COMMUNITY EXPECTATIONS & GUIDELINES
These expectations and guidelines were developed by the Department of Geosciences at Georgia State University to embody the best practices to be used by current faculty, instructors, staff, postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, and undergraduate students.1 This is a living document that is intended to provide a heightened awareness of the need to consciously establish effective relationships and contribute to a positive departmental culture. To ensure a productive setting for working and learning, all members of the department are expected to treat one another respectfully and fairly and uphold the highest ethical and professional standards as described here. The last section of this document provides a ready list of university resources to utilize when conflicts and issues arise.
1The Community Workplace Expectations and Guidelines developed by the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin were used when considering the structure and comprehensiveness of this document. Some language in this document has been borrowed from the Jackson School’s document.
Collegial Interactions (faculty, instructors, postdocs, staff)
- CONTRIBUTE to a culture of mutual respect and acceptance.
- Treat all your colleagues with respect, consideration, and in a manner that is free from harassment.
- Recognize the diverse identities and backgrounds of your fellow colleagues and create a safe environment for everyone to exist and to express themselves.
- Respect each other’s academic background; we all have different training and research methods, all of which are valid.
- Dialogue over debate; prioritize open dialogue rather than confrontational debate in academic discussions. Rigorous discourse is important, but it should not lead to aggressive competition, instead create an atmosphere of mutual understanding.
- Regularly acknowledge and give credit for “invisible labor;” this may include mentorship, service, and other forms of contributions by your colleagues.
- Strive to make your ideas accessible and understandable, which respects and values the time and intellectual contributions of colleagues with different academic backgrounds.
- BE AWARE of power dynamics and imbalances.
- Consider the dynamics between mentorship versus control, inclusion in academic discussions, allocation of resources, valuation of roles, review, and redressal mechanisms. Power dynamics/imbalances can occur at various levels, including:
- tenured professor–junior professor
- professor – lecturer/ instructors
- faculty – postdoc
- faculty – staff
- Consider the dynamics between mentorship versus control, inclusion in academic discussions, allocation of resources, valuation of roles, review, and redressal mechanisms. Power dynamics/imbalances can occur at various levels, including:
- WHEN CONFLICTS ARISE
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- If there is a disagreement, talk to the colleague(s) involved and work to solve the problem.
- Listen to your colleagues when they tell you about an issue they’re experiencing.
- Consult the conflict resolution resources provided at the end of this document.
Faculty Interactions with Students
- RECOGNIZE how your own identity (e.g., race, class, gender, sexuality, ability) informs your perspectives and reactions and be respectful of your students’ diverse identities.
- Refer to each student by the name and pronouns they share with you
- Be respectful to all students and recognize their diverse cultural backgrounds
- Create a safe learning environment that is stimulating, free from harassment, and allows for all students to express themselves
- BE SENSITIVE to the power imbalance in the student–faculty relationship.
- PROVIDE equitable opportunities for learning and research for all students.
- BE RESPECTFUL of students’ time commitments
- For example, students’ time required for research assistant (RA), teaching assistant (TA) duties, no more than 20 hours per week, on average.
- For your RA’s: PROVIDE clear instructions at the start of the hiring period regarding the tasks, timelines, and deliverables that they are expected to have.
- These tasks should contribute to their academic and/or professional development
- For your TA’s: PROVIDE expectations and duties at the beginning of the semester and respect your TA’s time, allowing them to complete their TA tasks while making progress towards completing their degrees.
- ADVISE students on timelines and expectations regarding Thesis/Capstone deliverables and clarify authorship guidelines from the start.
- BE A ROLE MODEL by acting in an ethical, professional, and courteous manner toward other students, staff, and faculty.
- In your teaching, BE CLEAR about the course plan, expectations, goals, and due dates in your course material.
- Set a clear course plan
- State your communication preferences and availability, while setting boundaries. For example, state your availability to meet and time to answer emails in the syllabus; grade feedback in a timely manner, etc.
- State how a student’s grade will be determined
- Explain what learning interactions will be common in your course. For example, class discussions, small groups or partner work, long-term individual/team projects, etc.
- BE AVAILABLE to:
- Communicate with students outside of class sessions, by e-mail, meeting, and/or office hours
- Provide career advice and/or write letters of recommendation
Mentor Responsibilities
- FORMALIZE the mentoring relationship with your student mentees.
- Set clear expectations and goals for students from the start, especially with respect to academic performance, research progress, and regular meetings
- Clarify authorship guidelines from the start
- RECOGNIZE that mentoring is different from advising.
- Mentors should continue to take trainings to be more effective, like other fields
- Model professional, collegial, and ethical behavior and scholarship
- Provide opportunities to engage in research and scholarly community beyond coursework and thesis
- Be honest with students about your ability to write a strong recommendation letter. Make sure students know the time frame to ask for a letter.
