While every college in Minnesota has its own unique code of academic integrity, they all prohibit things like cheating on a test, plagiarizing someone else's ideas, or forging school documents. While students who have been accused of one of these forms of academic misconduct think that they can rely on the misconduct hearing to absolve them of the charges they are facing, that is not always the case: Misconduct hearings are notorious for finding innocent students guilty of things they did not do.
Appealing the outcome of a misconduct hearing is often an essential part of the process. Joseph D. Lento is an academic appeal advisor who can help students in Minnesota.
The Unreliability of Academic Misconduct Hearings
Colleges in Minnesota seem to think that students who have been accused of academic misconduct would rather have a hearing panel that has a diverse set of members than one that is adept at separating truth from fiction. Many codes of conduct in Minnesota specifically require misconduct hearing panels to include members from the faculty, staff, and student body. Very few, though, require those panel members to have any experience hearing misconduct allegations or to have received any specialized training in dispute resolution.
As a result, many academic misconduct hearings involve lots of unreliable evidence and emotional appeals, because there is a substantial chance that the hearing panel will soak it up. Accused students – even those who are completely and very clearly innocent of the charges against them – can find themselves in serious trouble because the hearing panel was unable to see through the smoke and mirrors and note the facts of the case.
You Have a Right to Appeal, But It is Not Absolute
Thankfully, most colleges in Minnesota understand that the hearing panel is not going to be perfect. So they create a way for aggrieved students to appeal their case to a higher hearing panel that is more adept at seeing through weak arguments and figuring out whether academic misconduct was in fact committed.
However, colleges also want to prevent this appellate hearing panel from getting swamped with appeals. To finalize as many cases as possible after the initial hearing, most schools raise procedural requirements that have to be satisfied before any appeal can be heard. Getting your case through these hoops without dooming it in the process can take the help of an academic appeal advisor like Joseph D. Lento.
Minnesota's Academic Appeal Advisor: Joseph D. Lento
If you go to college in Minnesota and have been accused of an instance of academic misconduct – whether it involves cheating on a test, plagiarizing a paper, or forging school documents – there is the chance that you will need to utilize your right to appeal in order to have your case heard by a panel that can make a reliable decision. Planning for this appeals process is essential. Academic appeal advisor Joseph D. Lento can help. Call his law office at (888) 535-3686 or contact him online to get the legal assistance you need.
- Academy College
- Alexandria Technical & Community College
- Anoka Technical College
- Anoka Ramsey Community College
- Argosy University Twin Cities
- Augsburg College
- Bemidji State University
- Bethany Lutheran College
- Bethel University
- Brown College Brooklyn Center
- Brown College Mendota Heights
- Capella University
- Carleton College
- Central Lakes College Brainerd
- Century Community and Technical College
- College of Saint Benedict
- College of Visual Arts
- Concordia College at Moorhead
- Concordia University Saint Paul
- Crossroads College
- Crown College Saint
- Dakota County Technical College
- DeVry University Minnesota
- Duluth Business University
- Dunwoody College of Technology
- Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College
- Globe University Minneapolis
- Globe University Woodbury
- Gustavus Adolphus College
- Hamline University
- Hennepin Technical College
- Herzing University Minneapolis
- Hibbing Community College A Technical and Community College
- Institute of Production and Recording
- Inver Hills Community College
- Itasca Community College
- ITT Technical Institute Brooklyn Center
- ITT Technical Institute Eden Prairie
- Lake Superior College
- Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Minneapolis
- Macalester College
- Martin Luther College
- McNally Smith College of Music
- Mesabi Range Community and Technical College
- Metropolitan State University
- Minneapolis Business College
- Minneapolis College of Art and Design
- Minneapolis Community and Technical College
- Minnesota School of Business Blaine
- Minnesota School of Business Brooklyn Center
- Minnesota School of Business Elk River
- Minnesota School of Business Lakeville
- Minnesota School of Business Moorhead
- Minnesota School of Business Plymouth
- Minnesota School of Business Richfield
- Minnesota School of Business Rochester
- Minnesota School of Business Shakopee
- Minnesota School of Business Waite Park
- Minnesota State College Southeast Technical
- Minnesota State Community and Technical College
- Minnesota State University Moorhead
- Minnesota State University Mankato
- Minnesota West Community and Technical College
- National American University Bloomington
- National American University Brooklyn Center
- National American University Roseville
- Normandale Community College
- North Central University
- North Hennepin Community College
- Northland Community and Technical College
- Northwest Technical College
- Northwest Technical Institute
- Northwestern College
- Northwestern Health Sciences University
- Oak Hills Christian College
- Pine Technical College
- Rainy River Community College
- Ridgewater College
- Riverland Community College
- Rochester Community and Technical College
- Saint Cloud State University
- Saint John's University
- Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
- Saint Paul College A Community and Technical College
- South Central College
- Southwest Minnesota State University
- St. Catherine University
- St. Cloud Technical and Community College
- St. Olaf College
- The Art Institutes International Minnesota
- The College of Saint Scholastica
- University of Minnesota Crookston
- University of Minnesota Duluth
- University of Minnesota Morris
- University of Minnesota Rochester
- University of Minnesota Twin Cities
- University of Phoenix Minneapolis/St Paul Campus
- University of St Thomas
- Vermilion Community College
- White Earth Tribal and Community College
- Winona State University
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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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.
