SCCS Annual Report 25-26

Student Conduct & Community Standards Annual Report

Fiscal Year 25-26: July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026

Prepared By: Grace Henderson, Director of Student Conduct & Community Standards

Director's Message

Student Conduct & Community Standards experienced a year of transition, growth, and continued collaboration throughout the 2025–2026 academic year. Following the departure of Director Kyle Wilson, the office navigated several leadership changes before welcoming a new Director and Coordinator. Despite these transitions, SCCS remained committed to providing fair, timely, and educational conduct processes while continuing to strengthen relationships with students, faculty, and campus partners.

Throughout the year, SCCS focused on maintaining consistency in case management, enhancing internal processes, and expanding collaboration across campus. The office continued to support faculty through Academic Integrity education and consultation, provide guidance to students navigating the conduct process, and work alongside campus partners to promote student success and accountability.

This year also marked an opportunity to build a strong foundation for the future. With a fully staffed office in place, SCCS is well positioned to continue improving educational outreach, refining processes, and strengthening partnerships that support a culture of integrity and community responsibility across Wichita State University.

It remains our goal to create responsible Shockers through every interaction, educational opportunity, and resolution process. We are grateful for the continued collaboration and support of our campus partners and look forward to building on this year's progress.

Go Shockers!

Overview of Cases

Student Conduct and Community Standards (SCCS) supports the university community by promoting accountability, integrity, and student development while fostering a safe and respectful campus environment. Through academic integrity processes, student conduct procedures, educational interventions, advocacy, and collaboration with campus partners, SCCS works to address concerns while providing students opportunities for reflection, learning, and growth.

During the reporting period, SCCS supported 726 individuals through a variety of processes and services. The scope of the office’s work extended beyond formal conduct matters and included academic integrity concerns, student conduct cases, educational conversations, advocacy, referrals, consultations, and collaboration with campus partners. These efforts demonstrate the broad role SCCS plays in supporting both individual students and the larger university community.

A significant portion of SCCS’s work involved responding to concerns through educational and supportive approaches. The office managed 270 Information Only matters, which included reports, consultations, referrals, and situations requiring documentation or follow-up. SCCS also facilitated 27 Educational Conversations and supported 27 advocacy cases, providing students opportunities to address concerns through communication, reflection, and connection to appropriate resources.

SCCS also partnered with campus departments to address a variety of student concerns, including 92 Housing and Residence Life-related matters, 19 roommate conflict concerns, 7 trespass matters, and 1 Responsible Action Policy case. Additionally, the office supported 166 academic integrity-related matters, including 142 academic cases and 24 academic information-only matters, as well as 117 student conduct cases involving potential violations of university expectations.

In addition to case management and student support, SCCS continued to prioritize communication and student engagement throughout the reporting period. The office issued 1,131 official correspondence letters, with 872 letters retrieved by students and 259 letters not retrieved. These communications provided students with important information regarding processes, expectations, and opportunities to engage with the office.

Through these efforts, SCCS continues to balance accountability with education by providing fair and consistent processes, supporting student learning, and collaborating with campus partners to promote a positive university environment. The office remains committed to helping students navigate challenges while encouraging responsible decision-making and meaningful growth.

Academic Integrity Policy 2.17

Academic integrity remained a significant area of responsibility for Student Conduct and Community Standards (SCCS) during the reporting period. SCCS supports the university’s commitment to maintaining academic standards through the administration of Policy 2.17 Academic Integrity while ensuring students involved in academic integrity concerns are provided a fair, consistent, and educational process. Through collaboration with faculty members, academic departments, and the Academic Integrity Committee, SCCS works to uphold academic expectations while providing students opportunities for reflection, accountability, and growth.

During the reporting period, SCCS managed 166 academic integrity-related matters, including 142 academic cases and 24 academic information-only matters. The majority of academic integrity cases were resolved through the Accepted Sanctions process, with 122 cases resolved through this pathway. This process allows students to acknowledge responsibility and participate in appropriate educational outcomes while maintaining an efficient and consistent resolution process. Additionally, 10 cases were referred to the Academic Integrity Committee for formal review. 

Of the cases reviewed by the Academic Integrity Committee, 2 cases resulted in an In Violation finding and 8 cases resulted in a Not In Violation finding. 

Academic Colleges
Academic integrity concerns occurred across multiple academic areas, demonstrating the university-wide importance of maintaining academic standards. The College of Engineering had the highest number of reported cases with 38, followed by Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with 35, College of Health Professions with 21, and the Barton School of Business with 20. Additional cases were reported within the Graduate School (19), College of Education/Applied Studies (16), College of Fine Arts (9), and Unlisted academic areas (8).

Academic integrity concerns involved students across all levels of enrollment. Seniors accounted for the highest number of cases with 52, followed by first-year students with 41, juniors with 31, and both sophomores and graduate students with 21 cases each. Academic integrity cases involved both domestic students (129) and international students (37), demonstrating the importance of continued academic integrity education and support throughout the university community. 

The types of academic integrity concerns addressed by SCCS reflected a range of behaviors impacting academic standards. The most frequently identified concerns involved unauthorized use or possession of materials/resources (60 cases), plagiarism (50 cases), artificial intelligence-related concerns (46 cases), unauthorized collaboration/consultation (35 cases), and fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation of information (29 cases). Additional concerns included facilitation of academic misconduct (6 cases), academic interference (5 cases), unauthorized resubmission (4 cases), and unauthorized sale, distribution, or receipt of academic materials (1 case). These trends highlight the evolving nature of academic integrity concerns and the continued need for education and partnership between SCCS, faculty, and students.

