This form should be submitted after you have determined that academic integrity has been violated by a student under WAC 504-26-202(1).
Appeal & Grading Information
As per WAC 504-26-415(d), "The respondent has 21 calendar days from the date of the decision letter to request review of the instructor's determination and/or sanction(s) assigned to the academic integrity hearing board." Therefore, the accused student must be allowed to remain in the class and submit coursework and exams until the twenty-one day appeal window has elapsed. In the meantime, please note the following grading procedures:
If you have assigned a failing grade to a student due to cheating or plagiarizing, please send a written request to the Registrar’s Office (registrar@wsu.edu) to give a grade of “X” to the student. This will prevent the student from withdrawing from your class to avoid a failing grade. If the student has withdrawn prior to your being able to submit the “X” grade, you may ask the Registrar’s Office to reverse the “W” and place the “X” grade on the student’s record.
If the student appeals, a hearing will be arranged with the Academic Integrity Hearing Board. You will be notified that an appeal has been submitted, and you will be asked to participate in the hearing. After you have been notified of the outcome of the hearing, you may direct the Registrar’s Office to remove the “X” grade so that you can enter the final grade on the grade roster in myWSU. This will ensure that your grading statistics are accurate.
If you do not receive notice that an appeal has been filed, you may finalize the student's grade after the 21 day appeal period has passed.
The Registrar’s Office will not place a registration hold on the student’s account, because that hold will block all student activity for adding, dropping, and withdrawing from any class on his/her schedule, which is overly punitive.
Communications with Students
Please remember that your communication to the student, notifying them you are finding them responsible and refering them to the Center for Community Standards, must also include appeal information.
Below is an example statement taken from our template for faculty to use:
I will forward a copy of this letter, a copy of my syllabus, and copies of the evidence to the Center for Community Standards. You have the right to request a review of my decision. If you wish this decision to be reviewed, you must make your request within 21 days of the date of this letter. Use the online form available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?WashingtonStateUniv&layout_id=10. I recommend you contact the Center for Community Standards at 509-335-4532 if you have questions about the appeal process.
Completing an Incident Report Form
Please ensure that the following documents are attached to this IR form before it is submitted to the Center for Community Standards.
- A copy of your communication to the student to set up a meeting time to discuss the incident.
- A copy of your communicaiton to the student that indicates you are refering them to the Center for Community Standards and how to appeal your decision.
- A copy of your course syllabus.
- A copy of the assignment and any evidence you used to make your determination of responsibility.
To effectively process this form and to protect your rights and that of the student under the Standards of Conduct for Students, please fill out the form completely and attach the requested documents. All documents that pertain to the case (e.g., student exams or papers where cheating has allegedly occurred) must be submitted in their complete, original form. This report cannot be processed without full required documentation.
Reporting academic misconduct goes on a student's discipline record (not the transcript), along with a reference to whether they were found responsible or not responsible. Additional educational sanctions may be assigned by the Center for Community Standards after the appeal period has ended, or after an academic integrity hearing board has made a finding of responsiblity.