Georgia State University enrolls well over 50,000 students in twelve colleges and schools spread across six metropolitan Atlanta campuses. It promotes itself as diverse, innovative, and devoted to effective undergraduate education. With over 250 degree programs in 100 different fields, Georgia State University offers more educational choices than any other college or university in the state. While focusing on undergraduate education, Georgia State University also offers over 150 graduate programs from accountancy and African-American studies to women's studies and world languages. Georgia State University is large, accessible, and vital, and intends to remain so.
Academic Integrity at Georgia State University
To maintain its vitality and reputation, Georgia State University concerns itself with the quality and character of its academic environment. The university articulates the negative side of that concern, what the university won't accept from its students, in a lengthy Student Code of Conduct. The Student Code has separate parts defining general misconduct, sexual misconduct, and academic misconduct. The Student Code's treatment of academic misconduct commits the university to academic honesty as a core institutional value.
Academic integrity is not just important to Georgia State University. It is also critical to the success of Georgia State University students. A record of college academic misconduct can cripple your education and career. If you face academic misconduct charges at Georgia State University, then you need to know your rights and interests. You also need national academic misconduct attorney Joseph D. Lento's help. Contact the Lento Law Firm now if you face academic misconduct charges at Georgia State University.
Academic Misconduct at Georgia State University
Georgia State University's Student Code of Conduct lists several forms of student academic misconduct that the university intends to punish, while cautioning that the list is not exhaustive. Academic honesty is the standard. The university reserves the right to punish dishonest acts not included on its misconduct list. The specific misconduct the university prohibits include these traditional forms of academic misconduct:
- Plagiarism, which the code defines as “presenting another person's work as one's own.” The code warns that plagiarism includes paraphrasing or summarizing others' work without acknowledgment, and submitting another's work as one's own. The code makes specific mention of copying internet sources without reference;
- Cheating on exams, which the code defines as “giving or receiving unauthorized help before, during, or after an examination.” The code makes specific mention of unauthorized use of notes, texts, or crib sheets, and intentionally allowing another student to view one's own exam;
- Unauthorized collaboration, which the code defines as “working with someone or getting assistance from someone ... without specific permission from the instructor on any assignment … turned in for a grade”;
- Falsification, which the code defines as “to misrepresent material or fabricate information in an academic exercise, assignment or proceeding….” The code makes specific mention of false or misleading citations and falsifying experiment results or computer data to gain an unfair advantage;
- Multiple submissions, which the code defines as “to submit substantial portions of the same work for credit more than once without the explicit consent of the faculty member….” Students must disclose when using prior work in the development of new work; and
- Unauthorized public posting or distribution, which the code defines as “selling, sharing, publishing, presenting, or distributing of instructor-prepared course lecture notes, videos, audio recordings, or any other instructor-produced materials … for any commercial purpose….” A student doing so must have the instructor's written consent.
Georgia State University Misconduct Procedures
When a student faces academic misconduct charges, the college or university procedures for determining those charges are important to the student's outcome. National academic misconduct attorney Joseph D. Lento helps students employ those procedures to defeat false, exaggerated, and unfair misconduct charges.
Georgia State University's Student Code of Conduct provides that the instructor must first discuss the academic misconduct charges with the student. The instructor then consults with the department chair to complete the university's Notice of Academic Misconduct form. The college dean serves the notice on the student who must deny the charge within ten days, or the charge goes to the student dean for a penalty recommendation. When retained for representation, academic-misconduct attorney Joseph Lento can help the student prepare an accurate, complete, timely, and effective response to the charge.
The student's denial of the charge triggers a hearing before a College Hearing Committee. If the committee finds misconduct, then the student dean recommends a sanction. The student may challenge the sanction recommendation, which is another opportunity for the skilled advocacy of academic-misconduct attorney Joseph Lento. The University Senate Committee on Student Discipline reviews all sanction recommendations. The committee's recommendation goes to the Provost for final decision and implementation.
Georgia State University Misconduct Sanctions
Georgia State University's Student Code of Conduct defines the sanctions that the university may impose against a student found to have committed academic misconduct. The instructor, with the department chair's review, determines whether to assign a failing grade for a course assignment or test, or for the full course. The Provost, on the Senate Committee on Student Discipline's recommendation, may also impose these disciplinary sanctions:
- suspension;
- expulsion; and
- temporary or permanent transcript annotations.
Any of these sanctions may affect a student's education and career. Even so little as failing course assignments or tests, or the course itself, can lead to academic probation or dismissal, loss of scholarships, loss of honors, and reduction in class standing. Suspension, expulsion, and transcript notations would likely damage or destroy the student's prospect for completing the degree program, advancing to graduate schools or certification programs, obtaining professional licenses and certifications, and competing successfully for internships, residencies, and jobs. Students must take any academic misconduct charge seriously.
An Academic Attorney's Role
College and university students typically don't have the legal training and procedural knowledge to aggressively defend false, exaggerated, and unfair academic misconduct charges. Academic disciplinary proceedings, which are both academic and administrative in nature, can be especially sensitive, vague in their rules, and complex. The student must understand what the university is charging while also knowing how to contest those charges, with whom and in what form. And the student must do so while likely frightened, embarrassed, angered, frustrated, confused, and otherwise emotional over the charges.
Don't try to go it alone if you face Georgia State University academic misconduct charges. Attorney Joseph D. Lento of the Lento Law Firm has the skill and experience to successfully defend against those charges. He has successfully represented hundreds of college and university students nationwide. Attorney Lento helps students evaluate charges, identify exonerating evidence, challenge the charge, negotiate the dismissal of charges, and analyze and appeal any adverse findings. Skilled advocacy exposes frivolous charges and helps mitigate an outcome when a student had a lapse of judgment or made a mistake.
Don't accept just any advisor. Don't hire just any lawyer. Trust an experienced attorney advisor. Academic misconduct findings can harm your reputation, education, and career. Do as hundreds of college and university students nationwide have done: retain Joseph D. Lento at the Lento Law Firm to defend and defeat false charges. Attorney Lento can help you navigate and defeat a Georgia State University misconduct charge. Call 888-535-3686 to schedule a consultation, or use the online service.
