Established in 1975, Morehouse School of Medicine now helps thousands of students stand out in the medical field. The independent charter institution fosters a community that celebrates scientific growth. Simultaneously, the school makes a point of facilitating the success of people of color and Atlanta, Georgia's underprivileged populations.
With that in mind, attending Morehouse School of Medicine is a crowning achievement for many students. There are pitfalls, however, that can make a student's education at Morehouse School of Medicine more perilous. Accusations of academic misconduct, for example, can derail a student's future. Not only do these accusations disrupt a student's day-to-day life, but they can also make it more difficult for a student to have a successful career in their field of choice.
Luckily, the team with Lento Law Firm can help students facing these charges understand their rights.
Morehouse School of Medicine Honor Code
Morehouse School of Medicine outlines its core values in its code of conduct and ethics. The university highlights knowledge, wisdom, excellence, and service as the values that it wants all of its students to emulate during their attendance and throughout their future careers.
This code also highlights the power of the Morehouse community. Students are encouraged to report what they believe to be academic misconduct to university representatives. According to the university, those reports ensure that the university encourages academic honesty above all else.
Addressing Allegations of Academic Misconduct
The pillars of Morehouse School of Medicine's honor code are broad. The school does get more specific, however, when addressing those behaviors that could result in accusations of academic misconduct. Students are discouraged from engaging in behaviors including:
- Plagiarism
- Self-plagiarism
- Invading the privacy of university staff, faculty, or students
- Gaining access to and sharing private university information
- Misusing university hardware and software
- Cheating on exams, assignments, quizzes, lab work, and so on
- Falsifying data for themselves or for another student
- Purchasing or selling class notes
- Otherwise violating the university's core standards
While some medical schools offer students accused of these behaviors the chance to create remediation programs for themselves, Morehouse School of Medicine does not. Instead, students accused of academic misconduct will face academic sanctions, including written warnings as well as academic probation.
Dismissal from the Morehouse School of Medicine Program
The Student Academic Progress and Promotion Committee (SAPP) determines whether or not a student's alleged academic misconduct is severe enough to merit dismissal from the university. This committee considers terminating not only students accused of academic misconduct but also students who:
- Fail to master their program's material
- Students who consistently fail remedial work
- Students who fail their USMLE, Step 1
- Students determined to be ineligible for the USMLE, Step 1
- Students believed to be dishonest or to have an attitude detrimental to the success of the school and their fellow students
- Students who take more than six years to graduate from their program of choice
- Students with two or more grade deficiencies
Morehouse School of Medicine holds its students to high standards. The grounds on which the SAPP can choose to dismiss a student from the program, however, can overwhelm even the most diligent of students. This is especially the case when one considers the effects a dismissal can have on a student's future career.
Medical students who are dismissed from a university program have a much harder time resuming their education. It is also more difficult for these students to secure careers in their fields of choice. Abrupt decisions, then, on the part of a university trying to save face can cost students not only a significant amount of money but their successful futures, as well.
Appealing Academic Misconduct Sanctions
Students facing dismissal from Morehouse School of Medicine have the opportunity to appeal the SAPP committee's decision. Interested parties must submit their appeals in writing to the President and Dean of the School within ten days of learning about the committee's decision.
Students must then present their appeal to the President and Dean. These parties will only consider a student's appeal if:
- The student believes that the committee bore some prejudice against them;
- The student believes that the committee failed to engage in proper hearing procedures.
Morehouse School of Medicine does not allow legal counsel to attend a student's appeal presentation. These parties will let the student in question know of their decision regarding said appeal within five days of the student's presentation. At this point, the student may either remain with the school or face dismissal.
Students also have the option to appeal grade sanctions depending on the remediation policies outlined in an attending professor's syllabus.
Overcome Accusations of Academic Misconduct With an Attorney-Advisor
Going to medical school is about more than labs, residencies, and networking. Students who attend Morehouse School of Medicine are building futures for themselves. They put in the work to make sure that they are fit for the medical field – but allegations of academic misconduct, professional concerns, and academic issues can undo all of that hard work.
Students who have faced accusations of academic or professional misconduct while attending Morehouse School of Medicine can have a more difficult time securing a career for themselves after they graduate. Certain sanctions can place permanent notices on their academic records; dismissal from the program can compromise their chances of getting into other schools.
That is where an attorney-advisor comes into play. Joseph D. Lento and the team with Lento Law Firm can work with students facing accusations of academic misconduct or those involving professionalism and also students who are facing academic issues which can lead to adverse consequences. The Firm's unparalleled experience make explaining the legal complexities behind these accusations and issues and the subsequent adjudicative process easier to digest. Students and their families can rest easy knowing that the Lento Law Firm is on their side through the thick and thin of the process, including the academic investigation, hearing, and appeal if necessary.
Want to schedule a consultation with the team at Lento Law Firm? Reach out via (888) 535-3686 or the firm's online form.
