As a student enrolled in Liberty University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine in Lynchburg, Virginia, you have a lot to be proud of. You also, as you know, have a lot of hard work ahead of you before you can move ahead with your career as a licensed osteopathic physician. That is why you want to do everything you can to make sure your LUCOM transcript reflects your efforts – and that it doesn’t include any references to sanctions or other penalties imposed by LUCOM because of academic misconduct.

Being accused of academic misconduct can be very stressful, especially when you are trying your best to focus on your medical school studies and responsibilities. The best way to make sure you mount a strong and effective defense is to work with an experienced professional who has helped other students in similar situations many times before. At the LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team, our attorneys know what it takes to effectively defend against academic misconduct allegations. Call us at 888.535.3686 to learn more, or fill out our online contact form. We will schedule a confidential consultation so you can tell us about the allegations you’re facing, and we can explain how we are able to help.         

Academic Misconduct at LUCOM

Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine has an official Catalog that it issues for each school year. The LUCOM Catalog includes many of the policies and procedures that apply to students enrolled in the medical school, including its Academic Conduct Standards. While the Catalog notes that it is not possible to list all “inappropriate, unprofessional or unethical academic behavior,” it does list some examples. These include:

  • Cheating. This is broadly defined as “intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise.” It also includes having someone other than the student do work for the student “under false pretenses.” 
  • Fabrication. This is defined as the “intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information” in connection with an assignment or clinical work.
  • Facilitating Academic Dishonesty. In other words, it involves helping someone else cheat or otherwise violate LUCOM’s Academic Conduct Standards.
  • Plagiarism. LUCOM defines this as adopting or reproducing someone else’s “ideas, words, or statements” without properly acknowledging the other person’s contribution.
  • Unauthorized Aids. This includes the use of other people’s coursework; submitting work generated by AI; using “paraphrasing software” to change someone else’s work; or using any “aid that compromises the originality or authenticity of coursework.”
  • Bribery. Offering anything, including “money and/or favors” to try to “influence the judgment of a faculty or staff member” is (not surprisingly) prohibited.
  • Forgery. This refers to “falsely making, copying, or altering documents or credentials.”

Academic misconduct allegations will, in most cases, be handled by LUCOM’s Student Progress Committee. When those allegations are not dismissed at some point during the investigation or review process, the SPC can choose to impose a number of sanctions. These include:

  • A verbal warning to the student that their conduct is inappropriate. It will be noted in the student’s record, but will be expunged if there are no further violations.
  • Academic monitoring of the student’s work, in close collaboration with LUCOM’s Office of Medical Education and/or its Office of Clinical Education.
  • A Disciplinary Warning or Behavior Modification Status, which formally notifies the student that they have failed to meet LUCOM’s standards for conduct. This type of sanction is typically set for a certain period of time, but once that time period has passed and if the student has shown that “they can effectively cease behavioral misconduct,” the sanction will be erased from their record.
  • The student may be placed on probation for a period of time. During this time, the student is expected to show that they can “effectively cease behavioral misconduct,” after which they will be removed from probation status. 
  • A suspension will remove the student from LUCOM for a defined period of time, and may also come with requirements that the student is expected to meet before they can be readmitted to the medical school.
  • Dismissal or expulsion – these are the most serious sanctions. Both will permanently separate the student from LUCOM.

What Happens if I am Accused of Academic Misconduct?

There is a specified procedure that applies if you are accused of academic misconduct at LUCOM. Complaints are made in writing to the  Dean for Student Affairs, who is responsible for administering the LUCOM Code of Student Conduct. The Dean may decide to conduct an investigation into the allegations made in the complaint.

Investigations are serious matters. The information you provide in response to the Dean’s requests, or when interviewed by the Dean, can make or break whether you will be sanctioned for the alleged academic misconduct. The LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team can help you if you are under investigation. We can help you respond to information requests and prepare you for the stressful process of being interviewed by the Dean about the allegations made against you.

In some cases, the Dean may decide to refer your case to a subcommittee of the SPC called the Professional Advisory Group, which is a group that provides mentoring to students who have conduct issues. Otherwise, unless your case is dismissed, it will be referred to the SPC.

You will be notified in writing of the charges that are being made against you, and when and where your hearing will take place. It will normally be scheduled for between 5 and 15 working days from when you receive the notice. You can have witnesses appear at the hearing on your behalf, but you will not be allowed to question them. In fact, you will not even be present in the room when they appear before the SPC, nor will you be allowed to have any kind of advisor with you when it is your turn to appear.

The LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team can prepare you for your hearing. We can work with you and your witnesses to cover what you have to say to the SPC, and we can also go over the kinds of questions you can each expect the SPC to ask at the hearing.

After all of the witnesses and evidence have been considered, the SPC will vote and make a recommendation to the Dean whether to impose any sanction on you and, if so, what sanction should be imposed. The Dean may accept that recommendation or may take other action.

It may be possible to appeal the SPC’s decision on limited grounds to the Dean for Student Affairs. Any appeal needs to be submitted in writing within 5 school days of when the SPC notifies the student of its decision.

The experienced attorneys from the LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team are here to help you at each stage of LUCOM’s disciplinary process. We know what it takes to mount a strong defense, and we are here to help you make your case.   

The LLF National Law Firm Can Help Defend You

The experienced attorneys from the LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team are ready to go to bat for you when your LUCOM student record is on the line. This is what we do – we help students defend against academic and other types of misconduct charges at colleges and universities, including medical schools, across the US.  

Our attorneys know the laws, regulations, rules, and procedures that apply in academic misconduct cases. We are here to help you carry the stressful burden of defending against academic misconduct allegations while at the same time trying to do your best at LUCOM. We can also discuss your case with LUCOM administrators, and in many cases, we may be able to help resolve matters without having to go through the hearing process. 

If you have been accused of academic misconduct at LUCOM, contact the LLF National Law Firm’s Student Defense Team. We can be reached at 888.535.3686 or by submitting our online contact form. Let us schedule a confidential consultation so you can tell us about your case, and we can explain how we are able to help.  

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