Employee Responsibilities

WSU encourages reporting discrimination, discriminatory harassment, sex discrimination, sex-based harassment, sexual assault, stalking, dating violence, and domestic violence to Compliance and Civil Rights (CCR). Employees have specific requirements under the WSU Policy Prohibiting Discrimination and Harassment which are summarized below.

WSU designates certain employees as confidential, including:

  • Medical professionals:
    • Employees who are statutorily barred from reporting (e.g., health care providers and mental health care providers acting in their capacities as health care and mental health care providers);
    • Employees, interns, professional trainees, volunteers, contractors, and other similar individuals who have received information while:
      • Providing services within their professional capacity at WSU’s Cougar Health Services, Athletic Medicine, or WSU Psychology Clinic; or
      • Otherwise designated by WSU to provide medical or mental health services;
  • Office of the University Ombuds:
    • Employees who have received information while providing services within their professional capacity at WSU’s Office of the University Ombuds
  • Violence Prevention Program Facilitators:
    • Employees participating in preventative education for students regarding sex and gender-based violence or a related program, during which a student or employee discloses having experienced sex-based harassment (including, but not limited to quid pro quo harassment, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, or stalking). Confidential status is only with respect to information received while facilitating a violence prevention program.
  • Peer Health Educators:
    • Student employees in WSU Health Education who learn of information while:
      • Facilitating workshops;
      • Representing health education at campus events or elsewhere; or
      • Collaborating with campus partners or students.
  • Some researchers:
    • Employees conducting an Institutional Review Board-approved human-subjects research study designed to gather information about discrimination and harassment. Confidential status is only with respect to the information received while conducting the study.

Non-confidential employees have the following reporting responsibilities:

  • All non-confidential WSU employees (including student employees) who have information regarding sex-based harassment or sex discrimination must report that to Compliance and Civil Rights (CCR).
  • All non-confidential supervisory WSU employees (including student employees) who have information regarding discrimination and discriminatory harassment must report that information to CCR.
  • Employees designated as Campus Security Authorities are required to report Clery Act identified crimes to the appropriate Clery administrator.
  • State mandatory reporting:
    • Under state law (RCW 26.44.030(1)(f)), all administrative, academic, and athletic department employees, including student employees, are required to report suspected child abuse or neglect to law enforcement or to the Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
    • All other higher education employees are required to report suspected child abuse or neglect to their supervisor within 48 hours and are advised to report these incidents to law enforcement (RCW 28B.10.846).
    • WSU students participating in certain internships, clinical rotations, and other training programs, and faculty, staff, and licensed health care providers overseeing such programs, also may have mandatory reporting requirements with respect to abuse and neglect of children and vulnerable adults, in accordance with RCW 26.44.030 and RCW 74.34.035.
    • Under state law (RCW 28B.10.907(2)), any employee, student employee, or volunteer who has reasonable cause to believe that hazing has occurred must report the incident, or cause a report to be made, to CCS.

Confidential employees have the following reporting responsibilities:

  • Confidential employees are not required to report to CCR.
  • Employees designated as Campus Security Authorities are required to report Clery Act identified crimes to the appropriate Clery administrator.
  • State mandatory reporting:
    • Under state law (RCW 26.44.030(1)(f)), all administrative, academic, and athletic department employees, including student employees, are required to report suspected child abuse or neglect to law enforcement or to the Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
    • All other higher education employees are required to report suspected child abuse or neglect to their supervisor within 48 hours and are advised to report these incidents to law enforcement (RCW 28B.10.846).
    • WSU students participating in certain internships, clinical rotations, and other training programs, and faculty, staff, and licensed health care providers overseeing such programs, also may have mandatory reporting requirements with respect to abuse and neglect of children and vulnerable adults, in accordance with RCW 26.44.030 and RCW 74.34.035.
    • Under state law (RCW 28B.10.907(2)), any employee, student employee, or volunteer who has reasonable cause to believe that hazing has occurred must report the incident, or cause a report to be made, to CCS.

Confidential employees must share the following information with any person who informs them of sex discrimination or sex-based harassment:

  • The employee’s status as a confidential employee and that the employee is not required to report the conduct to CCR.
  • How to contact CCR and how to make a complaint of sex discrimination or sex-based harassment.
  • That CCR may be able to offer and coordinate supportive measures, as well as initiate an informal resolution process or investigation under EP 15.

All employees (confidential and non-confidential) are required to share specific information with a student when the student informs the employee of their pregnancy or related conditions. The specific information is available online for employees to distribute: see Resources for Students.

All WSU employees and student employees are required to take an annual discrimination and harassment prevention training, which includes requirements under Title IX. WSU Human Resource Services assigns this training to all employees via the online training system, Percipio.

Unless they have an employee role at WSU, students are not required to report misconduct to Compliance and Civil Rights (CCR). However, students are strongly encouraged to report incidents of discrimination, discriminatory harassment, sex discrimination, sex-based harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking to CCR.