- BE SENSITIVE TO the power dynamic in the advisor-mentor relationship.
- Create an environment that welcomes students with different knowledge areas that is stimulating and free of harassment
- LISTEN to your student needs and expectations.
- Your student’s goals, expectations and challenges may be different than what you think, so take time to really understand these.
- Read and give honest and compassionate feedback on student work regularly
- HELP as much as you can, but recognize that mentors cannot help with everything or be everything a mentee needs.
- Be aware of university-level support systems and programs that students can avail
- Help students build mentoring networks (you don’t have to be a unicorn as a mentor)
- Help student connect to opportunities to meet new mentors through opportunities from societies (e.g., Mentoring365 from AGU) and other routes
Student Responsibilities
- RECOGNIZE that you, the student, bear the primary responsibility for the successful completion of your degree and research by taking the following actions:
- Attend all applicable student orientations/trainings
- Promptly read and respond to all communication from the Department and College, your professors, and your advisor
- Read your student handbook
- Keep track of your Degree Works
- Stay up-to-date with your milestones (for graduate students)
- Be aware of degree deadlines
- Stay in contact with your advisor and committee
- Be accountable for your work and conduct both in classes and research
- Strive for excellence in all of your scholarship
- RESPECT the varied cultural, academic, and professional backgrounds of your peers, students, and all department community members.
- Always act in an ethical, professional, and courteous manner towards other students, staff, and faculty
- BE PRINCIPLED in all your work.
- Hold academic honesty as your highest priority
- Exercise the highest ethical standards in all aspects of your research (including but not limited to collection, storage, analysis, and communication of research data)
- TAKE INITIATIVE.
- Be proactive in searching for funding or training opportunities, including outside of the Department
- Take advantage of research and training opportunities that are presented to you
- Communicate your understanding of expectations, project questions, concerns, etc. with your advisor
- Identify your career goals and professional development opportunities that will help you achieve them
- Seek mentoring and support resources beyond your faculty or academic advisor, including other faculty members, peers, and outside organizations
- BE PROFESSIONAL.
- Take your job(s) of being a student and being a research or teaching assistant seriously
- Write professional emails and reply to emails in a timely manner
- Take notes during meetings with your advisor/committee
- Give advanced notice if you will miss a previously scheduled meeting
- Acknowledge mistakes, recognize opportunities for growth, and strive to improve
Department Responsibilities
- FOSTER an environment that rejects discrimination and harassment in all their forms.
- ENSURE that individuals are held accountable for mistreating or discriminating against anyone based on their age, appearance, caste, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, immigration status, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, or sexual orientation.
- CREATE fair and clear policies and inform department members about them. This includes policies around graduate student funding and time-to-degree requirements, tenure and promotion, academic honesty and conduct, mentoring responsibilities.
- PROVIDE students with up-to-date information that includes policies, course offerings, degree requirements, and resources.
- ENSURE equity in teaching and service workloads, including service that goes beyond ‘typical’ committees
- PROVIDE department members with contacts and resources for potential conflict resolution and respond to student/staff/faculty concerns in timely and transparent way. (Please see the conflict resolution resources provided at the end of this document.)
- REMIND our community about the importance of these guidelines and expectations – why they exist, why are they important, and our collective roles in creating safe and healthy environments for all members of our departmental community.
In the Event of Conflict
Resources for all community members:
- The Office of the Ombudsperson offers free conflict management assistance to all students, faculty, staff, and administrators at GSU.
- The Multicultural Center also provides resources to the GSU community.
- The Department Chair, the Undergraduate Director, and the Graduate Director are also all resources for you to navigate conflict.
Student Resources:
- The Department Graduate Handbook lists resources for Graduate students.
- The GSU Counseling Center offers in-person and virtual appointments for students.
- The Dean of Students handles issues around the Student Code of Conduct, which may include student-student conflicts.
- Students can also contact any professor they feel comfortable talking to about an issue or incident. All employees (including graduate student Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants) must report any Title IX violation to the Title IX office as required by law.
Faculty and Staff Resources:
- All employees are covered by the USG Code of Conduct.
- The Faculty and Staff Assistance Program can help with crises or stressful situations within or beyond work.
- All employees (including graduate student Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants) must report any Title IX violation to the Title IX office, as required by law.
- The Faculty Handbook links to key employment policies and resources.
- The Employee Handbook also covers key policies, procedures, and processes.
- The Dean of Students handles issues surrounding instructor-student conflicts. See also the Student of Concern Reporting Form.
Contact Us
The Department of Geosciences
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Office/Delivery Address
38 Peachtree Center Ave. SE
7th Floor
Suite 730
Atlanta, GA 30303