College Disciplinary Actions

COLLEGE STUDENTS

College students in the District of Columbia, even when charged with the most minor of offenses, often feel that they face double jeopardy when they are punished by their university's disciplinary board.

All of the institutions of higher learning have published student handbooks which provide an outline of the disciplinary procedures when the school's code of conduct is violated.

Most often students find themselves facing the disciplinary committee after having been arrested for "Underage Drinking" or "Possession of a False Identification Card" which was used in an attempt to enter a facility which serves alcohol.

Many students, either because they believe they cannot afford an attorney or because they do not wish to ask their parents for money, often settle on a student to represent them when they appear before the disciplinary board. Clearly, having a student representative who is familiar with the process is better than appearing alone. However, I believe it always better to have an attorney appear with you to answer any disciplinary procedure. The University is more likely to ensure that your rights are not violated if they know a member of the bar is with you.

I also believe that having an attorney early on to coordinate the school disciplinary process with the criminal charges is important. Depending upon the school that you attend and how that particular school feels about certain violations may well determine how your criminal case is handled.

An experienced attorney can walk you through the process, provide you with all the answers to your questions (put you more at ease) and make sure that if there are ways to avoid a conviction, they are explored. While a college student may feel that a minor conviction will be of no consequence, often times such a conviction will come back to haunt a person five, ten, or even fifteen years down the road.

If charged with any offense in the District of Columbia I urge you to call for a free initial consultation. I can advise you of your rights, make sure that any defenses you have are presented and appear with you at your initial court hearing. I can advise you of the process that your particular school will engage and, indeed, whether your school will initiate disciplinary action for the crime for which you have been charged. You should call me before you sign anything from your school or make any statements to either the security or the administration at your particular college.

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