Students learn moral values in school and have some fun. They make lots of memories in school and break rules once in a while. If you are facing an academic misconduct charge in your college, you need an academic misconduct attorney to defend you. Going through the disciplinary process is stressful and can change your life instantly. You should understand this process the possible punishments you might face.
Understanding Academic Misconduct
Any action you take to try to gain an unfair academic advantage is a form of academic misconduct. This includes cheating, plagiarism, data fabrication, collusion, and the use of unauthorized materials during a college test. Once you are accused of this misconduct, you will get a notice from your school telling you to appear before a school panel. During this meeting, you will learn about the disciplinary process and the punishment you may face should you be found responsible for the misconduct. The panel may ask you to give a statement at this meeting. Depending on how serious the school conviction will be, your punishments can include getting a zero on an assignment, failing the class, facing probation, getting a suspension, facing expulsion, or getting a permanent mark on your transcript.
Why Seek Legal Help
The evolution of technology allows students to plagiarize in a more advanced way. Because of this, colleges and universities have been more vigilant to try to detect plagiarism and use different means to find it.
Should you be found responsible for academic misconduct, you may not just get punishment from your college but also endure severe life-long consequences because of it. An academic misconduct conviction can affect your search for employment in the future. This means that you should not take the accusation lightly and that you must hire a lawyer to guide you through the process.
Although you may think that you can explain your side of the story, you must not allow yourself to be questioned without a lawyer’s help. Keep in mind that whatever you may say during the questioning by the school can be used against you. If you will be asked to appear at a meeting, tell the school that you will just listen to what they need to say but will not make any statement until you better understand the accusations against you. At this point, you can consult with a lawyer and you won’t have said anything that can ruin your position.
