Attending college opens up many opportunities for emotional and social growth, but at the end of the day, the focus is on education. As a result, American universities take allegations of academic misconduct extremely seriously. Few Code of Conduct violations are more severe; among them repeat instances of academic misconduct.
Academic misconduct takes many forms, including cheating, plagiarizing, and falsifying data. Mistakes happen, and a first-time offense may not impact a student long-term. However, repeated offenses are a whole other story, and students facing accusations of repeat academic misconduct must understand that a seemingly minor issue can quickly escalate and jeopardize their future.
The Lento Law Firm has the experience needed to help protect your academic and professional future if your college accuses you of academic misconduct. Call our Student Defense Team today at 888-535-3686 or contact us through our website to begin defending against these allegations.
Far-Reaching Consequences of Repeat Academic Misconduct Violations
Universities do not hold back when it comes to investigating and punishing students who engage in repeat instances of academic misconduct. Unlike a first-time offense, which may be seen as a lapse in judgment or a one-time mistake, colleges consider them part of an ongoing pattern of unethical behavior. Schools have little to no tolerance for these situations, and their Student Codes of Conduct often reflect this.
For example, the University of Alabama escalates penalties for academic misconduct for repeat offenses in addition to egregious acts of misconduct. This means that even minor violations when repeated, can carry the same level of penalties as major ones. In the case of the University of Alabama, a suspension is generally mandated for any second offense.
For repeat academic misconduct violations, the typical sanctions include:
- Extended academic probation
- Suspension, with longer terms for more egregious acts of misconduct
- Expulsion
Repeat academic misconduct can wind up affecting a student's immediate enrollment opportunities at their school, but there is more to keep in mind, including:
- Impacts on Permanent Record: A mark of repeated academic misconduct will almost certainly go on a student's permanent record. With this black mark following them around, students may find it challenging to transfer to another university or successfully gain admission to graduate programs.
- Career Implications: Many employers in law, finance, medicine, and other high-stakes fields value integrity and reputation. Multiple instances of academic misconduct, even if a student completes their education, could severely limit professional opportunities and internships during college.
- Hardships Within College: When repeat academic misconduct violations do not result in suspensions or expulsions from a university, they can still make it difficult for students to finish their studies. Students responsible for these Code of Conduct violations typically forfeit their scholarship and financial aid opportunities. Some students are forced to temporarily or permanently pause their college life without another way to pay their tuition and fees.
Remember, the specific type of academic misconduct you are accused of does not always matter as much as how many times this behavior has occurred in the past. One act of misconduct can always be argued to be a regrettable mistake, but multiple violations indicate to your school that severe punishment may be warranted. You might assume that relatively minor acts of academic misconduct, such as plagiarizing a Canvas discussion post, will never jeopardize your enrollment, but this is an incorrect assumption.
The Lento Law Firm understands the immediate risks to your academic future if you are facing accusations of repeated academic misconduct, and our Student Defense Team can help defend your place on campus. If you wait too long to respond to accusations or appeal your disciplinary punishment, it may be too late to build a proper defense.
What To Expect if You Are Accused of Repeat Academic Misconduct
Students who have already been found responsible for academic misconduct are likely somewhat familiar with their school's specific student conduct procedures, but the stakes are much higher for repeat offenses. As such, it pays to be informed and prepared for what is to come.
The Lento Law Firm has vast experience representing college students all across America, with nationwide offices and intimate knowledge of many large schools' internal processes. Each school is unique, but the general process will include the following steps:
- Report: Someone makes a report alleging academic misconduct. This commonly comes from other students who are aware of the behavior or educators, such as TAs or professors, who catch a student violating school policies.
- Investigation and Meeting: Someone from the school, such as a discipline officer, will investigate the situation to determine if policies have been violated and whether they warrant punishment. During this time, the investigating school officials will typically reach out to the students to hear their side of the story.
- Charges: If those investigating the alleged academic misconduct believe that it has occurred, they will write up formal disciplinary charges and notify the student. Students will receive specific details about which Code of Conduct policies they violated and their rights and responsibilities going forward.
- Response: Students can accept the charges, at which time they will also receive relevant disciplinary sanctions. Or, they can dispute the charges and request a formal hearing before a hearing panel or board of school officials. In some extreme examples, such as the University of Miami, students only have one class day to respond to charges.
- Hearings: Most universities advertise hearings as non-confrontational, fact-finding meetings to get to the bottom of the allegations. However, students facing repeat allegations of academic misconduct are at tremendous risk if these hearings do not go their way. Hearings often superficially look like criminal court trials, with witnesses, formal processes, and evidence presentations.
- Appeals: Students can typically appeal within a short period, though they may not have free rein to appeal for any reason. Usually, an appeal is only granted if there is new evidence or procedural errors that potentially impacted the previous hearing.
It's safe to say that students who spend their days studying, attending class, and socializing with friends are not intimately familiar with internal school processes. That's why you should reach out to the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team if your university is accusing you of repeated acts of academic misconduct. We understand how schools investigate academic violations and can help prevent unfair or false allegations from harming your future.
How the Lento Law Firm Can Defend Against Repeated Academic Misconduct Allegations
If you're facing accusations of repeat academic misconduct, it's a massive risk to try and handle the situation on your own. Despite what you may believe, the university disciplinary proceedings we described are not always unbiased or fair to students accused of academic misconduct. For example, the presumption of innocence and the high standard for proving guilt found in criminal courtrooms are not present on most college campuses. For many schools that rely on the "preponderance of evidence" rule, a single university official with more than a fifty percent belief of your guilt can hand down a disciplinary punishment.
That being said, many schools allow students to work with attorneys throughout the disciplinary process, either to speak on their behalf or to prepare them for meetings and hearings. The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team can also help students accused of repeated acts of academic misconduct by:
- Reviewing the rights afforded to students of your school to ensure that the process is fair throughout
- Gathering evidence and building solid defenses to accusations of academic misconduct by school officials
- Expeditiously working from day one to meet all deadlines imposed by your school, which can often be as short as a few weeks for responding to accusations of appealing a hearing decision
It's important to keep in mind that many school officials will not be happy with you if you are accused of another academic misconduct violation. The potential for bias is high, and the Lento Law Firm aims to even the playing field to help protect your academic future.
Take Immediate Action To Protect Your Academic Future After Allegations of Repeated Academic Misconduct
Accusations of repeated academic misconduct are not something that will simply go away. If you ignore your university's notices or don't thoroughly respond to every allegation, they can impact your life for years to come. Schools view repeated academic misconduct as an ongoing disregard for student policies and standards, and they will respond accordingly with harsh penalties when possible.
If you are facing allegations of repeat academic misconduct, don't delay, and contact the Lento Law Firm immediately. Our Student Defense Team will work from day one to protect your enrollment; the faster you contact our team, the greater your chances of a successful defense against academic misconduct allegations.
Contact the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 or online through our website to get started.
