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Understanding Incident Reports
Incident Reports— or IR's— are utilized in the student leader role to document policy violations and other events that occur within the residence halls to property or residential students. There are generally two types of IR's that student leaders write. The first are active incidents or violations of policy (i.e.: noise violations, consumption and/or possession of alcohol, etc.), and the second are informational, where no party (i.e.: involved individual or group of individuals) is witnessed but there still remains something to be documented (i.e.: vandalism, destruction of property, excessive trash or alcohol paraphernalia in common spaces, etc.). Regardless, incident reports are submitted on Maxient and are due to your supervisor within 24hrs of the incident. Refer back to the Guide to Community Living to discern whether an alleged policy violation has taken place and thus needs to be documented.
It is important that the conduct process moves along quickly. Timeliness of incident reports is extremely important as it allows for supervisors to receive the report and meet with the student as soon as possible. Quick turn around means effective interventions and fewer problems from that resident for you in the future.
Incident reports may be used as documents in a court of law. Prepare them as if they were to be used as evidence, because one day they may be subpoenaed by attorneys and judges.
There are some exceptions where certain incidents should be reported to the RHC-on-duty immediately rather than solely completing an incident report. Those incidents include:
Physical harm to any person (slapping, punching, sexual assault, etc.)
Suicide attempt or suicidal ideation
Mental health issues
Weapons
Serious harassment situations
Large quantities of alcohol (i.e. kegs, party balls, cases and others)
Drugs
Medical emergencies
Fire
Presence of University Police in hall
Any issues out of the ordinary
Navigating an Incident
Navigating incidents can be difficult as each alleged violation of policy varies based on the location, parties involved, and policy itself. It's important to remember that student leaders "document the situation," rather than "write up" the residents themselves. This difference in language is important because by confronting an alleged violation of policy and documenting the situation via incident report, student leaders aren't making the final call. Rather, they are simply documenting anything and everything they observed to allow judicial officers within the residential education office to discern what did or didn't violate policy.
Before approaching a possible incident, it's important to determine which student leader will take notes and which student leader will take lead on the conversation with residents. While you might share each of these responsibilities at times, having a separation of roles helps navigate the incident efficiently.
When confronting an incident in a resident's room, knock firmly on the door and announce yourself (i.e.: "RA/CA on duty!" or alternatively "RA/CA on duty, please open the door!"). Repeat as necessary until the residents open the door.
When the residents open the door, you can choose to re-introduce yourself and your duty partner as the Resident Advisors/Community Assistants on duty along with your name (i.e., "Hi, I'm Steve, one of the CAs on duty," etc.).
A quick "How is your night going?" prior to explicitly addressing the incident can go a long way in establishing productive conversation.
Communicate with the residents about why you came to speak with them (e.g., received a duty call about a noise complaint, saw a candle on the window from outside, the screen appeared to be removed from the window, the room smelled of weed, the sound of ping pong balls and/or alcohol paraphernalia could be heard, etc.)
Depending on the violation, the next steps will vary. However, in many instances the resident(s) will need to dispose of the policy violations or follow any number of directions (i.e. dispose of alcohol/alcohol paraphernalia, dispose of a candle, put a screen back in the window, etc.)
Both student leaders can assist with collecting the names and Red IDs of each individual present at the time of the alleged violation
If guests are present, their information needs to be documented, and then they need to be escorted off the premises following the conclusion of the event/violation
Explaining the judicial process and allowing residents to ask questions at the end of the situation can help ease their concerns while helping everyone stay on the same page (although residents may still be upset, transparency can help them understands next steps)
How to Write an Incident Report
Writing IR's can become a lengthy process. It’s recommended that following the completion of an incident, both student leaders sit down and work on the incident report collaboratively. Use a google doc to write the narrative portion of the incident report as to not loose your work incase Maxient times out. This also helps with spell check.
Step 1 | Reporting Party Information
Although there may be multiple staff members responding to an incident, only one staff member can submit the incident report in this section. You will have the option of adding additional staff names in a later section.
YOUR FULL NAME
Insert the full first and last name of one student leader, as one incident report should be submitted per each duty partner pair.
YOUR POSITION/TITLE
Type out the title of your student leader role completely. The options are Resident Advisor or Community Assistant.
YOUR PHONE NUMBER
Insert your phone number. This information is provided in the case the Residence Hall Coordinator wants to reach out and clarify any information in the incident report.
YOUR EMAIL ADRESS
Insert your school email.
NATURE OF REPORT
Please use the nature of report which best describes the reason for IR submission. Your options are: "Student Conduct (REO)," "Transport / Student of Concern (REO)," and "Title IX (REO)."Note that the "Title IX (REO)" option must be used for Title IX-related incidents.
DATE OF INCIDENT
Insert the date of when the incident first began. Note that if an incident takes place over two days (i.e. from 8/3 at 11:57pm to 8/4 at 12:32am), the date would be indicated as 8/3.
If the incident is about something found during a Health & Safety Inspection, use the date of the inspection, not the date you talk to the student as follow-up.
TIME OF INCIDENT
Insert the start time of the incident. Make sure to check that you indicate:
Location of Incident: Select Residence Hall
Specific Location: Indicate the Room #, Suite #, Apt. #, or Area Name (i.e. Zura 212A, Tenochca Front Desk, Granada Kitchen, etc.)
Step 2 | Involved Parties
Please only list the students involved in the incident. You do not need to list housing staff (RHC, AC, FIR, RA, CA, etc.) or University Police. Do not include your name here.
For each Involved Party, fill out the following:
ENTER NAME
Enter the individual's legal name as it is displayed in StarRez.
