CHAPTER 9 OTHER INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES AND DOCUMENTS
SECTION 1 COMMUNAL BILL OF RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
(To see who has authority to approve changes to this section, please see the Approval of Changes page).
PREAMBLE
The University of Wisconsin Stevens Point is an academic community of individuals committed to the pursuit of learning, the acquisition of knowledge, and the education of all who seek it. The members of the community include students, faculty, staff, administrators, and support personnel. The mission of the University is to stimulate intellectual growth through the discovery and dissemination of knowledge which commits its members to scholarship in all of its forms. The mission also directs all members to work for the application of knowledge beyond the physical boundaries of the campus for the betterment of all members of society.
All who open their minds in this community are considered students and all students engage the academic enterprise with basic expectations, needs, freedoms, and responsibilities. As the academic community seeks to achieve its mission it can be expected:
• to develop in its members a heightened intellectual, cultural, and humane sensitivity;
• to instill a passion for learning and a sense of value and purpose;
• to develop fundamental abilities which would allow one to thoughtfully engage the world, carefully consider the relationships between ideas, critically evaluate conclusions, and responsibly select among competing choices.
All who are members of this community share an obligation to provide an environment conducive to the best possible education for all who genuinely and sincerely seek it.
As members of the Stevens Point community, UWSP has a commitment to work with the complete Stevens Point community to maintain an appropriate community environment. Each member of the campus community has an obligation to foster positive university-community relationships wherever possible.
The members of the UWSP community are dedicated to personal and academic excellence. Becoming a member of the community obligates each member to a code of behavior, which includes:
• The practice of personal and academic integrity. A commitment to this ideal is inconsistent with cheating in classes, in games, or in sports. It should eliminate the practice of plagiarism or borrowing others work, lying, deceit, and excuse making. And it should foster caring and concern with personal relationships.
• The respect of all people. A commitment to this ideal is inconsistent with behaviors which compromise or demean the dignity of individuals or groups, including hazing, intimidating, taunting, baiting, ridiculing, insulting, harassing, and discrimination.
• The respect of the rights and property of others. A commitment to this ideal is inconsistent with all forms of theft, vandalism, arson, misappropriation, malicious damage, and desecration or destruction of property. Respect for another’s personal rights is inconsistent with any behavior which violates a persons’ right to move about freely, to express themselves appropriately, and to enjoy privacy.
• The respect for equal rights and opportunity. This is essential in order to learn from the differences in people, ideas, and opinions. A commitment to this ideal pledges affirmative support for equal rights and opportunities for all members regardless of their age, sex, race, religion, disability, ethnic heritage, socioeconomic status, political, social or other affiliation, or disaffiliation, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity/expression.
• The respect for the individual’s needs of conditions which support work and development. A commitment to this ideal encourages behavior which is sensitive, hospitable and just.
Allegiance to these ideals obligates each member to refrain from and discourage behaviors which threaten the freedom and respect all community members of UWSP deserve. This last clause reminds community members that they are not only obliged to avoid these behaviors, but that they also have an affirmative obligation to confront and challenge, and respond to, or report the behaviors whenever or wherever they are encountered.
ACCESS TO INFORMATION
Access to information is absolutely critical to the functioning of the university. Therefore, the university is committed to establishing and maintaining a high quantity flow of high quality information while seeking to eliminate or restrict anything that interferes or reduces the effectiveness of information dissemination.
Some forms of information are important to the completion of the mission of the university. Important information concerns:
• The legal rights and safeguards established by law for the well-being of all individuals. All members of the university community have a right to the privacy and confidentiality ensured by these laws.
• The set of requirements and obligations which students must fulfill in order to graduate in a timely fashion. Students will receive clear, accurate and timely, comprehensive and readily accessible information about academic programs, services and requirements. The university is obligated to provide accurate and timely information about requirements and/or changes to requirements. Students are obligated to maintain accurate information on their progress, to seek out appropriate information, and to be responsible for making appropriate choices for degree progress.
• The university policies and procedures that guide the operation of the university and the behavior of all members of the university community. The primary information included here tells members of the academic community how to go about achieving legitimate ends connected with university community. A critical part of this information concerns the identification of what constitutes a violation of acceptable behavior and the procedures for adjudicating such offenses.
• The learning activities of the classroom including any extensions such as field trips, etc. Nothing should be allowed to interrupt the activities of the classroom unless officially sanctioned by the proper university authority.
• The data related to the effective selection of courses and degree programs. Students have access to the aggregate results of student evaluations on each instructor, per UWSP policy.
• Opportunities and benefits that members of the academic community might wish to take part in as supplements to the accrual of academic credits toward graduation: intramural sports, professional organizations, etc.
• The social interactions of the university. Campus organizations should be afforded reasonable opportunity to disseminate information to members of the academic community. Use of class time, however, remains at the sole discretion of the instructor.
CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT
Members of this campus community can expect a safe and inviting campus environment.
Such a safe environment should include:
• The ability to access all parts of the campus without fear of interference, harassment, or physical harm.
• Timely information about the existence of known dangerous and/or toxic substances.
• Timely information about the existence of known hazards.
• The ability to become members of organizations without threat of hazing or other forms of humiliation.
• Access to accurate aggregate statistics on UWSP campus crimes, including patterns and trends.
Such an inviting environment should include:
• An openness and receptivity to a wide range of ideas, regardless of source, which are engaged on the basis of merit.
• A protection and receptivity to differences consistent with the enforcement of federal, state and university protections against discriminatory treatment because of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, disability, military status, socioeconomic status, family status, or political views.
