Copyright Management

The director of copyright management is charged with assuring that the college's copyright policy is made known to members of the college community, and that the college is informed of changes in interpretations of copyright law, or pending legislation and of legal decisions arising from litigation that might affect the College. The director shall arbitrate differences of opinion among members of the Vassar community concerning fair use under copyright law. (The director also serves as the college's agent to receive notification of claimed copyright infringement in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.) As needed, the director shall consult college counsel concerning questions of copyright law.

Research Development

The director provides advice, assistance, and information about research to all faculty. Together with the Committee on Research and the grants office, the director seeks to facilitate the research activities of faculty at all stages in their research careers. Assistance and advice provided by the director are confidential and are not connected to college evaluation processes.

Field Work

The Office of Field Work supervises student work off campus. Through the office, students undertake internships in a variety of organizations and agencies in the local community and in the Hudson region from New York City to Albany where they have opportunities for observation and participation that are not ordinarily available in the classroom. Field Work is taken for credit and every field work student is supervised by a faculty member who evaluates the merit of the proposed field work, determines the amount of credit given, and decides upon the academic requirements for the awarding of credit. More information is available in the college Catalogue.

Registrar's Office

The Registrar is responsible for the official records of all students, past and present. The office is also responsible for the schedule of classes, registration procedures, examination schedules, and the assignment of classroom space.

The Registrar may be consulted about general requirements of the curriculum, academic regulations, enrollment statistics, registration, and student schedules. Student registration is now done mostly on line. Current course data, including class rosters, departmental enrollments, and advisee's schedules, are available through the on-line network.

Dean of Studies

The dean of studies is charged with the execution of educational policies as they relate to students and with enforcing faculty legislation regarding requirements for degrees. Faculty members should consult the Office of the Dean of Studies on any problems that arise concerning the academic work of students. Only the dean of studies is authorized to grant special privileges and exceptions to general academic regulations, including incompletes and extensions at end of term. (See Section D. of the Faculty Handbook for details.)

The dean of studies also serves as adviser to special and nontraditional students providing advice to part-time and returning students who have had an interruption of their studies, and others who do not see themselves as traditional students. The Nontraditional Students Association also uses the office as a resource.

The acting dean of freshmen is responsible for academic counseling of first-year students and enforcing academic regulations as they apply to freshmen. The class advisors serve as academic counselors to students in their classes.

The Freshmen Writing Seminar Program seeks to improve skills in writing and oral presentation, analysis of texts, and the thoughtful development of ideas. Participation is limited to freshmen in classes of seventeen. Students are required to take one Freshmen Writing Seminar during their first year. Courses are offered in many disciplines.

Fellowships and Pre-Health Advising

Office: Main Building, first floor, north wing (M-N-162, x5263)

The Office of Fellowships and Pre-Health advising provides guidance and services for students seeking entrance into medical school and other schools in the health professions (dentistry, veterinary, public health, etc.). The director also administers the work of the faculty committee on fellowships, the premedical advisory committee, and the W. K. Rose selection committee, acting as liaison between the committees and students and graduates of the college.

Learning, Teaching, and Research Center

The faculty director supervises the faculty-mentoring program and provides information and assistance to all faculty with respect to teaching improvement and development. Faculty desiring advice about their teaching and help in strengthening their abilities should contact the director. Assistance is confidential and apart from all college evaluation processes.

The Learning and Teaching Center supports the intellectual life of students and faculty at Vassar. The center provides resources, programs, and services designed to support and enhance learning, both in the classroom and beyond. Academic support specialists work with students to develop their writing and quantitative skills, both in general and in the context of specific courses or assignments.

Dean of Students

Director of Residential Life

Director of International Services and Special Projects

Director of Health Services

Director of Counseling Services

Associate Dean of the College and Director of Equal Opportunity/Disability and Support Services

Director of Health Education/Coordinator of SAVP

The dean of students oversees the operations of the Office of Residential Life, the Counseling Service, the Office of Disabilities and Support Services, and the Health Services. The dean also works with the Committee of House Fellows to administer the House Fellow Program.

The director of residential life oversees programs and policy implementation regarding all aspects of student residence in campus housing. The director also has responsibility for advising student organizations within the residence halls and is in charge of the student fellow/house advisers program.

The health services primarily serves students. Faculty and staff may be seen in the clinic for emergencies. There are many well-qualified physicians in the area and health services is glad to assist in referrals.

The counseling service is staffed by psychologists and a consulting psychiatrist and provides confidential help for students who have personal concerns. Counseling for special problems is also provided by physicians at the health services and by the director of religious and spiritual life. The counseling service advises faculty on how best to help students but cannot discuss a particular case without written student consent. Student records are strictly confidential, including the fact of whether or not a student has been seen at the counseling service.

The director of disability and support services evaluates requests for accommodations and services from students, faculty, or staff members with disabilities, and to coordinate accommodations, auxiliary aids, and services with appropriate college personnel. To ensure the provision of reasonable and effective accommodations, individuals must provide documentation of their disability or disabilities by an appropriate professional. Individuals with disabilities must also provide the director of disability and support services sufficient time to evaluate the request, to determine the appropriate course of action, and to implement appropriate accommodations and support services.

The director of health education works within the residential college, in collaboration with the health services, the counseling services, the residential life office, and the student peer counseling groups to promote programs and practices leading to health awareness among all campus constituencies.

Senior Associate Dean of the College for Administration

Campus Activities

The Office of Campus Activities coordinates student extracurricular activities and all nonacademic scheduling, including the college center and evening use of all auditoria. The office maintains the college calendar, and all lectures and other faculty-sponsored events should be registered through campus activities to avoid conflicts with other similar or competing events. Campus Activities manages the college convocations and commencement and makes arrangements for academic dress. The associate dean oversees the campus activities office, career development, and student employment. He advises student organizations and programming groups.

The college center in main building provides rooms for social, educational, and extracurricular activities and auxiliary services for the college community. It houses the campus activities office, the computer store, the post office, the Vassar College Bookstore, the WVKR radio station, offices for student government, organizations, as well as the Retreat, the Kiosk, and Matthew's Mug. The executive director of the college center is responsible for the college information center and the James W. Palmer III '90 Gallery in the college center and its year round rotating exhibits.

