Introduction

• The Handbook
• Graduate Division Mission Statement
• UCSB Graduate Student Bill of Rights
• Faculty Code of Conduct: Teaching and Students Ethical Principles

The Handbook

This Handbook outlines policies and procedures that govern graduate education at the University of California, Santa Barbara . It is intended for use by Department Chairs, Graduate Advisors, research advisors, faculty mentors, and Graduate Program Assistants (GPA), and graduate students. If additional information is needed, please consult the resources available on departmental and the Graduate Division Web site. Also please feel free to contact the Graduate Division for more information, (805) 893-2277.

The University of California separates policy and authority (Graduate Council) from administrative procedure and practice (Graduate Division), but the two are closely linked through the delegation of certain duties to the Graduate Dean. The Graduate Dean in turn delegates some authority to department Graduate Advisors. The goals of graduate education are thus met through close cooperation among the Graduate Council, the Graduate Division, and department Graduate Advisors.

This is a living document and is subject to change upon approval by the Graduate Council. We ask that readers of this document report any errors to the Graduate Division, (805) 893-2277.

•  NOTE: Regardless of title, only the original faculty signatures, not a stamp, are accepted for the Department Chair, Graduate Advisor, and instructor.

•  NOTE: To distinguish between Graduate Program Assistant (GPA) and grade-point average (gpa), throughout the Handbook, Graduate Program Assistant will be upper and grade-point average lower case.

Graduate Division Mission Statement

The Graduate Division facilitates and coordinates graduate education. We provide student services for all graduate academic and professional programs at the University of California, Santa Barbara. It is our goal to promote academic excellence in graduate degree programs; to foster a diverse and inclusive graduate community of domestic and international students; and to cultivate for all graduate students both an intellectually challenging environment and a socially supportive climate.

In cooperation with UCSB faculty, students, and staff, the Graduate Division implements academic preparation and recruiting programs to achieve a highly qualified and diverse student body reflective of the state of California and the greater academic community. The Graduate Division provides information about and admission to all UCSB graduate programs; administers graduate standards of scholarship and policy as defined by the University of California and the Graduate Council of the UCSB Academic Senate; and encourages the development and success of students through workshops, training activities, counseling, and initiatives which promote timely degree completion. The Graduate Division also administers internal and external funding sources for students and programs; administers UC and campus policies concerning graduate academic apprentice appointments. Participating in the development and review of new and current graduate academic programs, the Graduate Division supports departmental initiatives to advise, train, and place UCSB graduate students in academic and professional positions.

The Graduate Division is committed to excellence in academic innovation, collaboration, and exploration in UCSB graduate education.

UCSB Graduate Student Bill of Rights

In 1995, the Graduate Students Association (GSA) passed the Graduate Student Bill of Rights.

The Graduate Council supports the spirit and content of the Bill of Rights adopted by the Graduate Students Association (GSA). We know that many of the rights claimed by the GSA for its members in this document correspond to rights already established in the law of the University of California , or UCSB codes, policies, and regulations. Council regards those rights claimed but not previously existing as expressions of desirable goals. To the extent that the faculty and administration implement these goals, our University will be improved.

Preamble: To promote a more productive climate between ourselves and our faculty and to define our role in the University as a whole, we, the graduate students of the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB), claim the rights enumerated below. These are basic rights common to all graduate students. They form a foundation upon which faculty and students can build a genuine intellectual community. (Established Spring 1995)

