Academic Complaint Procedures

If you have a complaint about instruction or grading, attempt to resolve the issue directly with your instructor. If that fails, send an email to the instructor using their official WSU email account no later than 20 business days following the end of the semester. This email should briefly outline the complaint and be copied to the person designated to receive complaints for the academic area on the Vancouver campus (see list below).

If the complaint is not resolved with the instructor within 20 business days of sending the email, work directly with the designee for the academic area in which the course is offered. The designee’s decision will be rendered within 20 additional business days.

After the designee’s decision, you or the instructor may appeal to the associate vice chancellor for academic affairs. Complaints must be presented in writing within 20 business days of the designee’s decision. The written statement should describe the complaint, indicate how it affects the individual or unit, and include the remedy sought from the associate vice chancellor for academic affairs. The decision of the associate vice chancellor for academic affairs is the final step and will be made within 20 business days.

The university ombudsman is available at any stage for advice or assistance in resolving academic complaints.

Note: Though designees and the associate vice chancellor for academic affairs may resolve complaints about instruction and grading, they may not change a final grade without the consent of the instructor, except as provided by Rule 105.

Academic complaint procedures are governed by Academic Regulation 104. See the full text for Academic Regulation 104 online.


WSU Vancouver designees for academic complaints:

College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences (for courses in ECONS, HD):
Yoshie Sano, Academic Director

College of Arts and Sciences (for courses in ANTH, ASTRONOM, BIOLOGY, CES, CHEM, CHINESE, CRM_J, DATA, DTC, ENGLISH, FINE_ART, FOR_LANG, HISTORY, HUMANITY, MATH, MBIOS, NEUROSCI, PHIL, PHYSICS, POL_S, PSYCH, SOC, SOE, SPANISH, STAT, WGSS, WRIT)
Mike Berger, Associate Director for Undergraduate Education

Carson College of Business (for courses in ACCTG, B_A, B_LAW, ENTRP, FIN, HBM, I_BUS, MGMT, MGTOP, MIS, MKTG)
Jenni Sandstrom, Associate Academic Director

Edward R. Murrow College of Communication (for courses in COM, COMJOUR COMSTRAT,)
Narayanan Iyer, Program Director

College of Education (for courses in ED_AD, ED_MTHSC, ED_RES, MIT, SPEC_ED, TCH_LRN)
Sharon Kruse, Academic Director

College of Nursing (for courses in NURS)
Linda Eddy, Academic Director

School of Engineering and Computer Science (for courses in CS, ECE, MECH)
Xinghui Zhao, Director

UNIV courses
Karen Diller, Library Director