Imagining the Body
Fall 2008 and Winter 2009
Program Covenant
The following statements describe the procedures to be employed in the interactions between members of our program community.
I. COMMITMENTS OF THE FACULTY TO THE STUDENTS AND FACULTY COLLEAGUES
We agree to enter into a learning community with you. It is our goal to challenge everyone in this program, whatever his or her level of preparation and ability. We agree to:
1. Prepare and present workshops, exercises, assignments, and lectures that supplement and highlight the major ideas of the program themes and readings.
2. Prepare for, convene, and assist students in applying the programmatic content to academic and professional situations in seminar discussions and student-faculty conferences.
3. Read, comment upon, and return in a timely fashion, students’ written work turned in for review.
4. Respond to questions and concerns about the material, pace, or organization of the program.
5. Attend all program activities, when not ill or absent for professional or agreed-upon activities.
6. Attend all team business meetings and faculty seminars when not ill or absent for professional or agreed-upon activities.
7. Be available for individual or group student conferences throughout the program; adhere to the principles of the social contract, and provide environments free from sexual harassment and discrimination.
8. Notify in writing any student who is having academic trouble and may be in danger of receiving reduced credit by the end of the 5th week of each quarter.
9. Conduct evaluation conferences at the end of each quarter with their seminar students to provide an opportunity to discuss the student’s academic progress. Encourage students' self-reflection on learning, and complete formal evaluations in a timely fashion.
10. Contribute to a socially and intellectually stimulating program environment.
11. Be aware of our own needs as scholars and as human beings, reserving the right to reevaluate and adjust the pace of the program should it be deemed necessary in order to achieve personal and program goals.
II. EXPECTATIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF STUDENTS
A. Committing to Program Goals, Focus, and Direction
The program will integrate studies from diverse but complementary disciplines. Some segments of it might be described as the equivalent of conventional courses, but even those will be integrated into the whole program in a way that continually stresses the integration of information. A primary purpose of the program is to help students learn to bring together materials from many sources and fields, integrate them with considerable critical thought, and apply them to the real world. It is expected that students will work hard to develop these skills.
B. Accepting Responsibility for Full Program Participation
1. You are expected to be a responsible and committed member of the learning community. To this end, please commit to the program for both fall and winter quarters and honor the program covenant. Your first priority is your program. Attending school full time is more than a full time job. Do not create opportunities to be angry and resentful by having multiple commitments simultaneously. Cutting class in order to do other things (going to work, doing homework, other social obligations and commitments, etc.) is neglecting your commitment to the program.
2. You are expected to commit yourself to intensive academic work and participate in all facets of the program (book and process seminars, lectures, workshops, guest speakers, movement activities, feedback sessions etc.) in order to experience interconnectedness as an individual and as a member of the learning community. When you miss any part of the program, you may feel disjointed and disconnected from the program and the class community. Your absence will interfere not only with your learning but also others’; following your example, others may also be tempted to attend other activities. Your presence or absence matters to the class community. Attendance will be taken and will be included as a part of your evaluation.
3. You are expected to complete the assigned readings prior to class. If you don’t, you can’t fully participate in the discussions and you will find yourself pretending that you’ve read it or will be worried about someone finding out about the fact that you did not complete the readings. You will be anxious or use defense mechanisms to “save face.” These will not lead to learning; they will only enable you to pretend, and pretending creates stress, agitation, and anxiety.
4. You are expected to be punctual. To be counted as present, be on time and stay all the way to the end of the day. When you are late in the morning or from the breaks, the entire class community is disturbed. When you leave early, you are not participating in all facets of the program. There are other students who also have an intense schedule, and even if they want to leave early and take care of other things they stay because they have committed to the program. How you balance self and community will be one of the focal points of faculty evaluation.
5. You are expected to submit complete assignments and projects by the due date. Written assignments must be typed, use standard font size, use uniform margins (at least one inch), be double spaced, be stapled, have page numbers, and include your name. Faculty will not read papers that do not meet these requirements. Please do not wait until the morning of due dates to complete your work, since it is possible to have printer and /or computer problems on that day. If you are going to be absent due to an emergency on the due date, e-mail your assignment to your faculty on that day. As indicated above, late assignments will not be counted towards your evaluation. Our responsibility as faculty is to allow you to practice skills that lead to professionalism, inner peace, and a sense of accomplishment.
6. Food will be allowed during class time only if it is not disruptive to others, and only if you clean up after yourself. This is to respect students’ right to process instructional material without distraction. For this same reason, computers and cell phones are also not allowed in the classroom.