1. Graduate students are to be considered members of a scholarly community, and as such, they have a right to collegial and respectful treatment by faculty members.
2. Graduate students have a right to study and work in an environment free of exploitation, intimidation, harassment and discrimination based on characteristics such as gender, race, age, sexual orientation, disability, religious or political beliefs and affiliations.
3. Given that Graduate students have the same rights and obligations as all citizens, they are free as other citizens to express their views and to participate in the political processes of the academic community and the community at large.
4. Graduate students have the right to clear and specific written requirements for achieving an advanced degree.
   1. These requirements should be provided to graduate students upon their admission into a graduate program and/or emphasis.
   2. No changes in degree requirements should affect students previously accepted into the graduate program and/or emphasis except at their option.
   3. Prospective and currently enrolled graduate students have a right to know and should be informed of the "normative time-to-degree" and "average time-to-degree" within a specific graduate program and/or emphasis.
   4. Prospective and currently enrolled graduate students have a right to know a program's and/or emphasis' attrition rate if available and the predominant reasons for lack of program completion except in instances where confidentiality is threatened. Student access to statistical information on graduate programs should not interfere with the privacy rights of other students.
5. Graduate students have a right to an accurate description of availability and the likelihood of ongoing financial and resource support within their program and/or emphasis.
   1. Prospective and currently enrolled graduate students should be provided a thorough description of the requirements and qualifications necessary for academic employment, training and financial support within their departments and/or emphases at the University.
   2. All graduate programs and/or emphases should have clearly written policies regarding the distribution of financial support and academic employment.
   3. All policies concerning support of graduate students should be implemented in a consistent and understandable way.
   4. Graduate students should be provided with appropriate office, study, and lab space.
6. Graduate students have a right to be judged by the faculty of their department in accordance with fair procedures, in matters of employment and promotion, solely on the basis of the graduate students' professional qualifications and professional conduct.
7. Graduate students have a right to respectful mentorship.
   1. Graduate students should have their progress toward achieving an advanced degree evaluated in an objective manner and based on criteria that are understood by the graduate advisor and students.
   2. Evaluations should be factual, specific, and should be shared with the student within a reasonable period of time. Annual progress reports should be in writing.
   3. A written evaluation of performance on qualifying and comprehensive examinations should be provided to students.
   4. Graduate students should receive regular feedback and guidance concerning their academic performance through a mutually agreeable schedule of conferences with their advisor/chair/mentor.
   5. Graduate students should be given a fair opportunity to correct or remedy deficiencies in their academic performance with agreed upon timetables for remedy.
   6. Any intent to dismiss a student from a graduate program and/or emphasis for academic reasons must be preceded by a warning, which includes special performance information, well in advance of actual dismissal.
   7. Any intent to discontinue an advisor/chair/mentor relationship with a graduate student must be preceded by a warning within a reasonable period of time.
8. Graduate students have a right to co-authorship in publications involving significant contribution of ideas or research work from the student. The student should receive "first authorship" for publications which are comprised primarily of the creative research and writing of the student when consistent with the conventions of the field.
9. Graduate students have a right to reasonable confidentiality in their communication with professors.
10. Graduate students have a right to refuse to perform tasks that are not closely related to their academic programs or professional development.
11. Teaching assistants and teaching associates have a right to appropriate teacher training.
    1. All graduate programs and/or emphases should implement a structured training program for their teaching assistants and teaching associates.
    2. All graduate programs and/or emphases should outline the expectations of a graduate student teacher, and the ways in which those expectations can be achieved, for their teaching assistants and teaching associates.
12. Graduate students have a right to professional training. This should include but not be limited to information about professional associations and conferences, mock interviews, job opportunities and publishing articles in journals.
13. Graduate students have a right to share in the governance of the University.
    1. All departments, graduate programs and/or emphases should include graduate student representatives in the decision-making process where appropriate.
    2. Graduate students should have representatives on all campus-wide committees, with voting privileges where appropriate according to the guidelines of shared governance.
14. Graduate students have a right to clearly defined official grievance procedures and informal complaint procedures at the department and campus-wide levels. Each department should have grievance procedures.
    1. Consistent with this right, graduate students have a right to procedures appropriate to the nature of the case and the severity of the potential discipline.
    2. When a formal hearing is required, a graduate student has a right to the following minimum procedural standards to assure a fair hearing.
       1. The opportunity for a prompt and fair hearing, upon the request of the student at which the University shall bear the burden of proof, and at which the student shall have the opportunity to present documents and witnesses and to confront and cross-examine witnesses presented by the University. No inference, however, shall be drawn from the silence of the accused.
       2. A record of the hearing; an expeditious written decision based upon the preponderance of evidence, which shall be accompanied by a written summary of the findings of fact.
       3. An appeal.
15. Graduate students have a right to challenge their term grades if those grades are based upon criteria other than course performance.
16. Graduate students have a right to be free of reprisals for exercising these rights.

Faculty Code of Conduct: Teaching and Students Ethical Principles

University of California's General University Policy APM -- 015

"As teachers, the professors encourage the free pursuit of learning of their students. They hold before them the best scholarly standards of their discipline. Professors demonstrate respect for students as individuals and adhere to their proper roles as intellectual guides and counselors. Professors make every reasonable effort to foster honest academic conduct and to assure that their evaluations of students reflect each student's true merit. They respect the confidential nature of the relationship between professor and student. They avoid any exploitation, harassment, or discriminatory treatment of students. They acknowledge significant academic or scholarly assistance from them. They protect their academic freedom." (AAUP Statement, 1966; Revised, 1987)

The integrity of the faculty-student relationship is the foundation of the University's educational mission. This relationship vests considerable trust in the faculty member, who, in turn, bears authority and accountability as mentor, educator, and evaluator. The unequal institutional power inherent in this relationship heightens the vulnerability of the student and the potential for coercion. The pedagogical relationship between faculty member and student must be protected from influences or activities that can interfere with learning consistent with the goals and ideals of the University. Whenever a faculty member is responsible for academic supervision of a student, a personal relationship between them of a romantic or sexual nature, even if consensual, is inappropriate. Any such relationship jeopardizes the integrity of the educational process.

In this section, the term student refers to all individuals under the academic supervision of faculty.

Types of unacceptable conduct :

1. Failure to meet the responsibilities of instruction, including:
   1. arbitrary denial of access to instruction;
   2. significant intrusion of material unrelated to the course;
   3. significant failure to adhere, without legitimate reason, to the rules of the faculty in the conduct of courses, to meet class, to keep office hours, or to hold examinations as scheduled;
   4. evaluation of student work by criteria not directly reflective of course performance;
   5. undue and unexcused delay in evaluating student work.
2. Discrimination, including harassment, against a student on political grounds, or for reasons of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, national origin, ancestry, marital status, medical condition, status as a covered veteran, or, within the limits imposed by law or University regulations, because of age or citizenship or for other arbitrary or personal reasons.
3. Violation of the University policy, including the pertinent guidelines, applying to nondiscrimination against students on the basis of disability.
4. Use of the position or powers of a faculty member to coerce the judgment or conscience of a student or to cause harm to a student for arbitrary or personal reasons.
5. Participating in or deliberately abetting disruption, interference, or intimidation in the classroom.
6. Entering into a romantic or sexual relationship with any student for whom a faculty member has, or should reasonably expect to have in the future¹, academic responsibility (instructional, evaluative, or supervisory).
7. Exercising academic responsibility (instructional, evaluative, or supervisory) for any student with whom a faculty member has a romantic or sexual relationship.