Universities in Wisconsin are among the best in the nation. However, they still try to maintain this reputation by strictly enforcing their codes of academic conduct and punishing students who try gaining an unfair advantage over others. The steps that colleges take to do this, though, can easily implicate innocent students who have done nothing wrong. If this happens to you, appointing a lawyer to be your advisor for the investigation and hearing can be the best way to protect your rights and professional future.
Academic Misconduct
Every college in Wisconsin has its own code of academic conduct. Usually hosted on the school's website in the student handbook, this code outlines the types of conduct that run afoul of the school's code. While every school is different, the following acts are almost always explicitly described as academic misconduct:
- Forging documents. Altering or forging official school documents, including but not necessarily limited to your transcript, is often listed as one of the most severe instances of academic misconduct in Wisconsin.
- Misconduct with academic materials. Stealing or destroying academic materials, like exams, answer keys, or library books, is also a serious act of academic misconduct in most schools in the state.
- Cheating on a test. A more common act of academic misconduct is using materials like notes or textbooks on a test that have been forbidden from the exam room.
- Plagiarism. Another common type of academic misconduct – and one that is incredibly easy to make, by accident – is plagiarism. Nearly all schools require all of a student's work to be their own, or else to be cited to the original source. However, what constitutes a proper citation is debatable, and can get excellent and innocent students into trouble.
- Complicity in misconduct. You can even face allegations of academic misconduct if you did not report someone else's misconduct, or if you actively helped them cover it up.
Unfortunately, colleges in Wisconsin are notorious for using vague definitions to prosecute students who have done something that only has the appearance of wrongdoing. This can put innocent students into serious trouble because the penalties of academic misconduct are always serious.
Penalties for Academic Misconduct in Wisconsin
The penalties for academic misconduct span a wide range and depend on the severity of the misconduct. The most egregious examples of academic misconduct can lead to a student being expelled. However, even the least severe instances of academic misconduct can result in a written warning or other blemishes on a student's academic record. With a highly competitive job market, students with a mark on their record can find it far more difficult to get a good job after graduating than those with a clean background.
Academic Misconduct Advisor for Wisconsin: Joseph D. Lento
Joseph D. Lento is a student discipline defense attorney. If you have been accused of academic misconduct in Wisconsin, you can appoint him as your advisor to make a strong defense against the allegations against you. Contact him online or by phone at 888-535-3686 to protect your rights and your professional future.
Wisconsin colleges and universities where Joseph D. Lento can help as your or your student's academic misconduct advisor during investigations, hearings, and appeals include, but are not limited to, the following schools:
- Alverno College
- The Art Institute of Wisconsin
- Bellin College
- Beloit College
- Blackhawk Technical College
- Bryant and Stratton College Glendale
- Bryant and Stratton College Milwaukee
- Bryant and Stratton College Wauwatosa
- Cardinal Stritch University
- Carroll University
- Carthage College
- Chippewa Valley Technical College
- College of Menominee Nation
- Concordia University Wisconsin
- DeVry University Wisconsin
- Edgewood College
- Fox Valley Technical College
- Gateway Technical College
- Globe University Appleton
- Globe University Eau Claire
- Globe University Green Bay
- Globe University La Crosse
- Globe University Madison East
- Globe University Madison West
- Globe University Wausau
- Herzing University Brookfield
- Herzing University Kenosha
- Herzing University Madison
- ITT Technical Institute Green Bay
- ITT Technical Institute Greenfield
- ITT Technical Institute Madison
- Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College
- Lakeland College
- Lakeshore Technical College
- Lawrence University
- Madison Area Technical College
- Madison Media Institute
- Maranatha Baptist Bible College
- Marian University
- Marquette University
- Mid State Technical College
- Milwaukee Area Technical College
- Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
- Milwaukee School of Engineering
- Moraine Park Technical College
- Mount Mary College
- Nicolet Area Technical College
- Northcentral Technical College
- Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
- Northland College
- Northland International University
- Ripon College
- Saint Norbert College
- Sanford Brown College West Allis
- Silver Lake College of the Holy Family
- Southwest Wisconsin Technical College
- University of Phoenix Madison Campus
- University of Phoenix Milwaukee Campus
- University of Wisconsin Colleges
- University of Wisconsin Eau Claire
- University of Wisconsin Green Bay
- University of Wisconsin La Crosse
- University of Wisconsin Madison
- University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
- University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
- University of Wisconsin Parkside
- University of Wisconsin Platteville
- University of Wisconsin River Falls
- University of Wisconsin Stevens Point
- University of Wisconsin Stout
- University of Wisconsin Superior
- University of Wisconsin Whitewater
- Viterbo University
- Waukesha County Technical College
- Western Technical College
- Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College
- Wisconsin Lutheran College
It is an unfortunate reality that academic misconduct charges can upend an accused student's life if not properly addressed, and Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm have unparalleled experience passionately fighting for the future of his clients at colleges and universities in Wisconsin 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 for students facing disciplinary cases in Wisconsin and throughout the nation. Make certain your or your student's interests are protected - Contact National Academic Misconduct Advisor Joseph D. Lento today at 888-535-3686.