Located in the lobby of Main, the visitor center disseminates information concerning local area events and points of interest, including directories, maps, and schedules.

Office of Career Development

The Office for Career Development offers services and programs to help students and alumnae/i explore fields of interest, examine career options, prepare resumes, arrange employment interviews, and apply for special programs and employment. The office maintains listings of summer jobs and internships and will assist students who wish to use these resources. Career development is also responsible for the student employment office. The mission of the student employment office is to offer employment that matches the educational goals set by each student and to offer jobs that help students gain both professional and personal development.

Campus Life

The Campus Life Office coordinates programs and services to foster inclusive and positive campus environments for all students. The office coordinates the Vassar First Year Program in collaboration with the dean of freshmen, other offices and the First Year committee. Programs such as the Campus Life Resource Group (CLRG); Conversation Dinners and All College Day; and resource centers for various communities contribute to building affirming campus environments while encouraging student engagement across groups. The office also coordinates the Campus Life Response Team, a resource for responding to student crises and incidents that may disrupt the community or endanger students.

Resource Centers:

The ALANA Center is the Campus Life resource center for supporting the campus life and academic experiences of African-American/Black, Latino/a, Asian, and Native American students. The center offers leadership programs, intercultural and cross-cultural dialogues, and a big sister/big brother and alumnae/i mentoring resources. Community partnerships such as Sistah Power, a service-learning initiative in the local Poughkeepsie community, are also coordinated through the center. Other resources include cultural/ethnic journals, IMAGES newsletter, educational videos, career and graduate study information, a community room, computing resources, and a full kitchen.

The LGBTQ Center is the Campus Life resource center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) communities. The center hosts educational, social and cultural programs, collaborates with student organizations, and provides leadership opportunities to enhance the campus life experiences of LGBTQ students while also addressing greater issues of social justice and creating inclusive campus environments.

The Women's Center is a Campus Life resource center staffed by student interns. Programs include film screenings, panel discussions with faculty, co-sponsored lectures, and the annual Breast Cancer Walk in April. Faculty from the Women's Studies Program support the center through advising on programming and other aspects of its campus presence. The center is located in Strong House on the first floor.

Religious and Spiritual Life

The director of religious and spiritual life is responsible for the coordination of religious services and organizations on the college campus and for insuring that the diverse religious interests of students are recognized. The director also serves as a counselor and is assisted by local clergy and religious associations.

Campus Dining

Campus Dining operates the All Campus Dining Center and Java City in the Students Building; The Retreat, Kiosk and Express and oversees the operation of the Mug in the College Center. Catering for special events is also available through Campus Dining Catering Office.

Security

Campus Security is responsible for the security of all campus buildings and student and faculty housing, as well as the enforcement of campus parking and other regulations. All automobiles and bicycles must be registered and on-campus parking requires a valid parking sticker.

In the case of a security or health emergency, call x7333. Assistance is also available at the Campus Response Center (CRC), Main Building and x5221.

Admission and Financial Aid

The dean of admission and financial aid supervises enrollment planning and coordinates the activities of the Offices of Admission and Financial Aid. The dean, along with an elected faculty member is the co-chair of the college committee on admission and financial aid, which helps formulate standards and policies governing the admission of students and the awarding of financial aid. The dean is also the chair of the Enrollment Management committee, consisting of representatives from the faculty, admissions, financial aid, and the offices of the dean of the faculty and the dean of the college.

The Director of Financial Aid oversees the various forms of student financial assistance. Duties include counseling prospective and current students and their parents about financial aid and awarding and processing federal, state, and institutional aid.

Financial aid is awarded on the basis of need as determined by the director through a federally approved need analysis formula and is governed by federal and state regulations for government funds and by general policy set by the College.

Athletics and Physical Education

The goal of Vassar's athletic program is to foster the ideal of the student-athlete, enabling each student to achieve maximum potential both as an athlete and as a scholar. Vassar's 20-team varsity program competes in Division III of the NCAA, as well as the Eastern College Athletic Conference, the New York State Women's Collegiate Athletics Association, and the Seven Sisters Championships. Club programs provide additional opportunities for non-varsity intercollegiate competition. There is an extensive intramural program with both competitive and recreational play that includes basketball, floor hockey, touch football, golf, racquetball, indoor soccer, softball, squash, tennis, mixed volleyball, and inner tube water polo. Faculty members are invited to participate. Questions about the use of athletic facilities should be directed to Bruce Gillman (x7454).

Grants Administration

The grants office is an organizational collaboration between the offices of the dean of planning and academic affairs and development. The director of corporate, foundation and government relations and the director of grants administration are co-directors of the grants office. The office supports all stages and aspects of the grant process. For further information consult the grants office handbook available online and in the grants office.

Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center

The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center houses one of the oldest college art collections in the country, containing over 17,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and photographs spanning the history of art from ancient Egypt to contemporary America. Among its holdings are major works from the Hudson River School painters of the nineteenth century.

The Libraries

The Vassar Libraries include the main library, the adjacent art library, the music library in skinner hall and the archives and special collections library, housed in the main library. The collections and services of the libraries have been developed to support teaching, learning, and research at the college. The libraries' collections include almost one million print volumes and sizable microtext, video/dvd, and music collections; in addition, the library provides access to a multitude of electronic resources, including full text indexes, electronic journals and electronic books. Faculty members work closely with the librarians who act as liaisons to their programs and departments; together they build and shape the collections. Acquisition order forms are available on-line at:

http://library.vassar.edu/services/forms/acquisitions/index.html.

The director and an elected faculty member are co-chairs of the Library Committee, which oversees the policies of the library as an educational unit of the college.

Wimpfheimer Nursery School and Infant Toddler Center

The Wimpfheimer Nursery School is a laboratory school for the study of early childhood development and education. Children of Vassar employees and community children are enrolled. The director works closely with the education and psychology departments, and other interested faculty to support student projects and coursework. Under nursery school staff and faculty supervision, students observe children, assist with research, and hold internships and work study positions. The school offers half-day and full-day programs for children 3 to 6, including a full-day kindergarten. Vassar employees receive a discount on tuition and priority enrollment.

