There’s no getting around it: medical school is tough. Turns out, they don’t just give D.O. degrees away. Courses are tough, and clinic hours are demanding. You’ve got exams to study for, and applications to fill out. Sometimes it feels like there’s no end to the demands on your time. So maybe you decide to cut a few corners to get caught up on everything—you take a glance at your cellphone during an exam or go old school and smuggle in a cheat sheet. You copy another student’s lab notes, or you borrow a bit too much from an academic paper to complete your own paper.

It also happens that instructors make mistakes. You could simply be the victim of a misunderstanding or a false allegation.

Whatever the situation, we’re on your side. The LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team was founded to protect student rights. We understand what you’re up against, and we’re clear on the stakes. Lose your spot at ATSU-KCOM, and you’ll find yourself looking for a new career path. We know something else, though: we know how the disciplinary misconduct system works, and we can show you how to use it to challenge academic misconduct charges.

If someone at ATSU-KCOM has accused you of bending or breaking the rules, don’t wait to see what might happen. Call 888-535-3686 to find out what we can do for you, or take a few minutes right now and fill out one of our online forms.

What Is Academic Misconduct?

The D.O. program doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to defining academic misconduct. The rules, which you’ll find in the college catalog, are pretty straightforward.

  • Cheating: This is a catchall category that includes almost any kind of nefarious activity you can imagine, from unauthorized collaboration on an assignment to falsifying records.

  • Misrepresentation: Also known as lying. Keep in mind that allowing someone to believe something about you that isn’t true is the same thing.

  • Plagiarism: The attempt to pass another person’s work off as your own.

  • Facilitation: Helping another person to commit some form of academic dishonesty.

None of these rules is likely to come as a surprise to you. In fact, your undergraduate institution probably had quite similar regulations. One thing has changed, though: the seriousness with which these regulations are treated. Physicians are held to the highest standards of ethics and professionalism, and those expectations begin in medical school. Most colleges and universities punish first offenses with in-class sanctions, like lower grades. ATSU-KCOM has no tolerance. Even a first offense can result in suspension or outright dismissal.

When you’re accused of cheating, everything is on the line. Don’t try to handle the situation yourself. In fact, most attorneys don’t have the background and experience to navigate a medical school’s disciplinary procedures. You need someone who deals with academic defenses every day. You need the LLF National Law Firm in your corner.

Mounting a Defense

Here’s the good news: You are entitled to due process any time you’re accused of any type of misconduct at ATSU-KCOM. That means the college can’t simply dismiss you. In fact, you’re entitled to a presumption of innocence, and only a “preponderance of evidence” can overcome that presumption.

Here’s what you can expect if you’ve been accused.

  • The Dean of the college handles all allegations of academic misconduct. Anyone may accuse you of such an offense, but this official must believe allegations are credible and actionable before issuing any formal charges.

  • If you’ve been charged, you can expect an investigation. You should receive notice of this investigation. That notice should explain the nature of the charges and provide you with a complete list of your due process rights.

  • As part of the investigation, you have the right to give your version of events, to submit evidence to the Dean, and to suggest witnesses. In addition, the Dean must allow you to review any evidence in your case.

  • The school must also hold some type of hearing into the matter. As part of this hearing, you have the right to present physical evidence and to call witnesses to testify. Because you’re presumed innocent, though, your most important job is usually to refute evidence offered by the Dean.

  • The standard of responsibility (guilt) at UTSA-KCOM is “preponderance of the evidence.” According to this standard, you are responsible only if it seems “more likely than not” that you committed the offense.

  • Finally, you should also have the right to appeal the hearing outcome. Of course, you must have clear grounds to do so. In other words, you can’t simply appeal an outcome because you disagree with it. You must have evidence that you were denied a fair opportunity to defend yourself or that some new material has come to light that could alter the original outcome of your case.

If you’re like most medical school students, you’re used to thinking of ATSU-KCOM as your home. The college doesn’t just educate you. It trains you to be a physician. It helps you deal with crises that come up in your life. It works with you to make sure you move forward successfully to the next phase of your career. If you’ve been accused of committing misconduct, though, it is not on your side. The Dean will leave no stone unturned in trying to prove your guilt, and if it manages to do that, it will impose the maximum penalty.

You need someone in your corner, looking out for your interests and protecting your rights. That’s why the LLF National Law Firm exists. We believe in your future, and we want to help you get there, even if you’ve made a mistake or two.

Trust the LLF National Law Firm

The LLF National Law Firm knows what’s at stake in a way other firms just don’t. The attorneys who make up our Student Defense Team have dedicated their lives to ensuring schools treat students fairly, and they care about your future. No one else has the knowledge of campus justice they do. No one else can show you how to use the system to your advantage.

If you’re being forced to fight for your educational future, don’t try to handle the situation yourself, and don’t trust your case to a local attorney. Find out more about what the LLF National Law Firm can do by calling 888-535-3686, or take time right now to fill out our online questionnaire.

A. T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine

Tell About Your Case

Zero-Tolerance Discipline Policies Can Undermine Students’ Due Process Rights

Colleges and universities have broad authority to maintain campus safety and enforce student conduct policies. However, students accused of misconduct don’t lose their due process rights simply because allegations are serious. At the higher education level, courts have repeatedly recognized that suspension and expulsion can have life-changing academic and professional consequences. As […]

Stopping Expulsions in California: Secondary Findings a Potent Defense

It’s the phone call that every parent dreads: your child has allegedly committed a serious offense at school and is facing the possibility of expulsion. Expulsion is a serious and lasting mark on a student’s record. However, California law requires that schools meet a very high standard before expelling students […]

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 […]