Institutional action... am I screwed?

[FutureDrOcean]

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To make a long story short... I am about to apply to medical school. My relationship ended in flames about two months ago, and she went to the police and made crazy, unfounded allegations against me. Nothing was done on police side, but my institution did kick me off campus for "safety reasons" after getting a copy of the report, awaiting an institutional investigation.


The conduct hearing never came, and the entire thing has been dropped. I was never charged with a conduct violation. I never had a conduct hearing. I was never issued any punishment for conduct. I was never found guilty of any conduct violation. I am now back on campus, and her and I are just ordered not to talk to one another.

What on earth do I put on my AMCAS? On one hand, nothing ever came of the allegations. On the other hand, I was given an order to move off-campus temporarily, something they formally called an "interim action," for an investigation that never came.

 

[Sanguis]

I think it's illegal for a university to get a copy of a police report before the investigation is settled. Do you attend BYU? If so, it wouldn't surprise me.

I don't think you have an IA. Just to be sure go and check with the dean of students.

 

[MoDiddy]

The conduct hearing never came, and the entire thing has been dropped. I was never charged with a conduct violation. I never had a conduct hearing. I was never issued any punishment for conduct. I was never found guilty of any conduct violation

If you were never charged i.e. found completely innocent (all charges dropped) there should be no IA.

 

[FutureDrOcean]

The conduct hearing never came, and the entire thing has been dropped. I was never charged with a conduct violation. I never had a conduct hearing. I was never issued any punishment for conduct. I was never found guilty of any conduct violation

If you were never charged i.e. found completely innocent (all charges dropped) there should be no IA.

I would partially agree with what you said. I was never charged - that is correct. However, I was not "found" innocent. The investigation never got past them receiving the police report from campus police. I certainly was not tried and found "not guilty." There was no determination made... I only had the interim action to remove me from campus for "safety reasons" after the allegations, and that interim action was reversed when they decided not to pursue further investigation.

 

[MoDiddy]

I would partially agree with what you said. I was never charged - that is correct. However, I was not "found" innocent. The investigation never got past them receiving the police report from campus police. I certainly was not tried and found "not guilty." There was no determination made... I only had the interim action to remove me from campus for "safety reasons" after the allegations, and that interim action was reversed when they decided not to pursue further investigation.

You should contact your dean and see what's up IMO

 

[bananafish94]

When you say that you were ordered not to talk to each other, does that mean you were issued a formal sanction from an official university office? If so, this may very well be recorded somewhere. I have a lot of experience on the disciplinarian side of things like this and I urge you to contact your school's office for conflict resolution ASAP to see if it is recorded as a university sanction.

 

[JustAnother]

I thought we're all innocent until proven guilty? But I agree with the others, contact your Dean ASAP.

 

[bananafish94]

I thought we're all innocent until proven guilty? But I agree with the others, contact your Dean ASAP.

A common misconception. Most judiciary bodies for academic institutions only need a "preponderance of evidence," meaning that it is more likely than not that the violation took place. In terms of cheating violations, this translates to: if your professor accuses you of something, you're screwed.

 

[Lawpy]

I thought we're all innocent until proven guilty?

Unfortunately not. Some seem to believe in the "tip of the iceberg" principle where if one bad thing pops up, people start to wonder what are other bad things you are hiding. I strongly disagree with this idea but alas it's a fairly persistent belief.

 

[Dr Tony T. Chopper]

Go to the school specifically and clarify how the incident should be interpreted from their (official) end.

 

[mistafab]

Dean of Students' offices usually keep track of all IA's. Shoot them an email to meet with them and ask if there is something on your record.

 

[DokterMom]

Talk to your university. Briefly explain that things "ended badly" and that "in the heat of the moment, your ex-girlfriend made some wild accusations" and that you need to clarify your situation. DO NOT call her "crazy" even if the shoe fits. Bad-mouthing her as a crazy witch will backfire on you - potentially badly. No words worse than "dramatic" and "impulsive" should come from your lips, and even then, only if absolutely necessary.

But yeah, you need to know whether or not you have an institutional action.

 

[Goro]

Concur. You should be fine!

The conduct hearing never came, and the entire thing has been dropped. I was never charged with a conduct violation. I never had a conduct hearing. I was never issued any punishment for conduct. I was never found guilty of any conduct violation

If you were never charged i.e. found completely innocent (all charges dropped) there should be no IA.

 

[Moose A Moose]

OP: horrible situation, and I'm sure you're stressed, but in the end you should be okay.

Academic: figure out what they have on the record- this may be your biggest obstacle to jump in reporting anything on your primary application.
Judicial: it sounds like everything was dropped. good. were you arrested (prints, mugshot, etc)? if so, there is a record- get it expunged. you will be good on the state level, but you'll still have to report when you do federal checks.

Learning experience. A vicious one to go through, but let it make you a better, smarter man in the long run.
Keep your chin up.

 

[frosted_flake]

Future lesson: stay away from cray
Cray!


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