Maryland Student Cheating Defense

Cheating, from a higher education standpoint, is essentially using assistance that is not permitted to gain an advantage, whether it is in an examination, paper, or in some other form. Getting assistance that is not within university policies or an individual turning in work that is not their own will usually have them wind up being investigated for a cheating violation. When someone is accused of academic cheating, it is imperative that they contact a Maryland student defense lawyer in order to defend themselves against serious academic consequences.

Occasions for Academic Cheating

There is no difference between improper and inappropriate collaboration. Improper, inappropriate collaboration are both going to be things that are considered against university policy and are likely to put an individual in a position where they could be disciplined for cheating.

These days, with the internet, it is extremely easy for people to find various ways to cheat, particularly because almost everybody has a cellphone and almost every cellphone is brought in the classroom. Some universities in Maryland have had to outlaw bringing any electronics into an examination room so that people could not use the internet to look things up or text each other answers from across the room during the course of the examination.

Impact on Education

Cheating is the type of crime that would most certainly be something that could get someone kicked out of school. The impact that it would have on a person’s education would either be disciplinary action like getting kicked out of school or potentially being suspended or failing a class that they were caught cheating in. That kind of impact could last well beyond their years at the school because those notations could go on a person’s transcript and be reported to graduate schools and future employers.

Criminal Implications

There are no criminal implications for cheating. Cheating on an exam or submitting somebody else’s work is not considered illegal from the court’s perspective. That is only considered an act that requires disciplinary action from the university’s internal perspective.

Benefit of Consulting an Attorney

A student should consider consulting with an attorney immediately when they are being investigated for a cheating allegation. The reason is because even though there may not be criminal consequences subsequent from the allegations brought against that student, the consequences they could receive at the university level could be just as significant to them in their academic careers.

Knowing how to deal with the student disciplinary board to make sure that their rights are protected, ensuring that the individual is giving the information that is the most beneficial to them, and maintaining their silence at the appropriate times during the course of this proceeding are all something that an attorney, particularly an attorney with experience handling student conduct hearings, will be able to assist a student client with.

Usually, an attorney can help their client not only evaluate the actual charges but can assist them in putting together a defense, calling any witnesses at the student conduct review committee and negotiating with the people who are responsible for making determinations about whether they cheated and what punishment might be appropriate. An attorney can assist someone to come up with a fair resolution, which could be retaking the examination or potentially withdrawing from the class, things that might be less serious than a suspension or an expulsion from school or potentially a failure on their transcript.

Mistakes to Avoid When Charged With Cheating

One of the important things that an individual charged with cheating should make sure not to do is to talk to university officials without an attorney being present. The university will have a policy and will allow the individual to consult with a counselor before answering any questions. Generally speaking, an attorney can assist them in evaluating what they should be telling them and also what they are not required to tell them.

Sometimes, that conversation can be the difference between someone being expelled from the university and being excused of the incident completely, because ultimately it was demonstrated that it was a misunderstanding.