We can only assume that your goal is for Morgantown’s country roads to take you… to a dentistry career that offers significant challenges, fulfillment, and financial stability. However, your planned trip to the mountaintop of the dentistry profession can be immediately detoured by an accusation of academic misconduct.

Here is the point you must take away from this article, if you take nothing else away: You must defend yourself in the face of alleged misconduct of any kind, as the professional reverberations of sanctions can reach far and wide throughout your life. The mountaintop you are working towards may even be blasted away like a strip mine if you suffer the most severe sanctions WVU SOD can impose for academic misconduct.

We are here to help. Student defense is our focus, and our years of proven effectiveness in helping students should not be discounted. Call the LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online to discuss how we will exercise your rights and fight to resolve this issue in your favor.

A Mountaineer’s Definition of Academic Misconduct at the School of Dentistry

WVU SOD’s Academic and Professional Standards policy details prohibited academic behaviors, including: 

  • Plagiarism (which, these days, typically includes using artificial intelligence without permission or citation)

  • Cheating and other “dishonest practices” related to examinations, papers, or projects

  • Forgery

  • Misrepresentation

  • Fraud

These are broad categories of offenses, and the policy lacks the degree of specificity that might better help WVU SOD enrollees avoid accusations of wrongdoing. If you have been accused, you should receive written clarification about what misconduct, exactly, you are accused of.

Accusations of Academic Misconduct Always Require the Complainant’s Judgment—and Humans’ Judgment Can Be Poor

In our many years defending students accused of academic misconduct, we have seen time and again that these cases are rarely cut-and-dry. In deeming a student responsible for such misconduct, the adjudicators often need to:

  • Evaluate circumstantial evidence

  • Assess the accused student’s character

  • Determine if the student intended to engage in prohibited conduct

  • Make several other judgment calls that could, ultimately, result in significant harm to the student’s reputation, academic career, and professional prospects

Having our team on your side will help ensure that no poor judgment calls cause you harm.

The Adjudication Process Our Student Defense Team Will Guide You Through

An accusation of academic misconduct can thrust you into the role of a modern Daniel Boone, traversing unfamiliar and unfriendly territory. Allow the LLF National Law Firm team to be your guides, as we have navigated this terrain many times for students in circumstances similar to yours.

We are familiar with the West Virginia School of Dentistry’s unique adjudication procedures. Though this policy does not apply to every dentistry student, we can get an idea of how your case might be resolved throughthe WVU Dental Hygiene Academic Integrity Policy. Here is a step-by-step map of what that policies say:

  • The complaint will be filed with the Director of Academic Integrity via an Academic Dishonesty Form (if the complaint is not filed within ten academic days of the “discovery” of the alleged misconduct, it is invalid)

  • The Director will review the complaint and decide whether further investigation is justified

  • If so, the Academic Dishonesty Conduct Process will begin, starting with the Director’s investigation

  • The Director will provide a written Notice of the Charge to the accused student, detailing the misconduct they are alleged to have engaged in

From this point, your case may proceed along either an informal or a formal resolution path. The Director could render their own finding, which you may agree with or disagree with. If you disagree with their finding (any proposed sanctions), you may undergo a hearing.

You have the right to appeal any sanctions within 14 days of the notice of those sanctions. While our Student Defense Team often achieves favorable hearing outcomes and disciplinary agreements, we prepare each case as if we will need to appeal on the student’s behalf. We will be ready to file your appeal promptly, should you receive one or more unfavorable decisions.

The policy notes that there is a one-year statute of limitations for investigating alleged academic dishonesty. Also, even if no formal complaint is filed, the Director of Academic Integrity has the right to investigate questionable conduct.

Sanctions That Can Result from an Un-Defended Accusation of Academic Misconduct

Finding out you’re accused of academic misconduct is dread-inducing enough to turn even Mountaineer Week into a bad time. We understand what you are going through, and we will act with urgency to resolve your case so you can get back to your studies. 

This urgency is necessary because students accused of academic misconduct can face life-changing sanctions, possibly including:

  • A grade reduction on any assignment that the alleged misconduct relates to

  • A failing grade in the course (or clinic) in which you’re accused of committing misconduct

  • Academic probation

  • Academic suspension

  • Dismissal from the WVU School of Dentistry

The sanctions you are facing can depend on several factors, including the details of the alleged misconduct and whether you have prior disciplinary action on your record. The Dental Hygiene Academic Integrity Policy alludes to “aggravating factors,” including:

  • The “seriousness” of the alleged academic misconduct

  • The student’s “alleged intent” to commit the alleged offense

  • The potential impact of the misconduct on other students

  • Whether the alleged misconduct involved any “financial gain”

  • Whether the methods involved in the misconduct were “sophisticated”

Some of these aggravating factors are very much subjective. It can be difficult to prove that the student intended to engage in prohibited behavior, for example. Yet, you could face more severe penalties if the adjudicating body decides you acted with bad intent.

How the LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team Will Fight for You

Do not view the sanctions you’re facing in a vacuum. Being disciplined during your studies at West Virginia University could put you behind other graduates in the competitive professional marketplace.

We will fight hard to help you avoid the adverse effects of sanctions. Call the LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online.

West Virginia University School of Dentistry

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