Building Communities & Managing Organizations

Faculty-Student Program Covenant
Building Communities and Managing Organizations, 2008-2009

As a learning community, faculty and students in Building Communities & Managing Organizations agree that community does not just happen. It is up to us to create our own learning community and to strive to maintain community vitality. As such, we have responsibilities to ourselves and to the group. It is important that the duties and responsibilities of faculty and students are clearly understood. Those responsibilities are described here and constitute a covenant among community members.Expectations of FacultyThe learning community can expect faculty to:1.       Prepare for seminar discussions of readings.2.       Be prepared for lectures, workshops and other activities as scheduled.3.       Attend all program activities when not ill or absent for professional or religious reasons.4.       Give prompt and meaningful feedback to all student assignments.5.       Be available to students during posted office hours or by appointment.6.       Give students feedback throughout the quarter so that written evaluations are not a surprise.7.       Notify students by the end of the 5th week if their work‑to‑date does not meet the requirements for full credit.8.       Write an evaluation for each assigned student.9.       Participate in the administrative business of the program.10.   Continually work to create a community that respects differences and encourages an environment where students and faculty can learn with and from each other.11.   Abide by Evergreen’s Social Contract.Expectations of StudentsThe learning community can expect students to:1.       Attend all class meetings on time and to stay for the entire class period. Any absences can lead to reduced credit. Faculty will take roll.2.       Prepare fully for all classes, seminars and program activities by completing the readings, reflecting on the readings and thoughtfully designing questions and comments about the readings. Students will put the same careful attention into their writing. All written work will be typed, double‑spaced and proofread before submission and will conform to the APA (American Psychological Association) handbook.3.       Complete all written work and assignments on time. 4.       Engage fully in all classes, seminars and program activities by generating and sharing ideas and critiques as well as listening actively and encouraging others to generate and share their ideas and critiques.5.       Maintain confidentiality of classroom and seminar discussions so that all may be free to use workplace examples.6.       Consult with faculty whenever they need clarification about any aspect of the program, the readings or other activities.7.       Write self and faculty evaluations at the end of the quarter. Evaluations of faculty may be submitted to the program secretaries.8.       Meet with faculty for evaluation conference at the arranged time.9.       Continually work to create a community that respects and encourages an environment where students and faculty can learn with and from each other.10.   Submit original pieces of work. No plagiarism.  11.   Abide by Evergreen’s Social Contract. Academic StandardsBy enrolling in the program, you agree to abide by the academic standards outlined below.·         Late Work Policy - This course requires self-discipline, individual work and teamwork.  Please follow the schedule closely and attend all seminars, workshops, lectures, and team meetings. It will be hard to achieve the goals of working collaboratively and communicating clearly without actively attending and contributing to class. Faculty expects all work to be submitted on time. Late submittals communicate that you are not keeping up with your work. In all but the most extenuating of circumstances, work that is submitted past its due date and time will not be read by faculty and your evaluation will state that your work was not submitted in a timely fashion. Failure to attend all program meetings or to submit all work could result in a loss of credit. ·         Credit Policy - Credit is not the same thing as high quality work. Full credit may be given when students fulfill the college-level requirements and standards of the program. The evaluation is used to describe the quality of the student's work. Thus, a student could actually receive credit, but also receive evaluations that reflect poor quality work. On the flip side, a student could attend regularly but receive partial or no credit because of poor quality or missing work. ·         Honesty - It is required that each assignment be an original piece of work for this program (i.e., the piece has never been submitted to or has not been the basis for an assignment in another class or program). Ideas or written passages that are not yours must be correctly referenced so that credit can accrue to the original sources. Documentation is to be in APA format, though informal citations are acceptable in the weekly seminar response papers. The APA handbook is available in the library. Any student who plagiarizes material will lose credit, be asked to leave the program, and may be required to leave the college. Plagiarism is to pass off as one’s own the words or ideas of others. You must submit original work in response to all assignments. Ask your faculty member if you have any questions. The Evergreen library and the Learning Resource Center also have information on plagiarism. 

If any situation arises in which there is ambiguity or uncertainty about whether the work fulfills the letter or spirit of Evergreen’s Academic Standards, please bring it to faculty attention. Failure to adhere to these standards will result in a loss of credit.

Housekeeping 1.    Conflict resolution - Although we will all strive to maintain a smooth‑running program, conflict happens and can be healthy if handled well. Resolution of disagreement between a student and a faculty member should be attempted first by the two parties involved. If resolution cannot be reached at this point, we will use the college's established grievance procedure. Students should strive to resolve conflict between them first, but faculty members are available to act as mediators if needed. 2.       Evaluations - Students will be evaluated by faculty. 3.       Expulsion from the program - A student may be asked to leave the program if his or her behavior is consistently disruptive, antagonistic, distracting (e.g. sleeping) and impedes the program from progressing. Any student who is asked to leave and wishes to appeal may do so by arranging to meet with the faculty. The faculty’s decision will be binding, although students always have access to the college's grievance procedures. A student's registration in this program indicates her or his willingness to abide by this program covenant.