ACADEMIC INTEGRITY PROCESS

We have provided a step-by-step guide to the academic integrity process. Items with a check box (☐) indicate something that may help you along the way.

1. The academic integrity process is initiated by your instructor.

Your instructor has reason to believe that you have violated academic integrity policy. Your instructor will schedule a meeting where the two of you can discuss the incident. Generally, the Center for Community Standards is not involved at this stage.

Find resources and support.

▢ Select an advisor.  An advisor can help you throughout any stage of the process. This is not the same as your academic or career advisor. For your benefit, we have selected and trained WSU faculty and staff members who have volunteered to serve as advisors. You can find a list of those trained advisors here. You may also choose to have any WSU faculty or staff member, or community member serve as an advisor, as long as they are not a witness to the reported incident.

Your advisor can support you by providing advice, clarifying the process, and attending meetings and your hearing. They can contact us to get information about meeting dates, your status in the process, and assigned sanctions, if any. It’s important you know that your advisor cannot speak on your behalf or represent you as an attorney.

▢ Request disability or medically related accommodations. If you would benefit from accommodations, please contact us.

▢ Request a language interpreter. Contact us if you need an interpreter to attend meetings, your hearing, or review documents. You can request a language interpreter at any stage throughout the process.

2. Your instructor determines your responsibility.

Your instructor will determine your responsibility and the academic sanction according to the course policies. To determine you are responsible, the instructor must decide that you "more likely than not" violated academic integrity policies. 

If your instructor determines you are responsible, they will send you and the Center for Community Standards a notice of the decision, and information they used in the decision-making process. If your instructor determines you are not responsible, the matter is closed. 

☐  If you agree with your instructor that you did violate academic integrity policies and accept the academic sanction, the community standards process (beginning at #2) will proceed with assigning additional community standards sanctions.

☐  If you do not agree with your instructor’s decision or your academic sanction, you have 21 calendar days from the date of the decision to submit an appeal and request a review by the Academic Integrity Hearing Board. During the 21 days and while your appeal is pending, you should remain in the class and complete the requirements as assigned.

The Center for Community Standards will request that the Academic Integrity Appeals Board conduct a separate, independent assessment of your responsibility for the reported violation and the outcomes imposed by your instructor. 

3. Your Academic Integrity Hearing Board is Held (only if you have chosen to appeal).

The Academic Integrity Hearing Board (AIHB) will review all documents and reports submitted to the Center for Community Standards (CCS) by the instructor and all appeal documents and reports submitted by the student. The AIHB will then make a new determination based upon a preponderance of the evidence. The preponderance of the evidence standard means that it is 51%, or more likely than not, that a student(s) is responsible or is not responsible for violating academic integrity.

The student will receive an email to their WSU email account that includes a date the hearing will be held. Students and faculty do not attend this hearing. The AIHB has 20 days from the date of the hearing to send the student a decision letter. The decision letter will be sent to the student(s) WSU email account by CCS.

If the student is determined to be responsible CCS sends the new decision letter to the student(s) and faculty. CCS then schedules a Conduct Officer Hearing and notifies the student(s) that the hearing has been scheduled. It is not required that the student(s) attend, and student(s) who do attend are not required to testify or answer questions. Please refer to student rights and responsibilities for more information.

The purpose of this hearing is to:

1. Discuss what happened that led to a responsible determination.
2. Discuss ways in which to avoid this occurring again.
3. Assign educational sanctions to avoid this occurring again.

It is the student's responsibility to complete all educational sanctions assigned by the Center for Community Standards and to work with their assigned conduct officer as needed. Once all educational sanctions are completed the case is then closed.

*CCS can refer any case to a Formal Hearing instead of a Conduct Officer Hearing if CCS finds that there are egregious or repetitive concerns with the student(s) conduct at Washington State University. Only CCS can make this determination.

If the student is determined to be not responsible CCS sends the new decision letter to the student(s) and faculty. CCS then closes the case, and the faculty must change the student(s) grade in accordance with the AIHB decision letter.

Still have questions?

Please contact us if you need help at any point.