• A physical plant and technological support that facilitate learning.
• Campus facilities that are accessible to documented disabled persons in compliance with applicable regulations.
• The right, as provided by applicable UW system policy and federal and state statutes, to lobby, demonstrate, circulate petitions, distribute leaflets, listen to speakers of their choice, use campus facilities for all lawful purposes and respect of others to do the same.
• The right to express (or not express) beliefs and opinions on all issues, and to challenge the beliefs and opinions of others.
• Publication and broadcast media that may cover, describe, and interpret all issues and events without prior interference, within limits of procedures and applicable federal and state statutes and consistent with principles of ethical and responsible journalism.
Guidelines for the pedagogical use of offensive language
• As educators, we must confront and reckon with our history, troubling though it may be. However, engaging with the language and practices of our past is not the same as embracing them in our current moment.
The following are guidelines for the pedagogical use of offensive language (e.g. using historical texts or lyrics in class).:
• Review older texts to evaluate potentially outdated language. Make a plan in advance using these guidelines as to how you will address it.
• Out of respect for your students and colleagues, if you are not a member of a specific marginalized community, avoid using in speech or writing derogatory terms to refer to that community (e.g. the “n-word”).
• If you are a member of an aforementioned specific community, consider carefully what your goals are when using a potentially offensive word for an identity that you also hold.
• As much as possible, substitute those terms with dashes or asterisks, or using some other way of denoting them without replicating them. Ask your students to do the same.
• If you must replicate a specific term, offer students a warning in advance and an explanation of your reason(s) for using it.
• Familiarize yourself with current accepted terms for various social identity groups.
• If you anticipate a problematic word or phrase coming up in course material or discussion, plan in advance which alternatives you will use and which you will ask your students to use.
GENERAL ACADEMICS
• Students can expect regularly scheduled and reasonably followed instructor office hours, and are responsible for keeping and scheduling appointments. Instructors and students need to make reasonable attempts to inform each other of necessary changes.
• Students can expect, and should take advantage of opportunities for expanded learning experiences beyond the classroom.
• Students can expect reasonable opportunities to enroll in courses required for timely graduation. This includes accurate, timely, comprehensive, and readily accessible information about academic programs, services and requirements.
CURRICULUM.
• All members of the university community can expect a curriculum that provides opportunities to enhance the skills and knowledge outlined in the preamble of this document.
• Students can expect a curriculum that considers significant social and cultural issues and includes the contributions of diverse peoples. The development and content of such curricula remains faculty prerogative and responsibility. Faculty are encouraged to consider student needs and interests.
CLASSROOM.
• Students can expect to receive a syllabus in the first class meeting of each course. The syllabus should include a statement of course objectives and requirements, a description of the grading system, tentative examination schedule, as appropriate to the course, and a clear attendance policy. All exceptions to the attendance policy must be documented in writing. Faculty can expect students to keep up with class assignments and requirements.
• Students have the right to be evaluated in a fair and equitable manner according to course objectives as outlined in the syllabus and without reference to their personal or political views. Evaluations shall be based on demonstrated learning of course content and meeting other course requirements. Students have the responsibility to participate fully in the learning experience and to complete all course requirements.
• Members of the university community have the right to reasonable accommodation of their demonstrable religious beliefs with regard to the scheduling of all examinations and other academic requirements. Persons with disabilities have the right to reasonable accommodation with regard to the scheduling of all examinations and other academic requirements. Students should inform instructors of their accommodation needs in a timely manner.
• Students can expect timely and accurate information and feedback about their academic progress and achievements, as well as feedback prior to the deadline for dropping courses.
• Students have an obligation to respect the integrity of the academic process, and to comply with the rules governing academic dishonesty such as prohibitions against cheating on examinations, false representation of work submitted for evaluation, and plagiarism.
• Members of the university community have the right to expect a harassment free classroom environment.
ADVISING
Students are responsible for:
• Determining a course of study that satisfies the requirements defined for the appropriate degree in the UWSP catalog.
• Scheduling and appearing promptly for appointments with the adviser when necessary (at least once each semester).
• Preparing for an advising session by having the necessary forms available and a list of questions and courses (and alternatives) needed.
• Being knowledgeable about policies, procedures, and requirements as published.
• Being prepared to discuss personal values and goals as they related to academic and career-related needs.
• Following through with appropriate action after the advising meeting.
• Accepting responsibility for the decisions being made.
• Taking primary responsibility for determining their own course selections.
Faculty who serve as advisers are responsible for:
• Providing timely and accurate advising on academic and career matters.
• Making advising readily available.
• Maintaining files on advisees necessary to monitor progress toward the advisee’s educational goals.
• Conveying information on academic requirements, policies, and procedures.
• Assisting the student in identifying and pursuing educational goals and objectives and in securing information about career opportunities.
• Helping the student examine course offerings in the major; relate these to courses in his/her broader field of study; and understand the graduation requirements for the chosen curriculum.
• Tailoring the advising approach to individual students and making referrals appropriate to their needs and interests.
• Being responsive to discussions of students’ personal values and goals as they relate to academic and career-related needs.
• Being sensitive to issues relating to the student’s retention at UWSP, and making appropriate referrals when necessary/possible.
IMPLEMENTATION
The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and/or the vice Chancellor for Student Affairs has the responsibility to insure that the rights and responsibilities listed above are implemented and to identify clearly the person(s) to whom members of the University community can turn to for assistance if they believe that their needs regarding the above have not been met. The above enumeration shall not be construed as exhaustive of the rights and responsibilities of all.