<p>(Oh, I know that - I only spent 20 years in the alcohol and drug treatment field. 
I can even give 10 nicknames for it. :)) </p>
<p>A good lawyer may only be there to figure things out behind-the-scenes. Having academic dishonesty and a drug offense on your transcript is a big deal. You might want to see if you can deal for withdrawing from school, and keeping it off your transcript. That’s why you need a lawyer.</p>
<p>Two things stand out for me here.</p>
<p>First, you said that you accepted the pills because you were afraid your parents would pull you out of school if you didn’t do well on your finals. Does this mean that you are in academic trouble? Does it mean that your parents established some GPA that you had to attain in order for them to keep paying? Does it mean that you have a poor relationship with them and/or they are very controlling types? Many people have stated with confidence that your parents will be angry with you, but ultimately be supportive. I see no expectation of that from what you’ve said.</p>
<p>Secondly, when you were questioned about the pills you ratted on your roommate? Nice. :rolleyes: Is your roomie a dealer, or is he someone who tried to help you out after hearing you express your fears about your parents pulling you out of school? If you actually stole the pills from him, and are willing to own up to it, that’s another matter.</p>
<p>To me, the idea of anyone being charged with a distribution/possession felony over this is yet another example of our ludicrous drug laws. But that won’t help you much.</p>
<p>I personally can’t say whether you should tell your parents now. It depends on what they’re like. If by some chance you actually win your appeal, you’ve learned your lesson about risky behavior, and you never have to let them know, that could be the best of all possible worlds. Just make sure that no legal notices or anything else is going to be sent to your home address.</p>
<p>I hate the thought of a young person going through legal battles without the advice and help of someone who is older, maybe been around a block or two that he/she hasn’t, and presumably loves him/her.</p>
<p>It would probably be better for the parents to find out NOW than AFTER it is certain the kid is in legal trouble.</p>
<p>I agree, cromette, but not all parents are going to react constructively. (Not intending to imply that that precludes disapproval and/or discipline.)</p>
<p>Consolation, I am an MD and agree with you that it will be yet another demonstration of our dysfunctional drug laws if this incident ends up as a felony charge in a criminal court. This is a matter that should be addressed only by the university’s honor committee to determine whether or not there was a breach of academic honosty rules, if the university has any, pertaining to the use of performance enhancing drugs like adderal and ritalin when taking exams.</p>
<p>I am not 100% convinced that the OP did not use or did not have any intention of using these medications to gain an unfair academic advantage during finals week. If the roomate willingly supplied the drugs to the OP I would also be suspicious about him too. Drugs like adderal and ritalin are Class II controlled substances which means only enough pills are prescribed, with no refills, to meet the minimum needs of the patient. If the roomate had pills to give away or sell during finals week I would really wonder whether the roomate has ADHD. People who actually have ADHD really need their medications to function and would not be likely to have spare pills.</p>
<p>OP- Because the school is treating this within its own disciplinary process and although your appeal probably will not be successful, once the suspension is served, the school most likely will allow you to resume your studies after the term of suspension (be sure to comply with all conditions they might place on you for return). You should let your parents know what is going on. Many, many students find themselves in circumstances like yours and they suffer no long-term effects from them. If you apply to grad school or for a professional license you will have to disclose the suspension and explain how you have rehabilitated yourself. Candor, remorse, and growth from your mistake are the most important things, to your school and to future schools/licensing bodies. Your plans to make good use of your time during the suspension sound like the right way to proceed. Best wishes!</p>
<p>Are you sure you want to return to this university? Other schools would be more forgiving. You are aware of what is available and questioning the dangers/consequences. Unfortunately, this medication is a wide-spread problem on campuses.</p>
<p>hockeynut – if your parents are okay with you continuing at your school, a one-semester suspension can be made up fairly easily so you still can graduate on time. Be sure your college will accept the community college credits you plan to take and follow all the college’s rules about transferring credits from other schools. Making up one semester is not difficult, though it may require summer study or a heavier courseload one or two semesters back at your college.</p>
<p>The OP has not been back since we started questioning how he got the pills.</p>
<p>calla – maybe OP looked for guidance and support when he/she posted on the Parents Forum and didn’t expect (or deserve) the Spanish Inquisition.</p>