In addition to managing academic integrity cases, SCCS continued to focus on education and prevention efforts. The office provided training to hearing board members and committee participants to support consistent decision-making and understanding of academic integrity procedures. SCCS also provided Academic Integrity 101 training to promote awareness of university expectations and help students and campus partners better understand the academic integrity process.

Through its academic integrity processes and educational initiatives, SCCS continues to balance accountability with student development. The office’s approach focuses not only on addressing concerns but also on helping students understand the importance of academic honesty, ethical decision-making, and their role in maintaining the integrity of the university’s academic community.

Student Code of Conduct Policy 8.05

Student Conduct and Community Standards (SCCS) administers Policy 8.05 Student Code of Conduct, which establishes the behavioral expectations for Wichita State University students and outlines the university's process for addressing alleged violations. The conduct process is designed to promote accountability while supporting student learning and development through fair, equitable, and educational practices. SCCS strives to help students understand the impact of their decisions, repair harm when appropriate, and develop the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute positively to the university community.

During the reporting period, SCCS managed 560 student conduct and community support-related matters, reflecting the broad scope of the office's work beyond formal conduct cases. While many matters involved alleged violations of the Student Code of Conduct, the office also responded to a wide range of concerns through educational conversations, advocacy, responsible action, documentation, and collaboration with campus partners.

The largest category of conduct-related work involved 270 Information Only matters, which included reports, consultations, referrals, and incidents requiring documentation or coordination without progressing through the formal conduct process. SCCS also facilitated 27 Educational Conversations, providing students with opportunities to address lower-level concerns through discussion, reflection, and education. In addition, the office provided support through 27 advocacy matters, connecting students with campus resources and assisting them in navigating university processes.

Collaboration with campus partners remained an important component of SCCS's work. During the reporting period, the office managed 92 Housing and Residence Life-related matters, demonstrating the strong partnership between SCCS and Housing in responding to student concerns and supporting residential communities. SCCS also addressed 19 roommate conflict matters, 7 trespass matters, and 1 Responsible Action Policy case, reinforcing the office's commitment to maintaining a safe, respectful, and supportive campus environment.

The most frequently identified policy charges addressed through SCCS processes reflected a range of academic and behavioral concerns. 

These trends demonstrate the broad scope of SCCS’s work in addressing both academic and behavioral concerns while supporting students through fair and educational processes. SCCS continues to emphasize early intervention, accountability, and education to help students understand university expectations and make responsible decisions that contribute to a positive campus environment.

The conduct process is designed to provide outcomes that are educational, proportional, and appropriate to the circumstances of each case. During the reporting period, SCCS assigned a range of sanctions intended to promote accountability while supporting student learning and success.

The most frequently assigned status sanctions were Disciplinary Warning (63) and Housing Warning (47), reflecting the office's emphasis on addressing lower-level misconduct through educational intervention and early accountability. Additional sanctions included Disciplinary Probation (16) and Housing Probation (14) for students requiring a heightened level of accountability and monitoring.

In cases involving more significant or repeated misconduct, SCCS assigned 2 suspensions and 1 dismissal. No students were expelled during the reporting period. This distribution of status sanctions reflects SCCS's commitment to utilizing the least restrictive sanction appropriate to the circumstances while maintaining the safety of the university community and encouraging student growth and responsible decision-making.

SCCS also utilized reflective and education sanctions including reflection papers, and judicial educator modules.
 
Although formal conduct cases remain a core responsibility of the office, this data demonstrates that SCCS's work extends well beyond adjudicating policy violations. The office serves as a resource for students, faculty, staff, and campus partners by providing guidance, consultation, educational interventions, and coordinated responses that promote student success while upholding community standards.

Organizational Misconduct

Overview
Student Conduct and Community Standards (SCCS) continued to partner with Student Engagement, Advocacy & Belonging (SE&B) to address concerns involving registered student organizations (RSOs) during the reporting period. Organizational conduct matters often require a collaborative approach that balances accountability with education while supporting organizations in maintaining a safe, respectful, and inclusive campus environment.

During the reporting period, SCCS reviewed 11 organizational conduct matters involving registered student organizations and fraternities/sororities. Reported concerns included allegations of hazing, harassment, bullying, organizational leadership concerns, unauthorized presence in residence halls, alcohol-related behavior, and other conduct inconsistent with university expectations.

The majority of organizational matters were resolved through educational conversations conducted in partnership with SE&B staff. These conversations provided organizational leaders with an opportunity to review university expectations, discuss concerns, and identify strategies to promote responsible leadership and reduce future risk. In situations where reported information did not meet the threshold required to proceed through the organizational conduct process, cases were closed after review in accordance with university procedures.

Throughout the year, SCCS remained committed to responding promptly to reports involving student organizations while collaborating with campus partners to assess concerns, support affected students and encourage organizations to uphold the values and expectations of Wichita State University. This collaborative approach emphasizes education, prevention, and organizational accountability while helping foster a safe and welcoming campus community.

Conclusion

Throughout the reporting period, Student Conduct and Community Standards (SCCS) continued to support the Wichita State University community through a balanced approach to accountability, education, and student development. The work of the office extended beyond responding to policy violations and included providing educational opportunities, supporting students through challenging situations, collaborating with campus partners, and promoting a culture of integrity and respect.

The data presented in this report reflects the broad scope of SCCS’s work, including academic integrity processes, student conduct resolution, organizational conduct, educational conversations, advocacy, and campus partnerships. Each interaction represents an opportunity to help students understand expectations, reflect on their choices, and develop the skills necessary to be successful members of the university community.

Moving forward, SCCS remains committed to continuously evaluating and improving its processes, strengthening partnerships across campus, and providing fair and consistent responses to student concerns. Through continued education, proactive outreach, and thoughtful engagement, SCCS will continue to support a campus environment where students are encouraged to learn, grow, and contribute positively to the Wichita State community.