Office: South Commons (x7648)

The Infant Toddler Center is a year-round early childhood facility, serving Vassar and community children ages 6 weeks through 3 years old. The center also serves as a teacher training and research facility.

Faculty Housing

The faculty housing office assists faculty with rental units owned by the college. The faculty housing office email address is fachouseoffice@vassar.edu

By going to the web site off of the Vassar College home page there is more information and contacts available. http://dopaa.vassar.edu/facultyhousing/index.html

Service requests and repairs should be directed to Service Response (x5555) or fachouserepair@vassar.edu.

Media Resources

Media Resources (MR), a part of Computing and Information Services, provides media and sound support services for classroom/academic and administrative events. More information about MR services are detailed on the CIS website (computing.vassar.edu). Service requests may also be directed to the CIS Help Desk (x7224).

Card Office

The Office of Computing and Information Services is also responsible for the Card Office, which manages the Vassar College ID card as well as access privileges and various V-Card accounts for dining, laundry, printing, copying, the post office, and merchant purchases (x2273-CARD). More information about Card Office services is detailed at card.vassar.edu. Service requests may also be directed to the CIS Help Desk (x7224).

Telecommunications

Telecommunications, a part of Computing and Information Services, provides telephone and fax services to the campus community. More information about Telecommunications services is detailed at telecommunications.vassar.edu. Service requests may also be directed to the CIS Help Desk (x7224).

Computer Store

The computer store sells Apple Macintosh computers and related hardware, iPods, and a variety of printers, software and peripherals for use on both Macintosh and Windows based computers.

Investments

The associate vice president and director of investments oversees and coordinates the external, professional management of the college's long-term financial assets, including endowment, pension funds, and life income fund investments. In this effort, the director implements the policies adopted by the Investments Committee of the Board of Trustees. The associate vice president chairs an administrative committee overseeing the college's pension plans and serves as the lead operating manager for College Properties LLC (an investment subsidiary holding local commercial real estate).

Budget and Planning

The assistant vice president for budget and planning works closely with the senior officers and the Committee on Priorities and Planning to develop long term financial plans for the college, consistent with priorities established through the Governance process. The assistant vice president monitors the use of current year budget allocations, jointly with the controller, preparing management reports on results. In addition, the assistant vice president oversees Purchasing and assists offices around the campus in reviewing business contracts and service agreements, prior to signing.

Accounting Services

Accounting Services is responsible for accounting, recording, and reporting all fiscal activities of the college. The controller and associate controller oversee the preparation of year-end financial reports, audited by an external certified public accountant, and the college's Internal Revenue Service Form 990 (informational return for tax exempt organizations). Both reports are available from the web pages for finance and administration. The assistant controller oversees grant accounting and payroll; questions concerning payroll should be referred to her as necessary.

Accounting Services is the repository of official records related to donor-restricted endowments and expendable gifts.

Helpful information on policies, procedures and forms related to the management of funds in approved budgets or gift and grant accounts administered by faculty members is available on the purchasing website. Additional training or advice on use of the Banner accounting system or other systems/forms necessary for sound fiscal management and internal control are available by contacting the manager of accounting operations.

Purchasing, Receiving, and Stores

Reporting to the assistant vice president for budget and planning, the Office of Purchasing, Receiving, and Stores Department serves the college community in the procurement of materials, equipment, supplies and services essential to the operation of the college. Purchasing administers Vassar credit card programs for business travel and low-dollar purchases.

Vassar's governance procedures require that no purchase be made or indebtedness incurred on behalf of the college except on the approval of the vice president for finance and administration or her authorized designee. Therefore, members of the faculty may not directly make any commitment of college funds, except in accordance with the policies and procedures established by the controller and the purchasing department in securing goods or services. Helpful information on policies, procedures and forms is available on the purchasing website.

Copy Center

The copy center provides duplication services for faculty and departments. Faculty are advised to adhere to the college's policy on use of copyright material which is available in the copy center and through the Office of the Dean of Faculty. (See also “. General Information”Section I.B. “opyright”)

Human Resources

While the Office of the Dean of the Faculty serves as the primary point of contact on employment for faculty (including recruitment, compensation contract terms, faculty employee relations, and leaves of absence), the department of human resources serves the entire college through its programs of administrative and staff employment, payroll and benefit administration, staff training, professional development, employee and labor relations. The director provides leadership in developing policies and procedures that recognizes the significant investment Vassar makes in human resources, as well as the college's compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Faculty are encouraged to direct questions regarding benefit programs (health, retirement, disability, life insurance) to the manager of benefit programs. Faculty who serve as supervisors of other Vassar employees are encouraged to direct questions concerning recruitment, staff development, and performance evaluation and other matters to the human resources department.

Buildings and Grounds Services

Buildings and Grounds Services is responsible for the preservation and enhancement of the Vassar campus - its facilities, grounds, and infrastructure. The executive director coordinates all aspects of service and planning, including capital projects for renewal of existing facilities or new construction. Day-to-day conditions on campus buildings are the responsibility of the director of facility operations and grounds, who oversees custodial services, grounds maintenance, technical services provided by all trade departments, and the Service Response Center (extension 5555). The director of capital projects and facilities planning coordinates planning and design as well as construction oversight by project managers. The director of faculty housing and special projects manages renovation and renewal of faculty housing, oversees other campus renewal projects, as well as the campus arboretum, also serves as liaison to users of the Vassar Farm, the golf course, and the college's riverfront property.

Buildings and Grounds Services includes the director of environmental health and safety who also maintains a reporting relationship to the dean of the faculty and various faculty-staff committees, to maintain a safe teaching and learning environment and comply with all applicable laws and regulations.

All faculty and staff are encouraged to report conditions requiring attention to the service response center at extension 5555 or through Facility Focus, the department's work management software. Emergencies should always be called in to the service response center at extension 5555, or after hours to the campus response center (CRC) at extension 5221.

The department follows approved policies for charging departments and offices for discretionary work or improvements, which are available from the website for Buildings and Grounds.

