College can feel like a separate world with its own customs, traditions, and rules. Students can focus on their studies and interact with so many more people their own age who share their interests, especially if they live on campus. However, college still has rules to follow and punishments for anyone who breaks them.
Campus discipline can threaten a student’s living situation, whether they can complete their term or degree, how they finance their education, and even whether they could face criminal charges. Luckily, a skilled student Defense Attorney at Leifert & Leifert understands the stakes involved and can help craft the best possible argument for someone facing a disciplinary hearing.
Offenses For Which Someone Could Face Discipline
Campus discipline can pertain to many offenses. A student who is accused of an offense could face serious consequences, up to and including expulsion. Some common examples are:
- Cheating
- Plagiarism
- Vandalism
- Falsifying data
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- Harassment and assault (including sexual)
- Disruptive behavior, such as causing a disturbance in class
An Attorney can guide the student forward as they face the disciplinary process.
Potential Penalties
Obviously, expulsion is something everyone would like to avoid. However, less severe punishments can still have an exorbitant impact on a student’s life and choices. For example, failing a class over cheating allegations could tank a student’s GPA, diminishing their chances in the job market and with graduate school admissions committees. Or consider sexual assault allegations. Even if a student is not expelled over such allegations, it could still have social and criminal consequences, especially if the matter is referred to the police.
Preparing and Building a Case in the Student’s Defense
A solid Defense is necessary in school disciplinary cases, which is why many students work with a Lawyer. Legal Counsel can provide a second set of eyes on a case and get an understanding of the issue in question, the possible paths forward, and the ramifications of various outcomes. They can also investigate an issue, ideally to turn up evidence and information buttressing the student’s Defense, or at least provide a fuller picture of the events in question.
Evidence
More information and evidence, such as from witness interviews and social media research, could be just what is needed to prove a student’s innocence, or at least sufficiently call into doubt an administrator’s or fellow student’s claim or allegation to have the matter dropped, or the consequences mitigated.
Protecting a Student’s Rights
When it comes to the rights of a student during the investigatory, deliberative, and punitive stages of a campus disciplinary matter, they can vary from institution, and often hinge on whether a school is public or private. Public universities are bound by the United States and state constitutions, and they must grant the rights and privileges bestowed by those documents, while private universities can more or less follow their own rules.
Whatever the situation, having a Lawyer to explain the process and apprise the student of their rights could be crucial to obtaining a favorable outcome. Whatever rights the student is given during the campus discipline process, they should fully utilize them possible. And an Attorney can help them with this as they make their Defense.
Contact a Campus Discipline Lawyer Today
Call one of our campus discipline lawyers today to discuss how we might find a favorable resolution for your issue. Your college career matters. Getting kicked off campus, losing scholarship money or financial aid, or failing a class could have a huge impact on the rest of your life. Do everything you can to prevent that from happening.
Contact one of our lawyers at Leifert & Leifert today to schedule a free consultation. We can discuss ways to deal with whatever problem you face.
