Trouble, It Can Happen
Is your student having trouble or in trouble? Are they having problems with a roommate, an apartment lease, underage drinking, academic troubles including plagiarism, parking tickets, and so on? 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.
The first thing to do is take a breath and remain calm. Chances are, your student is probably freaking out and is terrified to talk to you. The first step to take is to get all of the facts. Remind your child to obtain and keep all paperwork and information. Go over the dates and processes that they have been given. UMD has plenty of resources available through the Office of Student Conduct and will aid students in the student conduct process. While they cannot provide legal counsel, they can help your students understand their rights and navigate the investigation and adjudication process.
The University of Maryland takes academic integrity very seriously. The Code of Academic Integrity is a student-administered honor code, and UMD is one of a small number of leading institutions with an honor code of this kind. The Honor Council is in place to educate students about the aims and nature of the code and resolve cases of alleged academic dishonesty each year. The standard sanction for academic dishonesty at UMD is the ‘XF’ grade penalty, meaning “Failure Due to Academic Dishonesty”. This is something students should work hard to avoid because this will permanently be on their transcript. The University of Maryland is very strict when it comes to underage drinking, and RA’s are tasked with reporting all alcohol found or suspected in dorm rooms. These usually result in a MIP (Minor in Possession) charge or a housing violation charge and are in violation of the Code of Student Conduct. There are various offenses students can make regarding alcohol, therefore there are different sanction ranges for a violation. The University of Maryland Students’ Guide to Policies and Resources on Alcohol and Other Drugs goes in-depth on the various policies.
Chances are, sometime during your student’s life at UMD, they will receive a parking ticket of some sort. These are usually minor and can be appealed through the UMD Department of Transportation Services. In hopes to avoid any parking violations, students should look over the departments’ Parking Regulations. Unresolved parking violations will lead to additional fees and further issues, so make sure your student resolves any fee.
If they do get in trouble and you need to contact someone at the University, here is a list of important contacts to have on hand. Pass on these great tips, tell your friends and like us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Find out more about how to use HaveUHeard as a great resource. Sign up for other great tips at haveuheard.com.
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