Bucks County Student Defense Lawyer
An allegation of misconduct in college can ruin a student’s college experience and cripple their professional aspirations. In some cases, it can lead to a student being expelled from school. In some of the most severe instances of sexual misconduct, it can even spawn a criminal investigation.
By calling a Bucks County student defense lawyer to defend your rights and interests at the misconduct hearing, you can protect your future and ensure you finish college. The impact this hearing can have on the rest of your life is profound, so having a skilled defense attorney at your side can be a wise investment.
Allegations of Underage Drinking
By far the most common misconduct allegation that a student can face in college is for underage drinking. Drinking alcohol is a common activity in college in Bucks County, despite the legal drinking age being 21. Underage students who are caught drinking alcohol can face criminal charges and can be fined and evicted from their dormitories if convicted.
The chaos of finding a new living situation can drastically impact a student’s semester, keeping them from succeeding academically while they scrounge for an apartment off campus.
With the help of a Bucks County student defense attorney though, students who have been accused of underage drinking can fight the charge and protect their college careers.
Cheating, Plagiarizing, and Other Academic Violations
Academic misconduct allegations, however, stand to impact a student’s life far after they graduate from college. In fact, serious allegations of academic misconduct can put a student’s graduation ambitions in doubt.
While every school in Bucks County has its own code of conduct or code of academic integrity that uniquely defines what amounts to a violation, they all prohibit things like:
- Using unauthorized materials on a test
- Claiming the work or ideas of someone else as one’s own
- Altering a transcript
- Forging a signature on an official school document, like a form to add or drop a class
Academic misconduct allegations can be serious enough that a conviction can lead to a student being expelled from school. For serious students who are achieving top marks and who are near graduation, this can be especially devastating.
An experienced attorney can help to prove an accused student’s innocence at the misconduct hearing and preserve their future from a serious blemish on their academic record.
Title IX Allegations
In some cases, allegations of sexual misconduct on campus can be even more severe for a student to face. Serious accusations, like claims that a student raped someone else, can spawn criminal investigations that lead to criminal charges that carry decades in prison.
Even lesser offenses, though, like sexual harassment, can be difficult accusations to defend in the higher education setting. This is because the federal law Title IX prohibits instances of sexual discrimination in college.
Schools that do not vigorously prosecute allegations of sexual discrimination – including sexual misconduct allegations – can see their federal funding slashed. Students accused of sexual misconduct, therefore, can find that their schools have little care for their due process rights as they rush to defend a major source of their funding.
Accused students who want to make sure their side of the story is heard should seriously consider hiring a Bucks County student defense lawyer to represent them at the misconduct hearing.
Call a Bucks County Student Defense Attorney Today
If you have been accused of violating your college’s code of conduct, the repercussions that a conviction can have on your future are not small. Not only could you be expelled, but the blemish on your academic record can make it difficult to win a competitive position after you graduate.
A Bucks County student defense lawyer can be your best line of defense. Contact one today for the legal help you need.