Theatre Laboratorium:

Bodies/Sex, Stage/Place, Voice/Text

COVENANT

1. I, ____________________________________ (print), being of sound mind, body, and in full possession of my mental capacities, do hereby agree to both the spirit and the letter of this document. I assert that, in the parts of my life that are committed to this team effort in student and faculty learning, I will choose those behaviors that further this venture. This program is an experimental and collaborative enterprise. As a participant I am responsible for self-directed learning as well as for contributing actively to the learning community. Covenant agreements represent the minimum effort required for credit and I expect that the large majority of students will surpass these minimums. The following points of agreement have been laid out between the students and faculty of this program to ensure that there is a clear understanding of what is expected of program members. The faculty will award credit for work in the program only to participants who fulfill these obligations acting according to the expectations outlined in this covenant and the program syllabus.

2. ATTITUDE: I hereby choose to see assignments as opportunities, classes as potential gifts, and learning as a first step in becoming the guide in my personal life journey. I will strive for excellence in all my work. I will try to optimize my progress within the program, whatever my prior experience with the arts may have been.

3. ETHICS: I hereby choose to behave within a code of ethics that includes: honesty, full disclosure, mutual respect, cooperation, love of learning, joy of diversity, affirmation of differences, task dedication, very hard work, sharing, exchange of ideas, truthful speaking, mutual pride, meaningful play, and full compliance with the Social Contract at Evergreen.

4. PARTICIPATION: I hereby choose to recognize that education at Evergreen is participatory! Participatory education requires my continuous and committed participation for others to learn, just as I require their participation for me to learn. I understand that there is no middle position on this issue. If I come to the program with a repertoire of known ways of dealing with life, I hereby commit to finding new ways to do things, exploring alternative ways of dealing with my work and finding better ways to learn. Participatory education cannot take place otherwise. The faculty will encourage risk-taking and exploration. It is preferable that I risk "failing" rather than "play it safe" and gain less of what the program has to offer. The surest way of "failing" in this program is by not trying to do the work. As stated above, the objectives of the program are that I become self-directed in my work and an actively functioning member of this learning community.

5. COMMITMENT: I hereby choose to attend ALL classes and program functions on time, fully prepared, reasonably clean, sober, not drugged, and open to learning (mine and others). I will produce assignments by the deadlines indicated, invest the necessary time to produce significant results and will prepare for class as requested by the faculty team. The workload of all full-time programs is designed with three hours of student work per week, per credit in mind.

6. WORK GUIDELINES: I hereby agree to follow the guidelines set forth in the "Theatre Laboratrium Guidelines" and in the "Portfolio presentation" hand-outs.

7. CREDIT: Full credit for this program is 16 credits. The faculty shall allow adequate time for students to complete assignments. Due dates will be announced at the time the work is assigned. All assignments may be presented before the deadline. Credit will be awarded for work presented completed and on time only. Assignments presented late will not be accepted for credit or review. Final Credit determination will be made by the Faculty Team. It will be based on the quality of my overall work as evidenced by my adherence to deadlines and schedules, my self-evaluation, and the faculty evaluation of my work and portfolio review, and general evidence of my active participation in all program activities

8. ATTENDANCE: Perfect Attendance to all program events and the completion and timely presentation of all required work will merit the award of full credit. Participants may collect up to Two (2) justified absences per quarter before losing credit. I will call or deliver a message to the faculty in advance of my absences. In cases of severe medical conditions or an emergency I will contact the faculty as soon as I can. I all cases I will endeavor to make-up the work within a week of returning to the class and get from others the materials from the session missed.

9. LOSS OF CREDIT DUE TO LATENESS OR ABSENCES: Tardiness is not acceptable. Participants that have more than two justified absences per quarter or any number of unjustified absences will lose Credit at the rate of one unit for every two absences (three absences = minus one credit, five = minus two, seven = minus three, etc.). Participants that arrive more than thirty minutes late will be counted as absent. In cases where severe illness or an emergency may preclude me from attending a program activity on time, I will notify the faculty in writing, by phone, or verbally prior to the beginning of that event. It is better to arrive late than not to be present at all because participants are still responsible for the required work. A participant may have up to four justified late arrivals per quarter at Faculty discretion. After that, further tardiness will involve loss of credit at the rate of one credit for every two late arrivals (three late arrivals = minus one credit, five = minus two, seven = minus three, etc.).

10. RESPECT: I hereby choose to express my understanding that truth is relative and elusive. I understand that while I do not have to agree with the perceived truth of others I must behave with respect and consideration for those who express their views openly. I will strive to create a learning community where expression of dissenting views is seen as an opportunity for exchange of ideas for all, for learning how to think differently and a chance to try different ways of thinking. I will endeavor to express my views in a way that allows for examination and exchange of ideas. I will uphold the Evergreen Social Contract in all interactions related to the program and celebrate the opportunity to learn about other ways of thinking.

11. LEAVING: I hereby choose to voluntarily leave the Program if I participate in behavior that violates this covenant and code of ethics. In the event that I violate this covenant and I do not take action to voluntarily leave the program, I understand that the faculty will be put in the position of having to ask me to leave in order to preserve the integrity of the program. If I am asked to leave, I have the right to appeal the decision following the grievance procedure stated below.

12. GRIEVANCE & CONFLICT RESOLUTION: I hereby choose to resolve all conflicts and disagreements related to the program pursuing the steps outlined below. Step One: I will address directly and tactfully the person whose actions, in my view, caused the conflict. I will attempt to resolve the matter promptly. If the issue is not resolved or involves the faculty I will go to step two. Step Two: If step 1 is not successful in resolving the matter, I will make one member of the faculty aware of it and ask for intervention. Step Three: If step 2 is not successful in resolving the matter, I will bring the issue to the faculty team for resolution. Step Four: If step three does not result in satisfactory resolution, I will bring the issue to the Academic Deans. After Step Four, I will follow the grievance process as it appears in the Social Contract. If all else fails, I agree to a final and binding process of arbitration using a mutually agreed arbiter. The Faculty Team agrees to discuss conflicts that involve other faculty members only in their presence.

13. EVALUATIONS: Written Evaluations, presentation of portfolios and the Evaluation Conferences are a required part of the work in the program. I will attend an evaluation conference during Evaluation Week with all my evaluations finalized. My written self-evaluation and my portfolio must be presented to the faculty before Evaluation week. My Evaluation of the Faculty must either be presented to the program secretary prior to the evaluation conference or at my evaluation conference. As preparatory work for my final evaluation, I will write a weekly page summarizing my experience as a learner. I forfeit any credit if I do not present my portfolio, all Evaluations or attend the evaluation conference with the Faculty during Evaluation week.

SIGNED: ______________________________

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by: ______________________________

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Date: __________________