The Importance of Familiarizing Yourself with Your School’s Code of Conduct

When we think about going to college, we envision fun times with friends, hours spent studying in the library, and the prospect of forging lifelong relationships. However, something which seems to fly under the radar for many students is the importance of familiarizing themselves with their school’s code of conduct.

Your behavior during your college years can play a pivotal role in achieving your ultimate goal: earning a degree. Educational institutions across the United States are cracking down on incidences where student misconduct takes place, resulting in drastic disciplinary sanctions that could hinder future achievements after graduation.

Thus, familiarity with your school’s set regulations regarding their respective expectations concerning student behavior is crucial. Failure to abide by said rules could result in severe punishments that could detrimentally impact your college experience which may end up taking years to recover from.

Types of Code of Conduct Concerns

There exist three categories that constitute punishable behavior as deemed by schools through their codes and regulations. They include:

Academic Misconduct:
Academic dishonesty constitutes offenses which violate an institution’s honor code or actions contrary to classroom rules stipulated by instructors. Common examples if academic misconduct include undermining work done by others known as plagiarism, cheating on exams, destruction of educational property, as well as unauthorized cooperation with others. Academic impropriety can result in failing grades or another similar academic reprimand; otherwise, students may be referred for institutional adjudication.

Sexual Misconduct:
Any sexual contact without the express consent of all involved parties regardless of its form may constitute sexual misconduct according to a colleges code of conduct policy. Every institution has precisely defined what falls under this category based on Title IX regulations surrounding education equality.

General Code Of Conduct Infractions:
This broad bracket encompasses sanctions due to unprecedented behaviors like alcohol or drug possession and abuse; general dormitory life violations like causing harm or stalking other residents at night; and, hate crimes directed towards specific groups of people.

Other institutions may have different punishable behaviors. In all cases, allegations connecting a student to a prohibited event mark the beginning of offenders’ institutional disciplinary process.

What Happens After An Allegation Against Me Has Been Made?

After an allegation has been brought forth against you, due process immediately follows:

Do not speak to anyone:
The natural thing for individuals to do after receiving any allegation is to explain themselves from their perspective. However, as harsh as it seems, anything said by an accused party could serve as evidence against them. It’s essential to remain tight-lipped because even speaking out to a friend or faculty member could work against you.

Gathering Information Quietly:
From the moment that an individual is involved in a code of conduct dispute, they should start gathering evidence which will help defend their position ultimately. Collecting relevant information such as a timeline of events and potential witnesses alongside bolstering information like social media conversations and emails can go a long way in their defense case.

Contact a Student Defense Attorney:
With navigations surrounding code-of-conduct violations highly complex and involving high stakes beyond what most students perceive, employing the professional services of student defense attorneys cannot be stressed enough. Spodek Law Group has provided state-specific pages discussing how individuals can handle different types of code-of-conduct issues.

How Will Your School’s Due Process Run?

While schools have unique processes through which alleged offense reports are dealt with due process generally entails:

Investigation.
Schools take time to investigate as much detail regarding the incident concerned as possible before proceeding further.

Disciplinary hearing.
Invitations for formal hearings before school representatives are given during which all adherent parties’ views and witness interviews get analyzed. The institution shall partake in this exam session and issue verdicts regarding liability concerning specific offenses.

Recommendations for Sanctions:
An institution may suggest corrective measures based on its culpability decision.

Punishments range from an educational requirement to dismissals or suspensions. The inadequate consideration of student disciplinary matters could have future repercussions on transcripts and other disciplinary records.

A suspension elicits a period during which the students will not get into school. These gaps in your transcript could create challenges for many different reasons now and in the future when applying for jobs or internships as individuals may struggle to explain lapses successfully.

How do I file an appeal?

In filing an appeal after sanction recommendations, specific mechanisms exist through which individuals need to proceed:

Provide a compelling reason for the appeal.
Your argument must aim at highlighting reasons why it is imperative forthe institution to reconsider the case. Examples of strong bases for appeals include the emergence of new evidence or a clear indication that the discipline committee failed to follow proper procedures when dealing with your case.

Write a persuasive argument summarizing all your evidence in a cohesive manner.

File an appeal with the relevant school representatives, typically the Dean of Students, with supporting documents as deemed necessary.

Wait for your school to assess your appeal and issued a final decision with no room for further negotiation unless under litigation against the school.

If you lose on appeal, final courses of action if you are unsatisfied may involve directing complaints against the educational board in charge and filing lawsuits against your institution.

Conclusion

Code-of-conduct violations have severe consequences that could affect one’s college experience as well as future professional prospects. Seeking legal advice from Student Defense Attorneys like Todd Spodek can help individuals manage discipline processes and thus ensure favorable results.