A new section relating to academic integrity policy has been added to the Code of Policies and Procedures for Students at USU. Article VI, which took effect Sept. 3, revolutionizes the way academic integrity violations, such as cheating, are reported and prosecuted by introducing the online “Academic Integrity Violation Form,” as well as by allowing due process for students and tracking across the university for repeat offenders.”The code is a handbook of policies for our relationship with our students,” said James Morales, vice president of Student Services. “(Before), there wasn’t a section that provides the kind of clarity that this section does. The honor statement (of academic integrity) was just kind of assumed.”This lack of clarity was brought to the attention of the Associated Students of Utah State Univeristy Senate in October 2007 by HASS Sen. Nick West, a 2008 USU graduate in political science.Jeri Brunson, then-graduate student senator, said West was “pretty fired up about it. He was a real champion for student rights and very passionate about changing the code.””Pieces of the code had been changed,” Brunson, a 2003 graduate in physics, said, “but no one had ever gotten far enough along to fix the big picture.”She said after West brought the issue to the Student Senate, she researched it along with then-Science Sen. Brittany Woytko. After reviewing policies from institutions similar to USU and successful policies at prominent schools, Brunson said, “We realized we couldn’t go it alone. We needed a joint effort. Thankfully, we found allies.”The allies came in the form of a subcommittee formed within the Academic Standards Committee, proposed by Committee Head Scot Allgood.”Part of the problem was students couldn’t find a compromise to some sticky issues,” Allgood said.