7. You are expected to successfully demonstrate appropriate, college-level writing, thinking, and oral communication skills. This involves the conscientious development of:
a. the writing, reading, and thinking skills to successfully complete this program.
b. the interpersonal communication and collaboration skills to support successful work with student and faculty colleagues. Do not personalize class members’ verbal and nonverbal behaviors. You are here to learn and challenge your intellectual as well as emotional growth. Personalization prevents your learning. When you want to address your concerns to faculty, speak only from your perspective. Do not include what other program members think and say. (i.e., “I know lots of students are frustrated….”). The faculty cannot help other students unless they come and raise the issues themselves. Dragging in others is often a sign of non-assertiveness or wanting to create rumors. Communicate to the faculty what they can do so that your learning can be facilitated. If you do not want to talk to your faculty directly, feel free to put suggestions under the faculty members’ office doors or in their campus mailboxes. Think about and feel your responsibility for your own “irritation” (issue or problem).
c. the ability to work with and respect people of various ages, genders, ethnic groups, sexual orientations, religious affiliations, learning styles, and physical and mental abilities.
d. the agreement to discuss fully, promptly, and openly any personal or professional disagreements with care and mutual respect.
e. the agreement to uphold academic honesty. As a program participant, you agree that whenever you copy or use ideas, arguments, or data from sources that you did not create, you will cite the source. You also agree to acknowledge joint authorship of program assignments. All forms of academic dishonesty, including cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, and plagiarism are violations of the Evergreen Social Contract.
8. You are expected to read and act in accordance with the Evergreen Social Contract, the Student Conduct Code, and the Sexual Harassment Policy. Violators will be dismissed from the program. Note that Evergreen is a non-smoking campus except in designated areas.
9. You are expected to follow the campus grievance and appeals procedure, outlined in the Student Conduct Code. If you have a grievance, it is your responsibility to first take it up with the individual involved. If that does not resolve the situation, the faculty as a team should be consulted. If still no resolution can be reached, the faculty will suggest students go to the Academic Deans, and finally, to follow the college’s formal grievance procedure.
10. You are expected to learn to use electronic resources. The program web page will be updated when necessary, and after Week 2 may be the primary source of program "handouts." Students are expected to check the web page regularly, and to read online or to print and read paper copies of all handouts. In addition to the handouts, links to relevant sites will be provided to complement material presented in program meetings. Most material on the web page will be available to students with Internet connections at home, and locations at which campus computers are available will be discussed in class. Students will also be expected to check their e-mail at least weekly, as e-mail may also be used for communicating program plans or changes in plans. On potential days of inclement weather, the college places a message regarding school closures on its telephone system (866-6000) by 5:30 a.m.
C. Evaluation and Award of Credit
Students receive credit for fulfilling program requirements and meeting college-level performance standards. At Evergreen, it is possible for a student to attend regularly yet receive reduced credit because of unsatisfactory performance or missing work. Assessment will be based on faculty, peer, and self-evaluations of program members’ written and oral work, participation in seminars and group projects, quizzes, and portfolios. The quality of your work, the level of your understanding, and the extent of your improvement will all be reflected in your evaluation. Decisions on reduced credit will be made by the faculty team.
The following establishes a minimum basis for the award of credit:
a) Attend and participate in all program meetings, including lectures, workshops, movement labs, peer meetings, and seminars. Persistent absence or tardiness will be noted in your evaluation and may result in a loss of credit. In instances of excused absences (pre-notification of faculty for illness, etc.), students need to talk with faculty about the best ways to make up the work and follow through on the resulting plan without faculty prompting and in a timely manner.
b) Complete all assignments on time. The faculty members will not read or comment on late work. If lateness is a continual problem, it will be noted in your evaluation and you may lose credit.
c) Demonstrate through your written and oral work that you have completed the assigned readings.
d) Compile a complete portfolio of program work and submit it on time to your seminar faculty.
e) Write a self-evaluation and bring it to the evaluation conference. The evaluation must be signed, proofread, and typed on the required forms.
f) Complete a faculty evaluation. This evaluation may be submitted to the faculty member or the program secretary. The evaluation must be signed, proofread, typed on the required forms, and completed by your evaluation conference. Deadline for revision of your faculty's evaluation of you is within one week after evaluation conferences end.
g) Schedule and attend an end-of-quarter evaluation conference with your seminar faculty member. Students should not plan on leaving campus before the end of evaluation week.
h) Demonstrate minimal comprehension of the subject areas covered. This is a judgment based on the faculty responsible for each program element, but the criteria will be discussed by the faculty team.
D. Requirements for Requesting a Letter of Recommendation from Faculty
1. You need to attend at least 90% of classes and submit at least 90% of all required work for the program on time and with excellent quality.
2. Give faculty a copy of the goal statement and cover letter you have written to the agency or institution to which you are applying.
3. If faculty have to fill out a form for you, make sure you have filled out your portion (such as your name and address).
4. Make your request at least 15 working days prior to the deadline and provide faculty with the exact destination address.
E. Dismissal from the Program
A student may be asked to leave the program for failure to meet the responsibilities and guidelines set forth in this covenant, for violating the Evergreen Social Contract, or for behavior that is consistently disruptive, antagonistic, or detrimental to the program. Use of drugs or alcohol during any program activity or attending program activities under the influence of drugs or alcohol constitutes grounds for immediate dismissal from the program.
Stacey Davis Cynthia Kennedy Toska Olson Eric Stein
F. Important Note
By remaining in this program, you agree to abide by the expectations and responsibilities listed in this covenant.
I have read and understood the articles in the 2008-2009 Imagining the Body program covenant and agree to abide by them.
Print name here: ________
Date: ________
Signed: ________
Keep this document for your records. (Submit one copy of this signature page to your seminar faculty on 10/01/08)