When it comes to being charged with campus or academic misconduct, you should know that as a student, you have the right to get an advisor by your side and ensure that your rights are protected. Nonetheless, if you have been found guilty of violating the code of your school, college, or university – you can be charged with campus misconduct – but – things can be resolved with the help of an attorney.
With a lawyer by your side, you can receive help with understanding the following judicial process. The attorney can also help with conducting hearings and conferences.
Campus Misconduct – An Overview
When it comes to campus misconduct, there are usually four categories:
Personal Misconduct
Personal misconduct includes unauthorized possession and use of drugs and alcohol. It also includes illegal activities, such as vandalism, trespassing, verbal abuse, physical abuse, and the illegal possession and display of firearms.
Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct includes things like plagiarism, self-plagiarism, contract cheating, unauthorized materials, and collusion. Once your assessment has been fagged for academic misconduct – all marking will be paused temporarily.
Academic misconduct also includes cheating, fabrication, and displaying a violation of course rules.
Organizational Misconduct
Organizational misconduct is quite self-explanatory, and this misconduct includes endangering others.
Sexual Misconduct
Sexual misconduct includes but isn’t limited to stalking, sexual harassment, violence while dating, and all sorts of sexual exploitation. It is important to mention here that such misconduct also falls under Title IX misconduct and can cause tons of distress to the accused student or faculty.
The reason is that you might think that things have been consensual to find out later that you are accused of sexual assault. If this happens, it is in your best interest to hire a campus misconduct lawyer who will strategically guide you about the subsequent procedures while protecting your rights.
Title IX – An Overview
Title IX is a statute that essentially covers universities and the codes of conducting universities. Now, if someone is alleged to have violated a code of conduct of the university, college, or school – it falls under Title IX. All sorts of things can trigger a Title IX case, such as sexual misconduct, plagiarism, and any other sort of violation.
Such violations can cause serious consequences, such as getting penalized by the university. If you find yourself in a situation where you are charged with a Title IX case, you can expect to go through a series of serious investigations.
After the investigation, if you are found responsible – you can request a hearing, and you can move on to the hearing process. However, you cannot navigate the complex legal system on your own, which is why you need a lawyer by your side who can help with everything and guide you through the process.
The Do’s and Don’ts of A Disciplinary Hearing
There are potential dangers linked to the disciplinary hearing process. The first danger is about receiving a letter from the college, school, or university that you are studying at. The letter will allege that you have violated some aspect of the institute’s student conduct code.
Naturally, you might feel inclined to sweep the problem under the rug and hope people will forget about it. Here are some of the dangers you need to know if you fail to act in your best interest.
Failure to Inform Parents
When students face disciplinary charges or campus misconduct charges, they fail to tell their parents about the allegations that have been made against them. Subsequently, the accused fail to seek out the help that they rightfully deserve.
So, if you receive a letter that alleges your campus misconduct, you must reach out to your parents or a legal attorney, as this is in your best interest. Ignoring the letter or the allegation won’t make it go away.
Failure to Get Legal Advice
If you are charged with campus misconduct, you should know that you have the right to a legal and qualified advisor. You can have an attorney by your side to act as your guide during the disciplinary hearings.
On that note, if you don’t take the matter seriously, you fail to seek out help, and you fail to obtain qualified counsel and assistance from a legal advisor to help you go through this difficult and frightening process, you will fail to protect your rights.
Speaking of having an advisor by your side, it can be a parent or a teacher – but – we recommend hiring a professional Title IX attorney. Why, you might ask? The reason is that the attorney is someone who thoroughly understands the legal system inside out, and they will be very strategic in how you respond to the hearing and how you act during the hearing.
False Belief of Having Things In Control
The moment you receive a letter that quotes campus misconduct and makes allegations against you – you should tell your parents and, with their help, seek out qualified assistance from a trained advisor. Never make the mistake of handling the problem by yourself. If you believe that you haven’t done anything wrong and you go through the process by yourself, you can end up being found responsible and facing serious consequences as a result.
If you reach out for help after you have been found guilty of misconduct, and only then do you get in touch with a lawyer or your parents – you should know that by that time, it is often too late. The reason is that your ability to defend yourself at that point in the process is severely limited.
Final Thoughts
You should know that during campus misconduct hearings, the institutes want a quick judgment process, and they are the least concerned about the student’s rights and interests. Most colleges, schools, and universities agree that the student is guilty if even 51% of the available evidence suggests that the student or faculty is guilty of violating the conduct. This is a far cry from the standard system in the criminal justice world. So, to protect your rights, treat such matters seriously and get in touch with an attorney right away.
