Academic Offenses in Philadelphia

Academic charges in Philadelphia can lead to serious consequences. Even though they are not criminal charges, they could still severely impact your future. Therefore, if you are facing an academic offense in Philadelphia, you should reach out to an attorney. A seasoned student defense lawyer could advocate for you and stand by your side throughout the process.

How do Philadelphia Colleges Treat an Academic Offense?

Colleges in Philadelphia are serious about academic offenses involving a type of academic dishonesty. When a student submits their own piece of academic work that does not reflect their own knowledge or engages in cheating of any variety, colleges tend to punish these actions harshly. The school’s honor code is a rigorous code on which they base their academic identity. Offenses that violate the honor code, or codes of integrity, specifically violating college and university rules could affect sports eligibility, scholarship eligibility, or other important student activities.

News stories widely cover any incidents of athletes cheating in order to make the grades necessary. Also, grade inflation is a significant concern for colleges. This is because, for many colleges, employers need to have confidence that the grades received at that college are fair and reflect the student’s abilities and are not unfairly inflated by the school pumping up the grades for everyone or by individuals cheating at the school to get higher grades than they deserve.

Who is Involved in an Academic Offense Case?

When it comes to an academic offense in Philadelphia, usually there is a reporting person such as the professor or student or an individual who figures out that there was possible cheating. Other entities get involved as well. This may include the Dean’s office, Student Honor Board or Council, and others such as the professors in the specific areas in which the student is studying.

Most Common Academic Charges

Some of the most common violations of the honor code and academic charges are plagiarism, copying someone else’s work in a written form like an essay, cheating on a test, directly looking at someone’s work, falsification, and fabrication. An academic offense might be as simple as lying that they did attend or completed a certain activity required by the school when they did not. Other honor code violations in various categories include taking the time to test for longer than they were given and/or using materials on a closed book or closed note tests that were not allowed or failing to properly cite an academic paper. A student facing these allegations should consult with a lawyer about their rights and how to build a defense.

A Lawyer Could Help Students Facing Academic Offenses in Philadelphia

A student defense lawyer could help defend a student against plagiarism or cheating charges and show that they were accidental or unintentional violations of the honor code. They could also help mitigate the damage by presenting evidence and witnesses to attest to the student’s good moral character. An attorney could explain that this is something that is not typical for this student and, perhaps, presenting reasons why this incident happened once and may never happen again. The lawyer could help negotiate a resolution that will have minimal impact on the student’s future and continued ability to attend the school. Call today for more information about academic offenses in Philadelphia and how a lawyer could help you.