No one said college would be easy. You've got to worry about chemistry, biology, and calculus. You have to learn to live in close quarters with another human being. You're required to master the art of laundry. Things can get exponentially more difficult, though, if you find yourself accused of academic misconduct.
It turns out, Long Island University takes classroom integrity pretty seriously. Infractions can get you anything from a lower grade on an assignment to dismissal from the school. In fact, even a minor punishment like a written warning can have serious consequences on your academic and professional future.
If an instructor has leveled an allegation against you, don't take it lightly. Find out all you can about how LIU treats misconduct so you'll be fully prepared to defend yourself. Then make sure you contact a qualified, experienced advisor, someone who can help you build your case. Because you definitely should fight to preserve your reputation, but you shouldn't do it alone.
Defining Academic Misconduct?
In broad terms, academic misconduct has to do with your work as a student. Basically, your school wants to ensure that no one gets an unfair advantage when it comes to completing courses or obtaining a degree. In more concrete terms, Long Island University's Academic Integrity Policy lists two specific types of academic misconduct: cheating and plagiarism.
Cheating: LIU uses cheating as a catchall category for several types of violations.
- Falsification of data
- Listing sources you haven't actually used
- Having someone else write a paper for you or writing a paper for someone else
- Purchasing or selling a paper
- Using unauthorized materials, like online sources or course notes, during an exam
Plagiarism: Plagiarism means attempting to pass another person's work off as your own without giving them due credit. Plagiarism can be active. That is, you may deliberately copy a paragraph from a source because you just don't have the time to write your own paragraph. It can also be passive, though. For example, you might intend to give credit to whoever wrote that paragraph but forget to do so.
Obviously, the better you understand these rules, the easier it is to avoid making a mistake. More importantly, though, only when you understand what you're being accused of can you hope to respond appropriately to the charges.
Processes and Procedures
All of Long Island University's various campuses have slightly different procedures for dealing with instances of academic misconduct. However, they all work in basically the same way
- First, it's important to note that classroom instructors have the primary responsibility for setting policy, identifying infractions, and coming up with appropriate sanctions. In general, an instructor can institute any rule they wish, so long as it's included on the syllabus. It's essential then to read every syllabus carefully and know exactly what is and isn't allowed. In addition, though, instructors have the discretion to decide if you've violated policy, and they can assign any penalty up to a failure in the course.
- If you should dispute the instructor's accusation or the sanction they've come up with, you can file a grievance. Basically, this involves writing out a full explanation of why you think they made a mistake and providing any relevant documentation to back up your argument. At some schools, the grievance process begins with submitting this document to your instructor.
- If you cannot work out a satisfactory resolution with your instructor, the next line in the chain of command is the department chair. This individual reviews your appeal and decides whether or not you committed a violation.
- You can further appeal the department chair's decision to the dean of the school in which you are enrolled.
- Finally, all the LIU campuses offer one additional level of appeal, to a panel or committee. At LIU, Post, for instance, you can appeal your case to the Faculty-Student Appeals Board. At LIU, Hudson, you can appeal the Dean's decision to the Office of Academic Affairs. In either case, you'll have an opportunity to make a statement in person to this committee before they review the evidence and render a final decision.
You should also know that the school keeps a record of all academic misconduct. Repeat offenses or particularly egregious policy violations are punished with more severe sanctions, including probation, suspension, and expulsion.
Joseph D. Lento Can Help
Too often, students don't question their professors when they're charged with misconduct. It seems like taking on a faculty member, let alone your entire school, would be an impossible task. Easier just to accept your punishment—even if you're innocent—and move on.
Here's what's wrong with that thinking. Any cheating or plagiarism notation, even if it's just a warning, can have long-term impacts on your future. It could cause you to lose scholarships; it could interfere with your ability to apply to graduate school; you might even have to answer questions about it in job interviews.
You shouldn't just accept these outcomes. Whether you are entirely innocent, made an honest mistake, or just believe you deserve a more reasonable sanction than what you were given, you have the right to fight for your future. Don't take on that fight alone, though. You are taking on your school, after all, and the processes and procedures can be difficult to navigate.
Ask Joseph D. Lento to help.
Joseph D. Lento is a defense attorney who specializes in student misconduct cases. He has years of experience serving as an advisor, helping hundreds of students just like you get the justice they deserve. Joseph D. Lento can help you gather evidence, draft documents, even prepare to answer questions. Don't try to handle this situation yourself.
If you've been accused of academic misconduct, don't wait. Contact Joseph D. Lento today at 888-555-3686 or use our automated online form.
