GVSU Student Criminal Defense Attorney

Here's what most students don't realize: getting arrested doesn't just mean criminal court. You may also face a completely separate disciplinary process through GVSU's Student Code of Conduct.

This means you could be fighting on two fronts simultaneously:

Criminal Court Proceedings

• Prosecuted by Ottawa County Prosecutor (Allendale) or Kent County Prosecutor (Grand Rapids)
• Constitutional rights apply (right to remain silent, right to attorney, etc.)
• Burden of proof: "Beyond a reasonable doubt"
• Potential outcomes: Conviction, plea deal, dismissal, diversion programs
• Consequences: Jail time, fines, probation, criminal record

GVSU Student Code Proceedings

• Conducted by GVSU Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution
• Lower burden of proof: "Preponderance of the evidence" (more likely than not)
• Limited due process rights compared to criminal court
• Potential outcomes: Warning, probation, suspension, expulsion
• Consequences: Loss of campus housing, removal from academic programs, notation on transcript, permanent expulsion

Important: GVSU can discipline you even if you're found not guilty in criminal court. The university uses a lower standard of evidence. They can also take action for off-campus conduct if they believe it violates the Student Code.

Additionally, some GVSU programs require students to self-report arrests:

• Nursing students: Must report arrests to program directors
• Education majors: Required to disclose for field placements and student teaching
• Social work students: Must report for field placement background checks
• Other professional programs: May have reporting requirements

Failing to report when required can result in immediate dismissal from the program, even if the criminal charges are eventually dropped.

Minor in Possession of Alcohol (MIP)

MIP is one of the most common charges for GVSU students. Under Michigan law (MCL 436.1703), anyone under 21 with a BAC over 0.02% can be charged. A first offense is a civil infraction (fine up to $100); a second or third becomes a misdemeanor with possible jail. Even a first MIP appears on background checks and can trigger GVSU discipline or scholarship review.

Fake ID Possession and Use

Using a fake ID is a misdemeanor, and bars and police now prosecute it aggressively rather than just confiscating the ID. Because it's a crime of dishonesty, a conviction is especially damaging for students headed into nursing, education, business, or law, where licensing boards scrutinize honesty offenses.

Drug Possession Charges

Marijuana is still illegal under 21. It is a civil infraction with a fine, but it can still trigger GVSU discipline. Other drug charges (prescription pills, cocaine, MDMA) are serious crimes that can cost you your enrollment and professional licensing, and can carry jail time. Students in pharmacy, nursing, or pre-med face especially severe licensing consequences.

OWI / DUI Charges

Under Michigan's Zero Tolerance law, drivers under 21 can be charged with OWI at a BAC of just 0.02%, far below the 0.08% adult standard. A conviction can mean license suspension, possible jail even on a first offense, soaring insurance, GVSU discipline, and a record that affects jobs and licensing. See our OWI/DUI defense page for the full breakdown.

Domestic Violence Charges

College dating and roommate conflicts can lead to domestic violence charges, often with a parallel GVSU Title IX investigation, immediate removal from housing, and no-contact orders that can keep you out of shared classes, all before the criminal case is resolved.

Disorderly Conduct and Party-Related Charges

Charges like disorderly conduct, trespassing, open intoxicant, and noise violations seem minor but still create a criminal record and can trigger GVSU disciplinary proceedings.

Enrollment Status and Academic Standing

Criminal charges can directly affect your ability to remain enrolled at GVSU:

Summary Suspension: For serious offenses, GVSU can immediately suspend you before any hearing takes place. You'll be barred from campus, unable to attend classes, and may lose housing. This can cause you to fail courses and lose entire semesters.

Regular Suspension or Expulsion: After a Student Code hearing, GVSU can suspend you for a semester, a year, or permanently expel you. A notation on your transcript makes it extremely difficult to transfer to another university.

Housing Loss: Even without suspension, GVSU can revoke your housing assignment. With 6,000+ on-campus beds, housing violations are taken seriously. If you're removed from housing mid-semester, finding alternative housing in Allendale is difficult and expensive.

