College students in Arkansas who have been accused of committing academic misconduct like cheating, plagiarism, or forgery may expect their innocence to come across loud and clear during the eventual hearing. However, the way these hearings and the investigations that precede them are structured, innocence is not always enough. Hearing panels can be confused by the process and prejudicial against a student who they assume to be guilty.
An academic appeal advisor like Joseph D. Lento can help you put together an effective appeal to bring your case to the next level and have it reheard in a more legitimate setting.
Why Academic Misconduct Hearings Can Be Unreliable
If you get accused of academic misconduct, there is the expectation that the hearing will be where all of the evidence gets presented to a neutral panel of judges, and that those judges will rely on the evidence – and the evidence, alone – to determine if you violated your school's code of conduct.
That is not always what happens, though. In many academic misconduct hearings in Arkansas, the members of the panel are inexperienced and easily manipulated by appeals to their emotions that they can then use as support for their decision against you. Worse, they can come into the hearing bearing the baggage of prior decisions where they found the accused student in violation of the code of conduct, and assume that you are guilty, too.
Appealing Your Misconduct Violation
If it is your case that the hearing panel misjudges, appealing the outcome is not only essential; it is a part of the system that is designed to ensure the proper resolution is reached in the end. However, it often takes the experienced help of an academic appeal advisor.
The procedural rules for appealing a negative outcome at the hearing stage is not just a guideline – even minor mistakes can doom an appeal even before it gets off the ground. An advisor like Joseph D. Lento can make sure that you are checking off all of the boxes and getting your appeal to the right people, on time.
Many schools in Arkansas only allow appeals in certain circumstances, as well. Making sure that your appeal states which of these circumstances is the case can prevent another quick dismissal and ensure the merits of your claims are heard.
Finally, drafting an appeal to include all of the possible ways that the hearing panel was wrong is critical. Leaving information out of the appeal, no matter how minor, can keep you from arguing your case again. Including all of the pertinent evidence that supports the appeal can also persuade your audience that allowing your case to be appealed and reheard is in the interests of justice.
Arkansas Academic Misconduct Appeals Advisor Joseph D. Lento
Joseph D. Lento is a student discipline defense attorney who can serve as the academic misconduct advisor for accused students in Arkansas. Contact him online or call his law office at (888) 535-3686 to get the help you need to preserve your future.
- Arkansas Baptist College
- Arkansas Northeastern College
- Arkansas State University Beebe
- Arkansas State University Main Campus
- Arkansas State University Mountain Home
- Arkansas State University Newport
- Arkansas Tech University
- Black River Technical College
- Bryan University
- Central Baptist College
- College of the Ouachitas
- Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas
- Crowley's Ridge College
- East Arkansas Community College
- Ecclesia College
- Harding University
- Henderson State University
- Hendrix College
- ITT Technical Institute Little Rock
- John Brown University
- Lyon College
- Mid South Community College
- National Park Community College
- North Arkansas College
- NorthWest Arkansas Community College
- Ouachita Baptist University
- Ozarka College
- Philander Smith College
- Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas
- Pulaski Technical College
- Remington College Little Rock Campus
- Rich Mountain Community College
- South Arkansas Community College
- Southeast Arkansas College
- Southern Arkansas University Main Campus
- Southern Arkansas University Tech
- University of Arkansas
- University of Arkansas at Little Rock
- University of Arkansas at Monticello
- University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
- University of Arkansas Community College Batesville
- University of Arkansas Community College Hope
- University of Arkansas Community College Morrilton
- University of Arkansas Fort Smith
- University of Central Arkansas
- University of Phoenix Little Rock Campus
- University of Phoenix Northwest Arkansas Campus
- University of the Ozarks
- Williams Baptist College
Regrettably, an academic misconduct finding of responsibility can derail an accused student's academic and professional goals and some students and parents do not recognize this concern until it may be too late. If a student is found responsible for academic misconduct charges, in addition to the short-term consequences such academic and disciplinary sanctions, there will be long-term consequences. Internships, graduate school opportunities, and employment opportunities can all be adversely impacted by a finding of responsibility.
For these reasons and more, it is critical to properly address such concerns as early as possible in the disciplinary process. There are times, however, that it necessary to appeal an adverse outcome, and Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm have unparalleled experience passionately fighting for the futures of his clients at universities and colleges in Arkansas and throughout the nation. He does not settle for the easiest outcome, and instead prioritizes his clients' needs and well-being. Joseph Lento is a licensed attorney in New Jersey and New York, is admitted as an attorney pro hac vice in state and federal court if needed when representing clients nationwide, and serves as an academic misconduct advisor to students facing disciplinary cases in Arkansas and throughout the nation. Make certain your or your student's interests are protected at all stages of the academic misconduct disciplinary process, including the appeal stage - Contact National Academic Misconduct Advisor Joseph D. Lento today at 888-535-3686.