<p>Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!</p>
<p>Royal not everyone buys into the victim mentality.</p>
<p>Every post I read seemed to have his/her best interest at heart. It’s advice from parents. OP got REALLY good advice, actually.</p>
<p>Royal, frequently kids post such dilemmas here and leave out details that are important. In many cases, they post a version of events calculated to elicit the response they want. So people ask questions. This is not, IMHO, an inquisition. If anything, it might do the OP good to know what questions are likely to arise in the minds of his parents and other adults.</p>
<p>I’ve asked for advice here and gotten responses that were not what I wanted to hear. :D</p>
<p>Agreed, Consolation, but he has said the school is dealing with this administratively and that law enforcement is not involved. He said in his post that he was looking for advice about how to proceed if his appeal fails and he is suspended. His circumstances are not so unusual, and to me, he did not come across as seeing himself as a victim: he acknowledged here that he had planned to use the pills but hadn’t needed to and he submitted himself to the school’s disciplinary process. As others have said, a lawyer could not have participated in the process, and although legal counseling at the outset from an attorney experienced in this sort of matter might have provided guidance in how to present what minimal defense he might have (we don’t know the substance of the school’s code, but there’s not likely much of one to possession of Adderall w/o a Rx) so he could get the deferred(suspended) suspension he’s hoping for. Certainly he should have told his parents as soon as this happened and he should tell them now. As I commented before in response to what I saw as his question, if he receives an active suspension and his school allows him to take courses elsewhere while he is suspended (not all do and not all schools allow a student not in good standing at the school matriculated at to take courses at their institution), his plan to take courses at a community college, work, and pay for those courses himself, sounds good. My comments were based on my experience as a lawyer, a friend, co-worker and relative of college students who had disciplinary proceedings, and on my knowledge of professional licensing boards and how they treat candidates with this sort of thing on a college record. Obviously, OP’s focus right now is on the best way to deal with the immediate mess he got himself into, but the discipline will be a permanent part of his record, so he should deal with it honestly and without excuses or sugarcoating down the line if he has to address it. He seemed pretty forthright to me in his post.</p>
<p>Alright, sorry for being inactive.</p>
<p>But to straighten things out:</p>
<p>1) I stole the roommates from my pill without his knowledge. He is in no toruble however him confirming they were his avoided the possibility of me being a dealer or something (atleast thats what i understand).</p>
<p>2) I honestly did not take the pills. I am only in trouble for the possession through the school, which is looked at as an administrative violation of the school’s drug policy.</p>
<p>3) I have no need for a lawyer as I have already attempted to explain that the appeal was sent in, in the form of an essay.</p>
<p>4) I am in no actual legal/criminal trouble as my school has a clause that states I can not be tried under double jeprody (administratively and criminally). This would be a diferent case if I was caught by the town police and not the university police.</p>
<p>5) I was looking for advice on how to use my time and how to convince my parents to allow me back if I am in fact suspended. I have made the executive decision to not tell my parents until I hear back about my appeal. I am a tough kid who can take it if they suspend me, but want to be able to stay on speaking terms with my parents.</p>
<p>6) I have no desire to peruse a degree anywhere else. I would go to a community college for a semester but have made lifelong friends at my school and am completely serious about this.</p>
<p>Thank you to everyone who has given me real advice. I understand that in essence, I ****ed up…but that’s life huh?</p>
<p>Want to know something even ****tier? The way I lost my wallet was cleaning out the dorms and trying to do something helpful. I left my phone wallet and keys outside my the trash by accident when I was cleaning out the dorms. Only later for it to be turned in to the policed and so on.</p>
<p>Oh well…It is what it is.</p>
<p>hockeynut, I’m glad that you did not in fact rat on your roomie. :)</p>
<p>I hope that things work out well for you. Good luck.</p>
<p>Result: </p>
<p>The university upheld my suspension. Time to face reality and tell my parents I don’t have a place to go to school this fall.</p>
<p>It might be a good time to volunteer/shadow/work in a field you plan to pursue to help contribute to your expenses and toward future educational expenses this fall. Good luck! Suspect your parents will be pretty upset at you for not telling them sooner, when they could have helped you get best possible outcome.</p>
<p>schools are so hypocritcal. you can have drunken frat houses, rapes, assualts, but a couple of pills and you are gone</p>
<p>so sorry this happened, but remember, everone else who reads this DENY DENY DENY admit nothing</p>