of academic misconduct waged against DO students:

The Faculty Member Who Suspects Misconduct Imposes Course-Level Sanctions

DMU-COM policy states that, when an instructor or other staff member encounters perceived academic misconduct by a student, they should first “address the alleged violation via a course-level sanction.”

Of course, anyone seeking to impose discipline against a student should do their due diligence first to ensure that misconduct has, in fact, occurred. This due diligence generally includes a private conversation with the accused student and a thorough review of any available evidence.

The course instructor could also wait to impose sanctions until the Integrity Committee’s formal investigation concludes.

Receipt of the Allegation by a Conduct Officer

In addition to imposing discipline at the course level, any staff or faculty member who suspects academic misconduct must report the suspicion to a Conduct Officer via a Student Academic Integrity Misconduct Incident Reporting form. 

A Conduct Officer representing the DMU Integrity Committee receives the complaint. Non-instructors who may also report suspected academic misconduct are:

  • A DMU faculty member

  • A DMU staff member

  • A fellow student

  • A “credible third-party source”

The reporting party must submit the allegation within five business days of observing perceived misconduct or receiving information that such misconduct has occurred.

The Conduct Officer Completes Their Preliminary Investigation

Conduct Officers have the authority to use “whatever resources” they believe are necessary to thoroughly and reliably investigate the allegation of academic misconduct.

If the Conduct Officer believes misconduct occurred, they may refer the case to the Chair of the Integrity Committee.

An Integrity Committee Hearing Occurs

Once they assume authority over the case, the Chair of the Integrity Committee notifies the accused student of the hearing date. The hearing will be conducted as so many universities’ disciplinary hearings are, including:

  • Questioning of the accused student

  • Questioning of witnesses by the accused student

  • Presentation of relevant evidence

  • Oral arguments against, and in favor of, the accused student

These hearings are pivotal to a student’s future, as they tend to be the student’s best opportunity to defend themselves from (or seek mercy for) alleged misconduct.

The Integrity Committee Issues a Verdict

As the Integrity Committee determines a student’s responsibility for all allegations presented, it may consider the student’s prior disciplinary history and any aggravating and mitigating factors relevant to the case.

The Student Exercises Their Right to Appeal

If the student can demonstrate a “material deviation” from DMU’s written adjudication procedures, they can cite that as the basis for appealing the Integrity Committee’s finding of their responsibility (and related sanctions).

Within five business days of receiving the Integrity Committee’s decision, the student must email their detailed appeal request to the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs.

What Sanctions Can DMU-COM Students Suffer If They’re Found Responsible for Academic Misconduct?

The DMU-COM handbook outlines a range of penalties for those accused of academic misconduct, from a formal or written warning to disciplinary dismissal from the program.

Whatever your circumstances are, you should fight for the most favorable disciplinary outcome possible. The quality of your defensive strategy and the effectiveness of its execution could be the difference between dismissal and a written reprimand, or suspension and no disciplinary action at all.

The DMU-COM Student Handbook notes that fairness is “a primary objective” of the disciplinary process we’ve discussed here. Students’ rights are part and parcel of any fair adjudication process, and you should take total advantage of the rights afforded to you by DMU policies.

Our Student Defense Team understands your rights and can present a compelling defense for students accused of academic misconduct. Let us help you during this pivotal time in your life.

Call the LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team at 888-535-3686 or contact us online as soon as possible about how we can fight for you.

Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Tell About Your Case

Can Your Search History Bring You Down? How Schools Can Use Search Histories as Evidence of Misconduct

Students at Princeton University are drawing attention to the school’s policies and access related to students’ search histories on their devices. An article in the Daily Princetonian points out the ways that the university can use students’ search histories as evidence of cheating or other misconduct. Students are worried that […]

When the School Becomes the Problem: What UNC’s Botched Investigation Teaches Every Student

A University of North Carolina (UNC) student lost his scholarship and was permanently expelled from the entire UNC system after the school found him responsible for sexual misconduct. Years of federal litigation followed. And then, quietly, UNC settled. The former student, identified in court records as Jacob Doe, argued that […]

How a Cell Phone Policy Violation Can Escalate Into a Serious Disciplinary Issue

The cell phone bans sweeping the country’s K-12 schools in the last few years may sound good on paper—and educators overwhelmingly support them—but what do you do if what began as confiscation of your child’s phone has escalated into significant disciplinary action? The Student Defense Team at the LLF National […]

Taking a School District in WA to Court to Protect Students’ Title IX Rights

The LLF National Law Firm’s Education Law Team will be suing a school district in Washington state for its failure to meet its Title IX reporting obligations in the case of an elementary school student who claims they were bullied and sexually assaulted. The student, a third grader, now suffers […]