Vassar College Bookstore

The Vassar College Bookstore provides a central ordering service for course books, as well as used text books, school supplies, books of general interest, and Vassar souvenirs. A faculty-student-administrative committee provides oversight and advice, and concerns should be forwarded to the attention of the committee through the office of the director of budget and planning. The bookstore management is overseen by the assistant vice president for budget and planning.

Vassar College Post Office

The post office is the central distribution point for Vassar College mail, and provides a convenient point of service for the purchase of stamps and other postal material. There is another US Post Office located on Raymond Avenue, for additional service.

Faculty and staff are notified via email of the receipt of materials too large for individual mailboxes. Those expecting urgent or important materials should consult the manager about any concerns. The post office management is overseen by the director of purchasing, who also oversees Vassar's relationship with private mail services.

A. Teaching in a Residential College

Vassar expects its students to be intellectually independent and actively responsible for their education and particular courses of study. Accordingly, classes are kept relatively small to allow for close and extended contact between student and teacher. In such a context, teaching extends well beyond the classroom and faculty also serve as advisors and mentors, direct independent research and thesis projects, and even have students join with them as junior partners in their own research. It is expected that Vassar faculty will make themselves readily available for such advising and teaching and will encourage such interaction with students.

Teaching Support and Mentoring Program - Each new member of the faculty (in a tenure-line position) is associated with an experienced member of the faculty from another department who serves as a teaching mentor for the first year. The mentoring program is under the supervision of the faculty director of the learning and teaching center, and provides guidance about teaching and assistance as needed in adjusting to the Vassar classroom. Workshops and panels on instruction and curriculum development are held during the year. The resources of the program are also available to other faculty members who may be experiencing difficulty or who may wish to improve their skills. For further information, contact the director.

URSI and Ford Scholars Programs - The Undergraduate Research Summer Institute (URSI) program provides a summer stipend to students in the sciences chosen to work on a summer research project with participating Vassar faculty. Faculty in the sciences direct one or two students for a ten week period in the laboratory or in the field. Ford Scholars are students in the humanities and social sciences chosen to work on a summer research project with faculty in these fields. They also receive a stipend. In the fall, special presentations of student work are given in URSI and Ford Scholars symposia. For further information, contact the directors of these programs.

Mary Conover Mellon House Fellows - Vassar's House Fellow Program was established in 1951 as a means of enhancing residential life. The Committee of House Fellows (as defined in the Governance) and the dean of students administer the program. Fellows are chosen by the dean of the faculty and the dean of the college, upon application in a selection process involving House Fellows, the dean of students, student house officers and student fellows. House Fellows are appointed, subject to an annual review of performance, on a year-to-year basis up to a maximum of three years, although, in special circumstances a fourth year may be approved. A primary requisite for candidacy is a serious commitment to the purposes and goals of the house fellow program and a willingness to invest generously of time and energies in that role. House Fellows and their families are provided with apartments in Vassar College dormitories and with meals during the academic year at the college dining center. For further information concerning the program, inquire at the Office of the Dean of Students. A notice is sent to all faculty in December inviting applications to the House Fellow Program for the following year.

B. Employment Eligibility, Immigration, and Visas

The Office Dean of the Faculty issues the forms necessary to obtain and extend J-1 or H-1 visas. The cost for these applications is charged to the faculty member. If you require either of these visas, please get in touch with the dean's office as soon as possible since the processing time is several months. Any other immigration forms or concerns are the responsibility of the faculty member.

Federal immigration law requires that all employees verify their employment eligibility. Each new faculty member must complete an “Employment Eligibility Form” [Form I-9] and present either a passport or alien registration card with a photograph, or a state-issued driver's license and a social security card, or a birth certificate to the Office of the Dean of the Faculty before the college can issue a paycheck. All faculty must also obtain a social security number.

C. Faculty Self-Governance

Vassar has had a long and strong tradition of faculty self-governance. The Governance itself provides that the faculty as a body is responsible for approving academic policy, including the curriculum and all programs of instruction. Faculty meetings are monthly during the academic term and the definition and details of suffrage are in the Governance. All members of the faculty are encouraged to attend and speak.

Faculty governance is also exercised through a system of committees, as provided for in the Governance. Chief among these are the Faculty Policy and Conference Committee, which considers general policy matters, including revisions of the Governance, and conferences with the Trustees on such issues; the Faculty Appointments and Salary Committee, which reviews faculty appointments, promotions, performance, and compensation decisions; and the Committee on Curricular Policy, which considers curricular issues. Elections to faculty committees take place in the spring. All members of the faculty are encouraged to run for election and participate in the committee process.

The Faculty Club is an informal organization of the faculty with no dues. All faculty are automatically members. The club occasionally has social meetings, informal discussions of academic problems, and hears reports on faculty research. Notices of meetings are sent to all members of the faculty. The club provides a forum to discuss urgent and controversial issues of faculty concern in a less structured setting than faculty meetings and has often provided a valuable “prediscussion” before formal faculty consideration.

D. Academic Departments and Programs

Each member of the faculty has an appointment in an academic department and/or program and is a member of that department/program. Faculty are directly responsible to their department or program chair and should consult with the chair about any matters of concern. The ordinary channel of communication for departmental matters is through the chair to the appropriate administrative officer or faculty committee. All faculty, however, are free to speak directly with the dean of the faculty or the president. Faculty also have the right to speak to the chair or another member of FASC regarding any issue of concern.

The Governance defines the right to vote in departmental meetings but indicates that all teaching members have the right to otherwise participate in discussion, except where specifically prohibited. Chairs are elected by department members, as provided for in the Governance. Election is for a three-year term and normally rotated among senior members. Chairs should consult the Chairs Handbook for information about their responsibilities, including the hiring of staff, recruitment for academic positions, and the conduct of faculty reviews and salary evaluations.

Chairs have a particular responsibility for introducing new faculty in their departments to the College and its procedures. While all members of a department should welcome and help their new colleagues as needed, including sharing syllabuses and other information about the curriculum, chairs should meet with them regularly to discuss any problems or difficulties that may have arisen and to make clear the college's expectations. See part C of this handbook for specific responsibilities concerning contract and salary reviews.

