Academic misconduct, integrity, dishonesty and honor code violation. Colleges and universities in Georgia use different terms for allegations involving a student's academics. Regardless of the term used, academic misconduct charges are serious, with significant potential consequences. If found responsible, an appeal may be the last opportunity to resolve the case. Students and parents may not realize that professional help is needed as early as possible in the disciplinary process. Students and parents will often poorly informed by the school as to how to best address such accusations and it is only after a finding of responsibility that they realize an attorney advisor's help is needed.
If found responsible the situation can potentially still be rectified, especially if you have the right to appeal. Colleges and universities in Georgia often allow similar grounds for an appeal but your school's appeal processes must be closely followed. Common appeal grounds include procedural error or defect. For example, did the school follow the necessary steps in the code of conduct process? Was the student properly notified of the charges? Were there other due process issues? These are common issues which can lead to an unfair outcome. Dis-proportionate or excessive sanction. For example, will the sanctions be on the student's academic transcripts or disciplinary records, thereby affecting graduate school admissions?
Can it be asserted that the sanction is excessive in light of the circumstances of the case in the student's goals? Was the student suspended or expelled? Such sanctions are fundamentally severe and may not be appropriate to the case. New evidence, for example, did the school rely on unfair information by the professor? Did the school base its finding upon flawed reports such as a plagiarism checker or reports involving computer coding? Can new information be presented which provides an alternative explanation for the alleged misconduct? Some schools will decide an appeal based on a written appeal and others will decide an appeal by convening a hearing.
Appeal deadlines are often short, and immediate action must be taken. An experienced attorney advisor will help you present the strongest possible appeal and they should be involved as soon as possible.
Georgia colleges and universities where Joseph D. Lento can help as your or your student's academic misconduct advisor during the appeals process, in addition to during investigations and hearings, include, but are not limited to, the following schools:
- Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
- Agnes Scott College
- Albany State University
- Albany Technical College
- Altamaha Technical College
- American InterContinental University Atlanta
- Andrew College
- Argosy University Atlanta
- Armstrong State University
- Athens Technical College
- Atlanta Metropolitan College
- Atlanta Technical College
- Augusta State University
- Augusta Technical College
- Bainbridge College
- Bauder College
- Berry College
- Beulah Heights University
- Brenau University
- Brewton Parker College
- Brown College of Court Reporting
- Brown Mackie College Atlanta
- Carver Bible College
- Central Georgia Technical College
- Chattahoochee Technical College
- Clark Atlanta University
- Clayton State University
- College of Coastal Georgia
- Columbus State University
- Columbus Technical College
- Covenant College
- Dalton State College
- Darton College
- DeVry University Georgia
- East Georgia College
- Emmanuel College
- Emory University
- Everest Institute Norcross
- Fort Valley State University
- Fortis College
- Gainesville State College
- Georgia Christian University
- Georgia College & State University
- Georgia Gwinnett College
- Georgia Highlands College
- Georgia Institute of Technology Main Campus
- Georgia Military College Atlanta Campus
- Georgia Military College Augusta Campus
- Georgia Military College Columbus Campus
- Georgia Military College Milledgeville Campus
- Georgia Military College Valdosta Campus
- Georgia Military College Warner Robins Campus
- Georgia Northwestern Technical College
- Georgia Perimeter College
- Georgia Piedmont Technical College
- Georgia Southern University
- Georgia Southwestern State University
- Georgia State University
- Gordon College
- Gupton Jones College of Funeral Service
- Gwinnett College Lilburn
- Gwinnett Technical College
- Herzing University Atlanta
- Interactive College of Technology Chamblee
- ITT Technical Institute Atlanta
- ITT Technical Institute Duluth
- ITT Technical Institute Kennesaw
- Kennesaw State University
- LaGrange College
- Lanier Technical College
- Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Atlanta
- Life University
- Luther Rice University
- Macon State College
- Mercer University
- Middle Georgia College
- Middle Georgia Technical College
- Miller Motte Technical College
- Miller Motte Technical College Columbus
- Miller Motte Technical College Macon
- Morehouse College
- Moultrie Technical College
- North Georgia College & State University
- North Georgia Technical College
- Oconee Fall Line Technical College
- Ogeechee Technical College
- Oglethorpe University
- Okefenokee Technical College
- Paine College
- Piedmont College
- Point University
- Reinhardt University
- Sanford Brown College Atlanta
- Savannah College of Art and Design
- Savannah State University
- Savannah Technical College
- Shorter University
- Shorter University College of Adult & Professional Programs
- South Georgia College
- South Georgia Technical College
- South University Savannah
- South University Savannah Online
- Southeastern Technical College
- Southern Crescent Technical College
- Southern Polytechnic State University
- Southwest Georgia Technical College
- Spelman College
- The Art Institute of Atlanta
- Thomas University
- Toccoa Falls College
- Truett McConnell College
- University of Georgia
- University of Phoenix Atlanta Campus
- University of Phoenix Augusta Campus
- University of Phoenix Columbus Georgia Campus
- University of Phoenix Savannah Campus
- University of West Georgia
- Valdosta State University
- Virginia College
- Virginia College Augusta
- Waycross College
- Wesleyan College
- West Georgia Technical College
- Westwood College Atlanta Midtown
- Westwood College Northlake
- Wiregrass Georgia Technical College
- Young Harris College
If you're a student or the parent of a student at a school in Georgia, you must understand that academic misconduct allegations are serious.
Whatever term your college or university uses – academic misconduct, integrity, dishonesty, an honor code violation – you must respond to the allegations carefully and defend as best as possible, preferably as early as possible in the college disciplinary process.
Whether you did nothing wrong or instead had a lapse of judgement and made a poor decision, the potential consequences both in the short and long-term can be significant and severe. Present academic standing, scholarships, extracurricular activities, internships, graduate and professional school candidacy, and professional employment opportunities can all be diminished or altogether lost if an academic case is not successfully resolved.
If, however, you made the mistake of trying to defend against the charges on your own or with someone not suited to the task, all is not lost – especially if you can appeal the decision, finding of responsibility, and/or sanctions. If this was the case, now is the opportunity to take the necessary action and attorney Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm can help. The Lento Law Firm has unparalleled experience with academic misconduct cases and they have helped thousands of students across the country facing similar issues.
Joseph Lento fights nationwide on behalf of his clients and he never throws in the towel. He is a licensed attorney in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, 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 advisor for students and families seeking to appeal academic misconduct cases in Georgia and throughout the nation. Make certain your or your student's interests are protected at any stage of the university disciplinary process - Contact National Academic Misconduct Advisor Joseph D. Lento today at 888-535-3686.
