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Academic Honor Code

How is mental health related to academic violations?

By May 15, 2023September 17th, 2024No Comments

Mental health can affect our judgement or our ability to handle life’s responsibilities in general. This is especially true for college students, who are going through a big transitionary period of their lives.

Sometimes, students facing academic violation discipline from their university may feel that these issues are related.

Our team at DC Student Defense has years of experience with academic violation cases, and we believe that students deserve to be defended and reminded that everyone makes mistakes. Every student should have the opportunity to excel–and we know mental health can be a great obstacle.

Examples of academic violation cases in Washington D.C.

An academic violation refers to many different behaviors that violate a school’s rules of academic integrity.

Typically with the intention to help students avoid academic dishonesty. Some examples include:

While universities have academic codes of conduct to keep students at a level playing field, those codes don’t really consider how poor mental health can affect students academically.

Students can be facing unseen obstacles

Some people may think an academic violation is a fault in character– and college disciplinary actions can often reflect that intensity. D.C. students could be facing expulsion, academic probation, failed courses, social rejection, and more.

That’s why DC Student Defense believes mental health is important to talk about and consider.

Here are just a few examples of stressors students could be facing at any point in time:

  • Anxiety → worried about handling multiple classes, perfect grades, anxious about connecting with peers, adjusting to college life
  • Pressure → pressure from family to succeed, pressure to pursue a certain career
  • Disabilities → sleeping disorders, eating disorders, ADHD, chronic depression
  • Hardships → sickness in the family, housing insecurity, life changes

Often, students are juggling more than one of these at a time, so it’s not unreasonable to think they could be capable of making a mistake. Young adults are just that– young people just starting to learn how to be adults.

College students deserve a strong defense so their future chances aren’t affected by stressors out of their control.

What can be done about academic violations in Washington D.C.?

First, if you are facing stressors affecting your mental health, please talk to your school’s counseling services for support or accommodations.

If you are accused of academic misconduct in Washington D.C., or anywhere in The United States, it’s important to consider the following:

  • You don’t have to respond to your university right away. It’s best to consult a student defense lawyer to help you formulate a response.
  • Review the accusation. While hiring a lawyer can keep the stress of dealing with the school at bay, it helps to understand what exactly you are being accused of, what the code of conduct says, and the consequences.
  • Start documenting everything. The details of the events are crucial in building a case. You can stay ahead of the curve by writing down dates and times relating to the accusation.
  • Contact a student defense attorney, like DC Student Defense, so we can help you through your case.

You may be feeling overwhelmed, but an experienced team of attorneys can handle your case so you can focus on your studies as much as possible.

Contact DC Student Defense

Remember: you deserve a strong student defense attorney in your corner. So many factors play into our daily decisions, and for young adults, those decisions can be hard to manage.

Facing an academic violation accusation doesn’t have to mean a negative impact to your education. Talk to us about your situation so we can help you move forward and maintain your future chances of success.

Shan Wu

Author Shan Wu

Shan’s professional and personal background gives him a unique understanding of academic institutions and the criminal justice system. A former federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., he is at home in D.C. Courts and very familiar with all of the Washington, D.C. law enforcement agencies, especially the Metropolitan Police Department. His parents were university professors so he grew up in a university environment. He understands the mindset of academic institutions. As a prosecutor, he supervised in the misdemeanor crime section. This is the section of the Washington, D.C. prosecutor’s office that handles most college student cases. His understanding of charging decisions and how judges view these cases is invaluable to his student clients and their families. Shan served as a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia for over ten years. During his tenure there, now Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. appointed him to supervisory positions in the Misdemeanor Trial Section and also in a police corruption task force. His outstanding legal work in the government was recognized through numerous Special Achievement Awards from the Justice Department as well as awards conveyed by law enforcement agencies and community groups. From 1999-2000, Shan served as Counsel to Attorney General Janet Reno, advising her on criminal and civil investigations, E-Gov, E-Commerce (electronic signatures, internet gambling, internet telephony, privacy & public access issues in electronic court filings), congressional oversight, and legislative review. His responsibilities included serving as liaison to the FBI, DEA, Criminal Division, Executive Office of United States Attorneys, National Institute of Justice, and White House Counsel’s Office. Shan serves on the D.C. Bar Association’s Hearing Committee of the Board on Professional Responsibility and is a past president of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association for the Greater Washington, D.C. area. He is a 1988 graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, where he graduated Order of the Barristers, edited two law reviews, and was Co-Director of the Moot Court Program. He holds a B.A. in English Literature from Vassar College as well as a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College. Following law school, he clerked for the late Hon. Jerry Buchmeyer, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, and the late Eugene Wright, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and Connecticut.

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