Course assignments are made by the chair, in consultation with members of the department. The official college-wide course load is the equivalent of six units of instruction a year; however, this has been reduced to a standard load of five courses per year, with the sixth course off in compensation for the normal expectation of supervision of theses, independent work, field work, participation in programs, and participation in departmental and college committees. (Team-taught courses and departmental courses with multiple conference sections must be weighed as part of the standard load with respect to the degree and mode of an individual's involvement in the instruction. Lecture-lab courses in the natural sciences should be weighed in proportion to the total work required compared to a standard lecture/discussion course.)

A less-than-standard teaching load may be approved by the chair, with the permission of the dean of the faculty, in compensation for an unusual and especially burdensome workload due to a high number of student credit hours, of teaching hours, of special preparations required, or additional exceptional work during the period in question.

While the Governance provides that “the dean of the faculty shall have final authority in the assignment of all faculty offices and classrooms,” offices are ordinarily assigned by departments from those allotted to them. The Registrar assigns classrooms, after receiving scheduling information from all departments. Requests for specific rooms will be accommodated at the Registrar's discretion.

Each academic department and program is to undergo a periodic review of its program as conducted by the dean of the faculty. This review involves both internal (departmental and College) and external assessment of the curriculum and academic program. Details of the review requirements and procedures are provided in the Chairs Handbook.

Departmental personnel files shall be kept in the department under the custody of the department chair. Their contents are confidential, and any examination of them shall be strictly confined to what is specifically needed in the performance of official duties. It is the responsibility of the chair to insure that examination of any material in these files, by the chair or any other member of the department, is solely on a need-to-know basis, in accordance with the provisions of the Governance and the Faculty Handbook. Under no circumstances does a faculty member have rightful access to their own departmental personnel file.

E. Student Participation

Each department and program also has a Majors Committee. Majors committees meet with the chair and other members of the department to discuss the curriculum and related issues of mutual interest, as well as to plan faculty-student social events (majors committees receive a modest events budget from the Office of the Dean of Studies). Majors committees also interview candidates for faculty positions when they are brought to campus and report their assessment to the department chair.

Amended by the Faculty April 19, 2006

A. Salary - General Policies

B. Employee Benefits for Members of the Faculty

Full descriptions of Vassar's comprehensive benefits package are available in the benefits office. We urge you to read the complete description of each benefit before making benefit choices. The descriptions of the benefits provided in this handbook are necessarily brief. In the event of discrepancy between information in this handbook and that in the plan document for a specific benefit, the plan document shall govern. Further questions on a specific benefit should be directed to the benefits office at ext. 5850.

Vassar College may revise or discontinue at any time, for both active and retired employees, any of the benefit plans.

If an employee terminates her/his employment or if she/he is discharged, she/he may have the right to continue certain benefits at her/his own cost (see the Continued Coverage under COBRA section of the individual plan descriptions or contact the Benefits Office). No rights to employment or benefits accrue to any employee, dependent, or beneficiary by any statement in or omission from this handbook.

C. Reimbursement of Moving Expenses for New Appointees

Moving expenses are provided for tenure track appointments and visiting appointments of more than one year.

The College contributes to moving expenses as follows:

Payments are made on a reimbursement basis only since the payment is subject to taxes. Receipted invoices covering the cost of moving household possessions, personal effects, books, and the candidate's travel expenses must be submitted to the Office of the Dean of the Faculty. Reimbursement of receipts received by the 10^th of the month will be included in the next paycheck. Receipts received after the 10^th of the month will be reimbursed in the following month's paycheck.

Arrangements with regard to any exceptional moving expenses should be settled at the time contracts are negotiated.

D. Health Insurance Benefits

Vassar College offers a choice of medical plans to all eligible faculty. Health plans and their costs are subject to change annually, effective January 1. Upon becoming eligible for health benefits, faculty are asked to select a medical plan. If an employee does not select a medical plan within 30 days of eligibility, the benefits office will automatically enroll that employee in a default option, currently the Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield Preferred Provider Organization but subject to change. The employee will be covered under this plan unless s/he elects to change plans during the next annual enrollment period.

The annual open enrollment process allows employees the opportunity to change health and other benefit plans and/or to add family members whom they have not previously enrolled. During open enrollment, also, the college informs employees of any changes in benefits policies, costs, or options.

Eligibility - Faculty members on full-time, full-year contracts and faculty on temporary contracts for the full academic year at half time or more are eligible for medical coverage. Faculty whose contracts begin on July 1 are eligible for health insurance coverage on July 1, provided the faculty member contacts Vassar's benefits office, ext. 5850, to arrange enrollment. Otherwise, medical coverage begins September 1, following group orientation to benefits for new faculty members.

Faculty hired at other times of the year are eligible for coverage on the first of the month coincident or following their date of hire. Coverage continues until the end of the month in which employment with the college ends.

Cost - The college currently contributes 85% of the cost of individual coverage, and 70% of the cost of individual-plus-dependents policies. The cost of medical coverage is paid through payroll deduction. With the exception of domestic partner coverage, medical premiums are deducted from employees' paychecks on a pre-tax basis. This means that the employee pays no federal, state or FICA tax on the cost of the medical plan. By law, domestic partner coverage is fully taxable. Contribution levels may change. As with most benefits changes, any contribution or cost change for health insurance will be effective January 1.

Contact the Benefits Office, 3rd floor Baldwin Hall, ext. 5850, for information on specific health plans currently available.

Dependents - For purposes of determining medical benefit eligibility, dependents are:

E. Medical Insurance Cash-Out Agreement

Vassar's medical plan cashout program allows employees who have medical insurance through a source other than Vassar to receive a cash payment in lieu of medical coverage provided by Vassar.

In order to receive this cash incentive, each employee opting out of Vassar medical plan participation must provide the benefits office with a copy of the enrollment card or letter from the non-Vassar sponsored plan which documents participation in that plan. The employee must also sign the Vassar College cash-out form, either upon hire or during open enrollment.

The cash-out payment equals $400 for the calendar year (12 months, January-December, or $33.33 per month for less than a full year). If an employee loses medical benefits coverage from another source and at some point during the year joins the Vassar plan, a pro-rated portion of the $400 cash-out received will be owed to the college.