Professional Program Concerns at GVSU

GVSU offers numerous professional programs where criminal records can end your career before it starts:

Kirkhof College of Nursing (Pew Campus)

Nursing students face the strictest requirements:

• Clinical placements: Hospitals and healthcare facilities conduct background checks. Any criminal record can disqualify you from placements, making it impossible to complete your degree
• Michigan nursing license: The Michigan Board of Nursing reviews criminal history. Drug convictions, theft, assault, and crimes of dishonesty can result in license denial
• Program dismissal: GVSU nursing program may dismiss students with criminal charges even before conviction
• Federal background checks: Many healthcare facilities require FBI background checks for employment

College of Education (Pew Campus)

Future teachers must pass rigorous background screening:

• Student teaching placements: K-12 schools require background checks. Criminal records prevent placement, making degree completion impossible
• Michigan teaching certificate: State certification requires disclosure of all criminal convictions. Many convictions result in automatic denial
• Ongoing disclosure requirements: Even after certification, teachers must report arrests, and licenses can be revoked

School of Social Work

• Field placements require background checks
• State licensing (LMSW, LCSW) considers criminal history
• Many social service agencies cannot hire people with certain convictions

Seidman College of Business

• Accounting majors seeking CPA licensure must disclose criminal history
• Finance positions require background checks; theft and fraud convictions are disqualifying
• Internships at major firms require clean records

Pre-Professional Programs (Pre-Med, Pre-Law, Pre-Pharmacy)

• Medical school: Applications require criminal history disclosure; admissions committees scrutinize any criminal record
• Law school: Character and fitness reviews before bar admission; some convictions prevent bar licensure entirely
• Pharmacy school: DEA background checks required; drug convictions prevent licensure

Understanding how criminal charges affect your funding is critical. Here's what every GVSU student needs to know:

Federal Financial Aid (Pell Grants, Student Loans)

For most students, federal aid is the part you have the least to worry about. The FAFSA no longer asks about drug convictions, and a criminal conviction does not by itself end your eligibility for Pell Grants or federal student loans.

• Alcohol offenses (MIP, fake ID, OWI) do not affect federal aid eligibility.
• Drug convictions no longer affect federal aid either. The FAFSA dropped the drug-conviction question, so a conviction will not suspend your federal aid the way it could under the old rules.
• The federal-aid limits that remain apply only while a student is actually incarcerated, which is rarely the case for the charges on this page.

The bigger money risk for GVSU students is on the scholarship side, covered below.

GVSU Institutional Scholarships

These are governed by GVSU's policies and vary by scholarship:

• Merit scholarships: Presidential Scholarship, Dean's Scholarship, and similar awards typically require "good standing" with the university
• Good standing definition: Not on academic or disciplinary probation
• Risk: If GVSU takes disciplinary action (probation, suspension), you may lose merit scholarships immediately
• Departmental scholarships: Awarded by specific colleges or departments, often with explicit conduct requirements
• Professional program scholarships: Nursing, education, and business scholarships often require clean disciplinary records

Important: Scholarships lost due to disciplinary action are rarely reinstated, even if criminal charges are dismissed. It's critical to prevent GVSU disciplinary findings, not just fight the criminal case.

Athletic Scholarships and NCAA Eligibility

GVSU competes in NCAA Division II with more than 20 varsity sports. Student-athletes face additional layers of consequences:

• Team suspension: Coaches often suspend athletes immediately upon arrest, regardless of guilt
• Loss of playing time: Can affect athletic career development and professional prospects
• NCAA drug testing: Drug convictions may trigger increased testing
• Scholarship review: Athletic scholarships are renewed annually, and arrests can lead to non-renewal
• Transfer difficulties: Other schools may refuse to accept transfers with disciplinary issues

GVSU enrolls students from dozens of countries. International students on F-1 visas face unique and severe consequences from criminal charges:

Visa Status Risks

• Criminal convictions can result in visa revocation
• Drug convictions are particularly serious and can trigger deportation proceedings
• Crimes of moral turpitude (theft, fraud, assault) can make you inadmissible to the U.S.
• Even a conviction that doesn't result in jail time can affect visa status

