Your student got in trouble…
Is your student having trouble? In trouble? Are they having problems with a roommate, an apartment lease, underage drinking, parking tickets, or academic troubles including plagiarism and more?
You send your student off to college with the best of intentions. You’ve had the discussion about budgets, walking alone at night, binge drinking, hazing, and drugs. You’ve even discussed being a good roommate and following the University’s code of conduct. But, there are situations that do come up no matter how responsible and mature your student is.
Now what?
The first thing you should do is breathe and remain calm because, chances are, your student is freaking out. Remember, they are still navigating their way into adulthood and you’re the one with the map. HaveUHeard that your student can get legal advice from licensed attorneys at Student Legal Services?
At the University of Florida, there is an on-campus service that offers a full range of legal services. These services include consultation, assistance with traffic citations and criminal traffic charges, and even representation in court. Even if you or your child has a dispute with their landlord or leasing agency, UF’s Student Legal Services (SLS) can help you. SLS is staffed by FL-licensed attorneys who are available to offer students assistance in understanding and solving various legal problems. Your student can make an appointment through an online application which they can access by logging into their myufl.edu account. Make sure they bring their Gator-1 and relevant paperwork to the appointment, otherwise they could face a $10 fine.
For example, there have been students who are pulled over and ticketed for not having their school address on their license. That will not hold up in court. Any non-resident college student attending college in Florida may drive in Florida without having a Florida driver’s license if they have a valid license from another state or country and a valid student ID. For Florida resident college students, a Florida Statute exempts students (again with valid student ID). While they attend school in Florida, they are allowed to keep their home address on their driver’s license.
Not surprisingly, the Gainesville and UF police departments take underage drinking very seriously. They can be seen handing out MIPs (Minor in Possession) on and off-campus. This common misdemeanor can be handled by Student Legal Services and ultimately expunged from your student’s record simply by paying the cost of the fine (~$200) and having SLS handle the rest.
To be eligible for SLS services, students must have at least 6 semester hours or be enrolled in their remaining courses to graduate. They must also have paid the Activity and Service Fee in their tuition. And check here to be sure your student’s troubles are not listed under the cases that SLS does not handle.
Code and Conduct
As for student code and conduct violations, UF utilizes the Dean of Student’s Office to deal with these issues. Violations include plagiarism, cheating, university housing code violations, and Greek Conduct violations, among others. Resolution of each violation is at the discretion of the overseeing committee and takes into account the degree of the violation.
If your student does get in trouble that requires you to contact someone at the University, here is a list of important contacts to have on hand: Who You Going to Call.
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