All cash awards will be paid via payroll and will be included as income in the employee's pay. Appropriate taxes will be deducted from these payments.

The cash-out option must be elected each calendar year during open enrollment

F. Life Insurance

G. Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

All absences longer than three days taken by a faculty member due to her/his own or a family member's medical condition, including childbirth, accidents and illnesses, are covered by the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA.)

FMLA is a federal law which protects a faculty member's job and benefits for up to twelve weeks per year of medical-related absence, provided the faculty member worked at least 1,000 hours before the absence. Vassar tracks annual FMLA use on an academic-year basis (July through June.)

FMLA job and benefit protection “overlays,” i.e. runs concurrent with, any disability benefits such as short or long-term disability (see below,) paid maternity leave, or workers compensation leave. It also covers unpaid medical-related leaves, such as unpaid time away to care for an ill family member.

FMLA provides job and benefit security only; it does not provide payment for leaves. Faculty members wishing to take time away from work to care for a family member should arrange the leave with their department chair. Usually family leaves are unpaid (see Unpaid Leaves of Absence below) and granted by the department in consultation with the benefits office according to FMLA provisions.

Any questions on FMLA leaves should be directed to benefits, ext. 5850.

H. Short-Term Disability Salary Continuation

Faculty members, who must be absent from work due to a short-term illness, including disability, may be eligible for salary continuation for a limited time. Salary continuation is normally granted for a two-month period. The president in consultation with the dean of the faculty may authorize a longer interval of salary continuation.

In order to qualify for salary continuation, faculty members must supply sufficient evidence of disability from their physician to the benefits office. This doctor's notice must state the reason for absence, the beginning date of disability, and the expected date of return to work.

Maximum extended salary continuation is usually six months (See Section I: Long-Term Disability Insurance.)

I. Long-Term Disability Insurance

J. Long Term Care Insurance

Vassar sponsors a voluntary long-term care insurance plan. Medical underwriting applies to the coverage, which is arranged between the carrier and the faculty member and not through Vassar's payroll. Long term care insurance provides payments for assistance with activities of daily living, should age or accident necessitate such aid. This type of care, whether provided in house or in a nursing facility, is not covered by health insurance or Medicare. Faculty are strongly encouraged to seek advice from a qualified financial planner in considering long-term care insurance. Information on this benefit is available from the benefits office (x5850)

K. Retirement Account (RA)

L. Supplemental Retirement Account(SRA)

Faculty members may elect to participate in a Supplemental Retirement Account (SRA) upon their date of hire. Participation may begin at any time. There are no waiting periods for plan participation. Contributions may be directed to Fidelity Investments, TIAA-CREF, or both. Information on the investment funds available from both vendors is available via website, in person from vendor consultants, and from the Benefits Office. SRA funds not allocated as specific investments will be defaulted to a lifecycle fund.

This program allows the faculty member to contribute a portion of salary towards an SRA on a tax-deferred basis. The contributions and their earnings are not subject to state or federal taxes until they are received as income at retirement.

Federal Law sets the maximum contribution by an individual to an SRA. The benefits office (x5850) can provide annual maximum information.

Under the group SRA, faculty members have the option of borrowing against their fund balance, within IRS guidelines. (Contributions towards the retirement account are not available for loan.) Bear in mind that SRA loans have significant tax consequences.

M. Flexible Spending Accounts

All faculty members become eligible to participate in the flexible spending accounts on their date of hire.

Faculty members who do not elect to participate within 30 days of their date of hire may only elect future participation during the annual open enrollment period

Flexible spending accounts are designed to reduce employees' taxes by using pre-tax income to pay for non-reimbursed medical, dental, vision and/or dependent care expenses.

By participating in a flexible spending account, the faculty member authorizes Vassar to reduce her/his salary by the amount of eligible expenses she/he estimates she/he will have during the calendar year. As she/he incurs these expenses, she/he uses the money in the flexible spending account(s) to pay for them.

Vassar offers two flexible spending accounts--a medical/dental account and a dependent care account. Eligible employees may elect to participate in either or both accounts.

The flexible spending account plan year runs from January 1 through December 31, with a “grace period” running to March 15th. Therefore, expenses must be incurred by March 15 to avoid forfeiture of flex funds. The deadline to file a claim for the expenses is March 31 of the year following the end of the plan year.

Medical/Dental Spending Account A medical/dental account can be used to pay for outpocket health care costs that are not covered by the employee's Vassar medical insurance plan or by other insurance. This account may be used to pay for her/his own expenses and/or for those of their spouse and other dependents (as claimed on the employee's federal tax return).

A maximum of $10,000 can be contributed to the medical/dental spending account on an annual basis.

Dependent Care Spending Account A dependent care account must be used to pay for the expenses of caring for the employee's dependent child or children under the age of 13 and/or for a spouse or dependent who is mentally or physically disabled and incapable of selfcare. These dependents must reside in the employee's household. The expenses associated with the dependent care must be for the purpose of allowing the employee and spouse to work.

The maximum dependent care salary reduction is $5,000 per calendar year or $2,500 if the faculty member is married, but she/he and her/his spouse are filing separate tax returns

N. Tuition Benefits

The college supports faculty members' continued education and that of their children, spouses or partners. Vassar offers tuition remission for study here, as well as grants for children's study at other colleges.

Details of Vassar's tuition plans follow. All full-time faculty members, except non-tenure track faculty on appointments of less than three years, are eligible for tuition benefits. Contracts of less than three years do not apply toward the eligibility requirements for tuition benefits. In certain circumstances, the president may grant tuition benefits to part-time faculty who have given at least ten continuous years of service to the college, the majority of which were at half-time or more.

O. Workers' Compensation

Treatment of job-related illnesses or injuries is covered by Workers' Compensation Insurance, provided the proper procedure for reporting is followed, and subject to adjudication by Vassar's Workers' Compensation insurer. It is important that all occupational illnesses or injuries, however minor, be reported immediately to your department chair, to the benefits office, or to the director of environmental health and safety.