Maintaining Legal Status

• If you're suspended from GVSU, you lose F-1 status (no longer enrolled full-time)
• Loss of F-1 status requires you to leave the U.S. immediately
• You cannot transfer to another university while deportation proceedings are pending

Re-Entry and Future Immigration

• Criminal convictions can prevent re-entry to the U.S. for travel, education, or future employment
• H-1B visa applications (for post-graduation work) require criminal background disclosure
• Green card applications are denied for many criminal convictions
• Some convictions create permanent inadmissibility, meaning you can never return to the U.S.

International students must consult with an immigration attorney in addition to a criminal defense attorney. The criminal case strategy must account for immigration consequences.

Most GVSU students plan to continue their education or enter professional careers after graduation. Criminal records create significant barriers:

Graduate School Admissions

Almost all graduate programs require disclosure of criminal history on applications:

• Law school: Detailed criminal history required; state bars conduct separate "character and fitness" investigations before allowing you to practice law
• Medical school: Criminal history questions on applications; convictions for violence, drugs, or dishonesty heavily scrutinized
• MBA programs: Business schools ask about criminal history; top programs may reject applicants with convictions
• PhD programs: Academic programs review conduct for teaching assistant and research positions
• Education programs: Master's in education requires background checks for field placements

Disclosure requirements: Most applications ask: "Have you ever been convicted of a crime?" Some ask about arrests regardless of outcome. Lying on applications can result in:

• Automatic rejection if discovered
• Expulsion if admitted and later discovered
• Degree revocation
• Professional license denial for dishonesty

Employment Background Checks

The majority of employers conduct criminal background checks:

• Corporate positions: Finance, accounting, management roles require clean records
• Government jobs: Security clearances impossible with many convictions
• Healthcare: Hospitals, clinics, nursing homes conduct FBI background checks
• Education: Teaching positions require state background checks
• Licensed professions: Nursing, pharmacy, law, psychology, social work, real estate all review criminal history

Professional Licensing Boards

Many GVSU graduates pursue licensed professions. State licensing boards review criminal history and can deny licenses for convictions, including:

• Michigan Board of Nursing: Denies licenses for drug offenses, theft, patient abuse, crimes of dishonesty
• Michigan Department of Education: Teaching certificates denied for felonies, some misdemeanors, crimes involving minors
• Michigan Board of Pharmacy: Drug convictions prevent licensure
• State Bar of Michigan: Character and fitness review before bar admission; many convictions result in denial
• Board of Social Work: Reviews criminal history for LMSW and LCSW licensure

Timeline matters: Even if a licensing board eventually approves you, delays of months or years can derail your career launch. You may graduate but be unable to work in your field while waiting for license approval.

GVSU's dual-campus structure creates real jurisdictional complexity: where you were arrested determines which court hears your case. Allendale-area arrests go to the 58th District Court (Hudsonville); Pew Campus (downtown Grand Rapids) arrests go to the 61st District Court. The two courts have different judges, procedures, and approaches, and we regularly appear in both.

58th District Court - Hudsonville Division (Allendale Campus Cases)

Address: 3100 Port Sheldon Street, Hudsonville, MI 49426

Jurisdiction: All misdemeanor cases arising in Ottawa County, including the Allendale campus area. This includes:

• MIP arrests at off-campus parties
• Fake ID offenses at Allendale bars
• Disorderly conduct and noise violations
• Marijuana possession (under 21)
• Open intoxicant and public intoxication
• Retail fraud at Allendale stores

Felony cases from Allendale start in 58th District Court for arraignment and preliminary examination, then move to 20th Circuit Court in Grand Haven for trial.

What to expect: The 58th District Court processes hundreds of GVSU student cases annually. Judges and prosecutors are familiar with student situations but still take charges seriously. Having local counsel who appears regularly in this court is a significant advantage.

