Graduate Students Rights and Responsibilities Policy

• Introduction
• Purpose
• Scope
• Policy

Introduction

Graduate students are very critical to Brock University’s mission of teaching, service and research and they hold a unique position within the University community as junior colleagues. All members of the university community (students, faculty, staff, administrators) are responsible for ensuring, respecting and promoting general conditions conducive to a positive and productive graduate student environment.

Purpose

The intent of the document is to increase awareness and understanding, and to encourage dialogue among graduate students, faculty, staff and administrators in order to promote a collegial, respectful and academically sound relationship. This document should be viewed as complementary to existing University policies/documents e.g. Graduate Calendar, Faculty Handbook, Student Code of Conduct and Academic Integrity. This document outlines fundamental or core graduate student rights and responsibilities.

Scope

Applies to all graduate students enrolled at Brock University.

Policy

Graduate Student Rights

1. The right to freedom of thought, association and expression in the University community;
2. The right to participate/engage in academic and non-academic activities in the graduate community. This includes the right to seek support for professional development, attending conferences, and preparation for an academic or non-academic career;
3. The right to participate, learn, and work in an environment that promotes equal opportunities and prohibits all forms of harassment, discrimination and bullying;
4. The right to be treated with dignity and respect at all times. This includes, but is not limited to, times when requesting approval for a leave of absence/inactive term, accommodation for a disability and religious obligations, and when charged with misconduct;
5. The right to know the specific requirements needed to complete their graduate programs successfully. Such information should be clearly and explicitly communicated to each graduate student upon entrance to the program of study;
6. The right to access information regarding the availability and likelihood of financial and employment resources within their respective programs, departments, and faculties;
7. The right to be provided with constructive and regular mentoring and supervision and appropriate guidance and feedback from advisors, including fair, unbiased and timely evaluations of progress toward degrees;
8. The right to the delivery of course content as it is specified in the graduate calendar and course outline, and to fair and equitable evaluation;
9. The right to expect a professional relationship with advisors, supervisors, and committee members, including an expectation of a reasonable degree of confidentiality and privacy;
10. The right to request a separation from advisors/supervisors with whom irreconcilable differences have arisen and an expectation that honest efforts will be made for the successful integration with a new advisor/supervisor;
11. The right to workloads expectations that are fair, equitable and reasonable, taking into account all of the responsibilities of the student’s program;
12. The right to refuse work that is unsafe, or unpaid tasks substantially unrelated to their academic or professional program, research and study while pursuing their graduate degrees;
13. The right to be acknowledged appropriately for contributions to faculty members’ research and scholarship. Graduate students and faculty are expected to discuss collegially, respectfully, and in a timely manner the appropriate recognition for contributions to scholarship and research.

Graduate Student Responsibilities

1. The responsibility to be good citizens of the University by contributing to academic development and graduate culture, to administration of the graduate program, to student government, and to the public service aspects of the University’s mission;
2. The responsibility to be role models to other students, particularly undergraduates, and to be cognizant that they personify the University to members of the public and must act with professionalism and maturity;
3. The responsibility to uphold, protect and promote a classroom atmosphere favorable to learning;
4. The responsibility to maintain the highest standards of academic honesty and to abstain from any scholarly misconduct as described in the Academic Calendar and other applicable university documents;
5. The responsibility to provide honest and accurate reporting of research results and to uphold ethical values in research methods and academic pursuits;
6. The responsibility to exhibit the high level of commitment, time, energy and effort as required to obtain a graduate degree within the time allowed, except when extenuating circumstances apply;
7. The responsibility to achieve the learning outcomes for their respective programs;
8. The responsibility to understand and adhere to the program’s policies and procedures and to abide by all University regulations;
9. The responsibility to do their part in developing a good working relationship with a faculty supervisor and/or course instructors;
10. The responsibility to prepare for and attend regular meetings, both with the supervisor and with the supervisory committee to monitor progress and respond to recommendations;
11. The responsibility to respect the time constraints and other demands imposed on faculty members and staff;
12. The responsibility to understand course outlines, content, evaluation methods, timelines and methodology for their courses;
13. The responsibility to adhere to all health and safety rules and procedures as outlined by the University for classrooms, laboratories, and off-campus trips and in co-op and practicum settings.