P. Social Security

All faculty members participate in the Social Security program. The current FICA (Social Security) contribution rate is 7.65%.

For 2006 the contribution consists of 6.2% for FICA on the first $97,500.00 of earnings and 1.45% for FICA Medicare tax on the full salary.

Q. Banking and Credit Union Membership

HSBC bank offers Vassar faculty/employees a favorable “Employee Plus” checking and savings package. HSBC has a branch office two blocks from campus on Raymond Avenue and an on-campus ATM. HSBC's information line is 800.975.HSBC (4722).

All Vassar College employees and their family members are also eligible to join the Taconic Educational and Governmental (TEG) Federal Credit Union. TEG has branches in Poughkeepsie on 1 Commerce Street, Poughkeepsie (off Rte 55 East), in Hyde Park on Route 9, and 196 Old Rte 9, Fishkill. Their website is http://www.tegfcu.org

Bridgeway Federal Credit Union located at 21 Burnett Blvd., Suite 2, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 is open to all residents, workers, and students of Dutchess, Ulster, and Orange counties of New York. Visit their website at http://Bridgewayfcu.org for more information.

For further information, contact the Vassar payroll department or call the credit union directly, 845. 452.7323.

R. Other Benefits

All faculty members and members of their families are able to use the college libraries and athletic facilities free of charge during the year.

There is a reduced fee per round for use of the college nine-hole golf course. Fees are as follows:

M-F	Non Vassar Players $10.00/9 holes, $19.00/18 holes.
	Vassar Players $5.50/9 holes, $11.00/18 holes
Sat-Sun	Non Vassar Players $11.00/9holes, $21.00/18 holes.
	Vassar Players $5.50/9 holes, $11.00/18 holes
All Times	Junior Players (under 18 years old) $7.50/9 holes, $14.00/18 holes
	Vassar Students $2.00/9 holes, $4.00 18 holes

Identification cards are required for admittance to all campus activities, the libraries, and the athletic fitness center.

Emeritus faculty and their spouses or partners may retain their identification card and computer account with CIS, and have access to the library, campus activities, and athletic facilities.

S. Additional Benefit Information

For purposes of determining health insurance benefit eligibility, dependents are described as:

T. Unpaid Leaves of Absence

All benefits continue during paid leaves of absence up to one year. During a one-semester parental leave at half pay, the college's contribution to the faculty member's Retirement Account is computed according to the half salary base. (See Section K. “Retirement Account,” Faculty Handbook, B. “Terms of Employment,” Article II “Benefits”)

Vassar discontinues all benefits and benefit contributions during a faculty member's unpaid leave of absence. Benefits will be stopped for the duration of the unpaid leave regardless of any pay arrangements that may be made with the payroll department, e.g., six months pay, paid over twelve months.

Faculty members taking unpaid leaves will be notified by the benefits office when their benefits have been stopped. They will be given the necessary paperwork and directions on continuing some of their benefits at their own expense during the period of unpaid leave. Benefits will be reinstated, and Vassar contributions towards these benefits will begin again upon return to active employment at Vassar.

In planning for an unpaid leave, a faculty member should consult with the department chair, the dean of the faculty, and the benefits office. Unpaid leaves require the approval of the dean of the faculty and the president.

U. Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Vassar offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to all employees and their families. The EAP, Wellness Corporation, provides access to free, confidential short-term counseling through local therapists. Employees and their families can get help with a range of personal and family issues. . A free thirty-minute phone consultation with a lawyer is provided by the EAP for legal questions, followed by access to discounted legal fees In addition, the EAP provides referral and case-management for other work/life needs such as childcare, elder care, and debt counseling. The EAP is available 24 hours a day/7 days a week for crisis intervention, and during regular business hours for counseling appointments. The service can be reached at 800.828.6025.

V. Preschool and Childcare Options

1. The Wimpfheimer Nursery School (WNS) is a laboratory school operated by the college located on the Vassar College campus. The school enrolls 60 children age two years and three months through age six (full day Kindergarten). Full-day nursery school is offered from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with after school programs from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. The WNS calendar is closely tied to the academic calendar; the school is closed for two weeks in December and January, and during one week of the college's spring break. Summer Camp is offered during late May and June when the college is out of session but public schools are still in session and other area campus are not open. Contact the Wimpfheimer Nursery School x5630 for tour dates, school calendars, fees, and related information.

2. The Infant Toddler Center (ITC) on the Vassar College campus enrolls a total of 21 children ranging in age from six weeks to two years. A professional staff with a teacher/child ration of 1 to 3 directs the program, which is open 50 weeks a year from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Contact the Infant Toddler Center at x7648 for fees, availability and related matters.

All arrangements for preschool and childcare are the responsibility of the parents and must be made directly with WNS and ITC. Eligibility requirements, space availability, financial arrangements, etc., are between the parents and the preschool or childcare facility. Vassar employees are eligible for discounted preschool and childcare tuition. College employees via payroll deduction may pay preschool and childcare tuition. Some scholarship funds are available and such financial need should be discussed with the director of either the WNS or ITC.

During the year both the WNS and ITC occasionally close due to severe weather conditions or safety issues related to licensing requirements. Each facility is also closed for a professional development date in the spring. Families for whom such closures pose difficulty may want to consider other preschool and childcare options in the local area. A list of such options is available on the dean of the faculty website.

In some instances, Vassar does provide the option of paying for the childcare costs to these schools via payroll deduction. Please contact the nursery school office for further information at ext. 5630.

W. Retirement

Any faculty member contemplating retirement should consult with the dean of the faculty.

Retired faculty and faculty on phased retirement may continue to use the libraries (and may apply for a library carrel) and college athletic facilities. They may also retain a computer account with CIS.

A Vassar retiree is an employee who elects to retire from active service at the age of 60 or older after having completed a minimum of 10 years of full-time service earned after age 50.