61st District Court - Grand Rapids (Pew Campus Cases)

Address: 180 Ottawa Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Jurisdiction: All misdemeanor cases arising in the City of Grand Rapids and portions of Kent County, including the Pew Campus area. This includes:

• Downtown Grand Rapids bar incidents
• Fake ID offenses at downtown establishments
• Disorderly conduct and fighting
• Drug possession arrests near Pew Campus
• DUI/OWI on downtown streets

Felony cases from Grand Rapids start in 61st District Court, then move to 17th Circuit Court (also in Grand Rapids) for trial.

What to expect: 61st District Court is a high-volume urban court. The environment is more formal and fast-paced than Hudsonville. Professional programs at Pew Campus mean many defendants are nursing, education, or health sciences students with significant licensing concerns.

Circuit Courts (Felony Cases)

20th Circuit Court (Ottawa County):

• Address: 414 Washington Street, Grand Haven, MI 49417
• Handles all felony cases from Allendale campus area
• Serious charges: Felony drug possession/delivery, felony assault, CSC, etc.

17th Circuit Court (Kent County):

• Address: 180 Ottawa Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
• Handles all felony cases from Grand Rapids/Pew Campus area
• One of Michigan's busiest circuit courts

GVSU Police Department

GVSU has its own police department with full arrest authority. GVSU Police officers can:

• Arrest students on campus or in adjacent areas
• File criminal charges in district court
• Refer cases to Student Conduct for disciplinary action
• Coordinate with Ottawa County Sheriff and Grand Rapids Police

Important: GVSU Police arrests typically trigger BOTH criminal prosecution AND university disciplinary proceedings. This is one of the most challenging aspects of on-campus arrests.

We Understand the Dual-Campus Challenge

GVSU's dual-campus structure means your case could be heard in either the 58th District Court (Allendale) or the 61st District Court (Grand Rapids). We regularly appear in both and know their procedures.

Whether you were arrested near the Allendale campus or at the Pew Campus downtown, we have the local knowledge to defend you effectively.

We Know GVSU's System

We've represented many students here through both criminal court and university disciplinary proceedings. We understand:

• GVSU's Student Code of Conduct process
• Professional program requirements (nursing, education, business, etc.)
• How campus police reports trigger Student Conduct referrals
• Scholarship and financial aid implications
• Housing and residence life policies

We Protect Your Future, Not Just Your Present

Our goal is bigger than resolving your criminal case. We work to protect your ability to:

• Complete your degree at GVSU
• Maintain your scholarships and financial aid
• Continue in your professional program (nursing, education, etc.)
• Graduate on time
• Apply to graduate schools
• Obtain professional licenses
• Get hired in your chosen career

We take a comprehensive approach that considers every aspect of your academic and professional future.

We Don't Judge, We Defend

You made a mistake. You're scared. You're worried about disappointing your parents, losing your scholarship, or getting kicked out of school. We get it.

We don't lecture. We defend.

Our firm's philosophy: "WE GIVE A [EXPLETIVE]!" We genuinely care about our clients and fight aggressively to protect their futures. You're not just another case number to us.

Confidentiality You Can Trust

We understand that confidentiality is critical for college students. Many students fear:

• Parents finding out
• Friends and classmates learning about the arrest
• GVSU administrators discovering details
• Future employers or schools learning about charges

Attorney-client privilege protects our conversations. What you tell us stays confidential. We can help you navigate this situation discreetly while protecting your privacy.

Affordable Representation for Students

We know college students don't have unlimited funds. We offer:

• Free initial consultations: No cost to meet with us and discuss your case
• Payment plans: Flexible payment options that work with student budgets
• Transparent pricing: We'll explain costs upfront with no hidden fees
• Worth the investment: The cost of losing your scholarship, your professional license, or your degree is far greater than the cost of experienced legal representation

Local Knowledge, Immediate Availability

Our office is in Holland, convenient to both GVSU campuses. We can:

• Meet with you quickly (often within 24 hours)
• Attend court with you without long travel
• Respond immediately if you're arrested
• Navigate local courts efficiently

You won't be dealing with attorneys from hours away who don't know the local courts or how GVSU works.