SELECT ROLE
There are two options:
Respondent: Please remember that students alleged to have violated a policy are Respondents. Note that because of the policy of Passive Involvement, if a resident chooses to remain at the scene of a policy violation, they will be included in the incident report and may be held accountable for policy violations.
Witness: Others present but not alleged to have violated policy should be marked as a Witness. This could include a resident who witnesses a policy violation and brings it to the attention of a student leader but was not passively involved.
RED ID NUMBER OR BUILDING NAME
Enter the individual's RedID number. If you were unable to get this from their physical ID, it can be retrieved on StarRez. If they are not an SDSU student, leave it blank.
DOB (YYYY-MM-DD)
Please enter the individual's date of birth following the (YYYY-MM-DD) format. This information can be retrieved on StarRez.
BUILDING AND ROOM NUMBER (if applicable)
Please indicate the individual's living space (Room #, Suite #, Apt. #). If they are not an SDSU student, leave it blank.
Utilize the ADD ANOTHER PARTY button to add each individual.
Step 3 | Questions
CHRONOLOGICAL NARRATIVE OF INCIDENT
This is considerably the most important aspect of the incident report as it gives anyone reading the IR who wasn't present a clear, detailed narrative of what happened. Below are tips to write and structure your IR.
!!! WRITE THE NARRATIVE IN THE THIRD PERSON !!!
The very first line of the IR should read: On Month Day, Year, at Start of Incident (i.e. On November 5, 2025, at 8:23 PM…)”
The start of the incident is often when one of the RAs receives a call notifying them of an alleged policy violation
If the incident is about something found during a Health & Safety Inspection, use the date of the inspection as the start of the incident.
When introducing an individual for the first time in the narrative, use their full name and title, followed by an abridged version with their last name in parenthesis indicating how they'll be referred to throughout the rest of the IR.
"Resident Advisor Vanessa Hernandez (RA Hernandez)..."
"Community Assistant Aryan Villalobos (CA Villalobos)..."
"Resident Amaya Portillo (Resident Portillo)..."
"Residence Hall Coordinator Jackson Baker (RHC Baker)..."
If two people have the same title and last name, use first initials for clarity. (i.e. RA E. Lopez and RA F. Lopez)
Almost always use names and titles, rather than pronouns (he/she/etc.) to avoid confusion of parties involved
Use objective language and use direct quotes when relevant
Be detailed, yet concise
QUESTIONS (CONTINUED)
What statements were made by each person present, including you? Use as exact language as possible. If you don't remember exact language, it's okay. Paraphrasing can be used in the chronological narrative.
How did you learn about or discover this incident? It's not uncommon that a desk assistant/security monitor, other student leader, resident, or professional staff members will notify you of an incident taking place.
What conditions or facts did you observe in the room?
Describe the behavior; actions of each person present. (Use verbs!) Using verbs and objective languages helps to paint a picture of the incident for anyone reading the incident report.
What substances or objects were observed? Brands, number of bottles, cans, etc. Be specific as possible!
Where were the substances found in the room (i.e. in someone's hand, near where someone was sitting, in the refrigerator, under the bed near where someone was sitting)?
What odors did you smell?
What was the physical condition, if observed, of each person, i.e. eyes, breath, appearance? Use objective language. Rather than describe someone as being "drunk" or "high," say that their eyes are blood shot, their speech is slurred, and they had trouble standing upright.
Who witnessed this incident directly (i.e.: students present, staff members present)? Refer back to the involved parties section.
What other people had knowledge of this incident (i.e. Had others heard about this or known about this incident)? This is often whoever calls the RA on duty to notify them about an incident, whether it be a desk assistant/security monitor, other student leader, or professional staff member.
What staff members did you contact? It's most common that you'll have contacted the RHC-on-duty, or another student leader on your staff.
What course of action did you take? Be thorough and specific! Indicate if any of the following happened: parties advised of policy and informed situation will be documented, parties directed to dispose of alcohol in my presence, student(s) referred to Counseling and Psychological Services, Student(s) referred to Title IX, and/or service Request filed.
If University Police were contacted, please list responding officer names and Case # (provided by University Police). Also indicate any badge numbers if possible for the University Police officer(s) present.
Was anything disposed of or confiscated by University Police? Indicate Yes or No.
If University Police disposed of or confiscated any items, please describe.
Additional Information. Provide any more details you deem relevant that otherwise wasn't mentioned in any previous section.
Step 4 | Support Documents & Photos
In certain situation, especially in incidents where alcohol and other drug policy is alleged to have been violated, providing images of the paraphernalia can be crucial. Photos, video, email, and other supporting documents may be attached. 5GB maximum total size.
Before Submitting an Incident Report
Before submitting an incident report, it's important to reread the narrative and all the fields that were filled out to check for continuity, accuracy, spelling and grammar. Once both student leaders agree that the incident report is completed, it can be submitted. Your RHC should follow up with you within 24-48 hours.
Reporting Vandalism
Documenting instances of vandalism is an important part of the student leader role. Vandalism can pose a threat to the safety of residents, reduce quality of life for residents, and can tarnish the image of a community. By reporting it, you encourage a sense of community responsibility, fostering a culture where residents actively contribute to the well-being of the neighborhood and work together to maintain a positive living environment. Additionally, it allows professional staff to possibly identify those responsible to ensure that accountability is taken through the conduct process.
If the incident is just about vandalism, only fill out the form. If it involves vandalism AND other policy violations, write the IR in addition to submitting the form.
Student Leader Instructions:
Before filling out the form, please take pictures in the following format preferably:
Close-up shot
Angular shot to capture the location + context
Fill out the form and attach pictures. It's okay if you don't know specific information that the form is requesting, you may skip those questions if you're not able to answer them.
Don't forget to add contextual information in the last open-text question.
Further instructions in video format can be viewed here.
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