A Disclosure Question (yeah another one) Forum

[Illini372]

Seems like there are a million of these, but I've been kicking this one around. So honest to god I forgot about this incident for a long time, but I stumbled upon an old disclosure topic (damn this board for raising my blood pressure) and the wheels starting turning and now here I am. Literally one of my first days at school I was walked home by some friends after a party incredibly intoxicated. I lived in the dorms and had no drinks on me, but was rather loud as I puked in my own garbage can in the room. No mess or disturbance was made, I just needed to sleep it off. An RA overheard and wrote down my info, which at my school is a preliminary report that goes to a residential director to determine course of action. No citations or anything of that nature, I met with this person and she said be smart next time, and nothing happened. No disciplinary hearing, no letter, no formal written warning, no university action. These apps have all asked if "you have ever been subject to discipline by a university or graduate school you attended", at the time I checked no without a moments pause because nothing ever came of this incident, I literally moved on with my life and hadn't thought about it until a few days ago. Any thoughts?

[vexion]

Seems like there are a million of these, but I've been kicking this one around. So honest to god I forgot about this incident for a long time, but I stumbled upon an old disclosure topic (damn this board for raising my blood pressure) and the wheels starting turning and now here I am. Literally one of my first days at school I was walked home by some friends after a party incredibly intoxicated. I lived in the dorms and had no drinks on me, but was rather loud as I puked in my own garbage can in the room. No mess or disturbance was made, I just needed to sleep it off. An RA overheard and wrote down my info, which at my school is a preliminary report that goes to a residential director to determine course of action. No citations or anything of that nature, I met with this person and she said be smart next time, and nothing happened. No disciplinary hearing, no letter, no formal written warning, no university action. These apps have all asked if "you have ever been subject to discipline by a university or graduate school you attended", at the time I checked no without a moments pause because nothing ever came of this incident, I literally moved on with my life and hadn't thought about it until a few days ago. Any thoughts?

There was no discipline, and no paperwork. Ergo, it's a non-issue.

If we all had to disclose every time we threw up after drinking too much, some of us would have some very thick application packets.

[futurelawyer413]

I would err on the safety of disclosure and say yes. Seems like the preliminary report your RA completed is a standard process/protocol for the situation you went through, otherwise why would the RA go through that? Just make it extremely brief, and also mention that no hearing, letter, warning, action, etc. was needed or taken. And hopefully, this isn't an issue for your app.

GL!

[JTX]

RA writes report that you puked loudly. what's that have to do with discipline or infractions?

[Kilpatrick]

I'm all for erring on the side of caution when it comes to disclosure, but this seems a little extreme. No action was taken. It sounds more like you were given a warning. One time a cop pulled me over for speeding and I told him I was trying to get to a sushi place before it closed to pick up dinner for my girlfriend and that she would kill me if I came home without a crunchy roll. He laughed, told me to slow it down, and let me go. I did not write about this incident on any law school applications.

[ariel25]

---

[Mr. Matlock]

I would err on the safety of disclosure and say yes. Seems like the preliminary report your RA completed is a standard process/protocol for the situation you went through, otherwise why would the RA go through that? Just make it extremely brief, and also mention that no hearing, letter, warning, action, etc. was needed or taken. And hopefully, this isn't an issue for your app.

GL!

At C&F Headquarters: Jim, found a file note on him stating an RA heard him "puking his guts out" in his dorm room one night. Could of had the stomach flu and infected EVERYONE. THIS DECEPTIVE MOTHERFUCKER IS GOING DOWN!!!!!!!"

Dude... take a shot and relax!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do not follow through with the above advice. Serious, 100% positive.

[vexion]

i have a similar question: i completely forgot to disclose a dorm room alcohol incident that happened in the beginning of my freshman year (no police involved). i believe i was on probation for a period, but nothing else happened for the rest of my college career, so i completely forgot about it. my school's policy re. dean's certificates is that they do not disclose minor disciplinary incidents to outside parties, but i'd like to amend my app just in case, since i have no desire to mess around with c&f. the problem is that the school where i'm headed in the fall is pretty conservative, so i'm worried about getting my acceptance rescinded/getting an lsac irregularities report over this. i've already withdrawn from my other schools, so if this happens i'm pretty much screwed. anyone been involved in a similar situation? thanks for your help!!!

No, no one's been involved in a similar situation. Do not disclose this. It's the same as OP... it just didn't happen. And Pepperdine isn't going to toss you out for youthful indiscretion anyway.

