Christian Roots Program Covenant

All students should read the program covenant and submit a comment to indicate that they have read, and agree to, the covenant.  

As we address our program theme questions and do the work of the program, we are also creating a community within which we can share both intellectual and personal understandings. This community forms the context for conversation among us. Conversing well means that we have to be conscious and self-reflective about how we speak and act, how we use our time, and how we do our work individually and collectively.

That is, we cannot assume that the community will happen to us naturally; rather we have to choose the principles by which we will live and the activities we will support. You are expected to be a responsible member of our learning community. You are expected to commit a minimum of 40 hours per week to the work of the program. Avoid multiple competing commitments that generate resentment and/or neglect of your program work. You are expected to balance your rights and responsibilities. When you honor the covenant, e.g. by coming to class on time and prepared, you are a responsible community member. When you do not take responsibility as a learner then you chose to forfeit your rights (e.g. do not complain about decisions made while you were absent or late). Fostering community entails sustaining disagreement, differences and diversity in a spirit of equality and mutual respect; it does not mean agreement and uniformity. In order for us to successfully build our understandings within our community, each one of us must agree to the following principles and actions:

Respect

To create and participate in a community capable of sustaining intense, but respectful, interaction and discourse we must: Strive to be aware of how our actions affect others and be honest with others about how their actions affect us. Read and act in accordance with the Evergreen Social Contract (published in the Student Advising Handbook), the Student Conduct Code and the Sexual Harassment Policy. Give all people opportunity and encouragement to speak. Maintain a reflective and respectful approach to the study of our own and others’ experiences and knowledge.

Engagement

Special Responsibilities of Students

Attend every class meeting except when illness or other serious circumstances prevent attendance. Students need to notify faculty on the day that they miss class by phone or e-mail to receive an excused absence. More than two unexcused absences per quarter may result in a loss of credit. Complete all assignments on time. If assignments are not complete or submitted on the due date, a loss of credit may result. Students who miss more than five classes or are disruptive may be removed from the class. Maintain a portfolio of your work and evaluations. Write a self-evaluation and faculty evaluation and participate in an evaluation conference.

Special Responsibilities of Faculty

During the fifth week of each quarter, notify students who as of mid-quarter will not receive full credit. Give prompt and carefully considered responses to student work. Make time available for individual conferences with students. Handle all disputes in a spirit of respect and goodwill. Address issues of plagiarism.

Plagiarism

What is Plagiarism? (as defined by the Evergreen Writing Center)

Plagiarism is when you use another person’s words, ideas, notions, or facts without properly citing that person as the originator. Whether it is intentional or unintentional, you are plagiarizing if you:

Use another person’s words without putting them in quotation marks.

Use another person’s ideas without citing them as a source.

Borrow a fact from your source without citing it.

Or reprint any tables, illustrations, or charts without documenting the source.

You do not need to cite when you:

Use common knowledge (such as the name of the president or the date of WWI).

Find the information undocumented in more than four sources.

Or write your own ideas or experiences.

In an academic community sharing and taking responsibility for our own ideas is vital. At the same time, acknowledging our use of other people’s ideas is equally important. The work we submit must reflect our own ideas. When we are incorporating the views of others, be those published authors or our seminar mates, we must acknowledge our sources. Since much of the work in this program will be collaborative and ensuing ideas will reflect the contributions of more than one person, we must get into the habit of acknowledging the people and ideas that have influenced us. Failure to make such acknowledgements or to present the work of others as our own is plagiarism. Any student who plagiarizes material will be asked to leave the program and may be required to leave the college. Because college policy makes the consequences of plagiarism so severe, ask if you have questions.

Resolving Conflicts

Academic and personal conflicts are common and to be expected in academic communities. The Social Contract lays out expectations about how we all should deal with such conflicts: “Evergreen can thrive only if members respect the rights of others while enjoying their own rights… All must share alike in prizing academic and interpersonal honesty, in responsibly obtaining and providing full and accurate information, and in resolving their differences through due process and with a strong will to collaboration” (The Social Contract – WAC 174–120-020) We expect all members of the program to abide by these principles of honest and face-to-face resolution of conflict. In the event you do not feel successful in resolving a conflict, bring your concerns to the attention of the program faculty. Any conflicts that cannot be resolved by your own efforts, or those of the program faculty, will be referred to our program dean or other mutually agreed upon mediator.

Credit Policy

Faculty will award each student 16 credits for doing college level work, for attendance and punctuality at all program events, and for completing all assignments on time. Faculty may award less than 16 credits for work that fails to meet these criteria.