[Mr. Matlock]

No, no one's been involved in a similar situation. Do not disclose this. It's the same as OP... it just didn't happen. And Pepperdine isn't going to toss you out for youthful indiscretion anyway.

I was guessing Liberty or Regent.

[ariel25]

---

[Mr. Matlock]

i have a similar question: i completely forgot to disclose a dorm room alcohol incident that happened in the beginning of my freshman year (no police involved). i believe i was on probation for a period, but nothing else happened for the rest of my college career, so i completely forgot about it. my school's policy re. dean's certificates is that they do not disclose minor disciplinary incidents to outside parties, but i'd like to amend my app just in case, since i have no desire to mess around with c&f. the problem is that the school where i'm headed in the fall is pretty conservative, so i'm worried about getting my acceptance rescinded/getting an lsac irregularities report over this. i've already withdrawn from my other schools, so if this happens i'm pretty much screwed. anyone been involved in a similar situation? thanks for your help!!!

No, no one's been involved in a similar situation. Do not disclose this. It's the same as OP... it just didn't happen. And Pepperdine isn't going to toss you out for youthful indiscretion anyway.

nope, not pepperdine. i'd rather not say the school's name, but i went back thru my apps & it's one that requires a dean's letter if you checked 'yes' on the question where they asked if you had been disciplined by a college or university in any way, which is part of why this is worrying me. i would guess this is on my disciplinary record, since i had to meet with a person from residential life & was on probation.

edit: not liberty or regent either, considerably better ranked.

Notre Dame

[ariel25]

---

[Illini372]

Thanks for the responses, I'm a pretty chronic worrier but disclosing this seemed rather extreme even to me, the RA actually writing something up is what threw me off, but I never considered that discipline of any kind, just standard protocol that could lead to discipline had the RD taken it further.

[A'nold]

BYU?

[ariel25]

---

[clintonius]

I don't see any ethical way around reporting it to the school.

[Mr. Matlock]

does the particular school in question make a legitimate difference to what i should do in this case? there seems to be a lot of attention focused on which school it is.

AHA!! I think you nailed it A'nold. BYU!!!!!!







You're going to have to email them and explain the whole situation, regardless. If a probation was given (Total douche move by the school.... why go to another Stalinist Regime institution?????), you're going to probably have to come clean on that one. Sorry. No way to tip-toe around it. I'm 95% sure you'll be fine.

[blue5385]

posted a response, but then redacted for TMI about self

[ariel25]

---

[Illini372]

You're going to have to email them and explain the whole situation, regardless. If a probation was given (Total douche move by the school.... why go to another Stalinist Regime institution?????), you're going to probably have to come clean on that one. Sorry. No way to tip-toe around it. I'm 95% sure you'll be fine.

would it be a good move to call admissions anonymously & ask how they generally deal with these types of disclosures before i do it? i want to be forthright about it, but it would be horrible to have my acceptance rescinded & have to disclose that on all future law school apps as well as on my bar app.

also, does it not sound believable that i completely forgot about this? it happened so many years ago...if there had been a police report or i had gotten kicked out of housing, it would have definitely stuck in my mind, but since i didn't do anything else, the housing probation was an abstract thing that didn't seem like a big deal at the time (although it does now).

In regard to you forgetting about it, as TC, yeah I think it happens. So much goes on in college, life, whatever that we don't tend to hang on to the things that proved uneventful. In both our cases we didn't appear in front of a panel or have the university crap on us so we moved on. The difference between us though, is that it sounds like they were formal in giving you a probationary period. That sounds like something was concrete and in writing and that there was an action taken against you, which would most likely fall under the heading of "subject to discipline"

[thecilent]

does the particular school in question make a legitimate difference to what i should do in this case? there seems to be a lot of attention focused on which school it is.

lol

[blue5385]

imo, just email an addendum, they're not going to care.

[T14_Scholly]

It is advisable to write an addendum in this situation. Keep in mind that one of the reasons school require full disclosure is that dishonesty may later prevent you from being admitted to the bar during your character and fitness exam. C&F exams are taken very seriously. It is likely that they will subpoena security camera tapes from your dorm's lobby to see if there is any footage of you walking in intoxicated.

[ughOSU]

This is a very close one. I would try calling a couple schools and see what they think. They may tell you not to worry about it. But as every application says, err on the side of disclosure. I don't think something like this would adversely effect your application anyway.

[blue5385]

It is likely that they will subpoena security camera tapes from your dorm's lobby to see if there is any footage of you walking in intoxicated.

Not to mention taking a sworn dep from your RA.