X. Phased Retirement Program

Tenured faculty with at least fifteen years of full-time service at Vassar who are considering plans for retirement may be interested in phased retirement. During the phased retirement period, a faculty member engages in activities such as teaching on a reduced load, research, writing, service to the College, or some combination of such activities, with the equivalent of half-time responsibilities at half pay. Each year of the phased retirement period, faculty members receive a prorated salary increase based on half-time employment corresponding to the base raise for faculty at the rank held prior to entering phased retirement. Faculty may begin phased retirement in any of the ten academic years following the academic year in which they turn 61.¹ Phased retirement may last for a term of one to four years and in any case must be completed by the end of the academic year during which the faculty member turns 71. By electing to participate in the phased retirement program, faculty members voluntarily give up tenure and provide irrevocable notice that they intend to retire at the end of the phased retirement period. Faculty members on phased retirement may elect to retire prior to the end of the phased retirement term by providing the Dean of the Faculty at least 30 days notice or a semester's notice if the phased retirement duties include teaching.

Faculty who wish to participate in the phased retirement program must formally reach agreement with the Dean of the Faculty no later than October 31 of the academic year prior to the academic year in which they intend to begin phased retirement. The agreement specifies responsibilities during the phased retirement term equivalent to a half-time position and addresses office, computer, lab, and studio space needs on an individual basis depending on the duties involved. Academic suffrage rights during the phased retirement term conform to the rules of the Governance. Faculty who may be interested in phased retirement should contact the Dean of the Faculty as early as possible to discuss options and obtain more information.

(Approved by the Board of Trustees, May 22 2009.)

Y. POST-RETIREMENT HEALTH BENEFITS

²Faculty retiring after ten years' service in a benefits-eligible position may participate in the College's retiree health insurance plan. Currently, faculty must be at least age 55 to retire; for retirements effective January 1, 2010 or later, the eligibility requirement will change from age 55 plus 10 years' service to age 60 plus 10 years' service.

A faculty member retiring before age 65 must pay the full monthly cost of the insurance policy until s/he reaches age 65 and Medicare eligibility.

The current retiree health insurance plan is a Medicare-supplement version of the active employees' plan; the College reserves the right to change the health insurance policy and/or benefits offered if necessary to maintain a sustainable plan.

For Vassar faculty and administrators hired after July 1, 2008, the College will develop a different type of retiree health benefit in consultation with appropriate committees.

INSURANCE COST-SHARING IN RETIREMENT:

In recognition of the different needs and resources of retirees at different ages, the College has adopted a health insurance premium cost-sharing plan with three levels. The level of payment for any retiree depends on the year of retirement.

The cost sharing will begin on January 1, 2010.

Faculty spouses may be covered on Vassar's policy during the faculty member's retirement, providing the spouse pays the full cost of the medical policy.

A. Grants Office

The grants office is an institutional collaboration between the dean of planning and academic affairs (DOPAA) office and the development office. The director of grants administration and the director and associate director of corporate, foundation and governmental relations (development) work together to provide support for faculty in all aspects and stages of the grant process.

B. Internal Grants and Awards

C. External Funding

Faculty members are encouraged to seek funds from foundations, government agencies, and corporations to support research and curriculum development. The grants office staff support faculty in all aspects and stages of external grant seeking.

To ensure institutional support for the project, faculty members are required to consult with a number of different offices within the college. Grants office staff provides guidance in this process.

The grants office handbook, available in the grants office and online, provides detailed information on services offered and procedures to be followed.

E. Standards of Research Conduct

The conduct of sponsored research and consulting activities places special responsibilities upon the faculty member and the college to ensure the highest standards of professional behavior consistent with the academy's commitment to free and open inquiry in the pursuit of new knowledge, the dissemination of knowledge, and new applications of knowledge. The federal and state governments, other sponsoring organizations, professional societies, and the college itself have instituted policies to deal with a range of crucial issues relating to the performance of research, the environment in which research is conducted, relationships between sponsors and the recipients of research support, and ownership and transfer of intellectual products that may be developed in the course of sponsored activities. Vassar College abides by the policies, principles, and regulations set forth in the Federal Policy on Research Misconduct, published in the December 6, 2000, edition of the Federal Register. For further information consult the document, a copy of which is held in the grants office and the dean of the faculty office.

Amended by the Faculty, May 7, 2003

F. Intellectual Property Rights Arising from Research

Vassar College is deeply committed to a policy of free and open expression in the development and dissemination of ideas. The ownership of ideas and inventions, however, is a vexed matter. This is particularly the case in an age of proliferating information technologies and fast-paced scientific discoveries where traditional notions of intellectual property, embedded in the concept of copyright (ownership of expression), have become knotty matters tied up in evolving principles and practices pertaining to the commercialization (ownership of use) of tangible products resulting from intellectual labors.

In this rapidly changing environment, the college, as employer of faculty and as the fiduciary agent for sponsored research, must make complex determinations about what constitutes proof of ownership of ideas and inventions developed on its campus and supported by its research infrastructure; who accordingly owns, in both the individual and collective sense, these ideas and inventions; and who should benefit from the commercial rights to and development of these ideas and inventions.

It is the college's position that there must be a balance struck between the costs of creation and the benefits of use of ideas and inventions, a balance that weighs heavily in favor of the values and financial interests of the college and that adequately serves the public interest. It follows that the college and the faculty member must be allies in the face of commercial expectations for exclusive rights to product development of potentially marketable ideas or inventions. It further follows that, between them, the college and the faculty member must negotiate, fairly and in good faith, their mutual financial interests in instances of patent filings, licensing agreements, and other forms of commercial development such that the college recovers a fair portion of the costs associated with providing a supportive research environment and faculty members are appropriately rewarded for their discoveries.

Faculty members of Vassar College are expected to adhere to several guiding principles in the complex and evolving domain of intellectual property issues arising from sponsored research and consulting relationships. It is further expected that faculty members will have appropriately consulted with and received the approval of the dean of planning and academic affairs before entering into any such agreements.

SIGN-OFF TRANSMITTAL FORM

Principal Investigator/Project Director: ____________________________________________

Other Vassar Faculty: _________________________________Department: ______________

Project Title: ___________________________________________________________

Project Period: From: __________ To: __________ Sponsoring Agency: _________________

Total $ Requested: _____________ Total $ Requested from Vassar College: ______________

Does this project involve any of the following? Comments YES NO

PI/Project Director Date

/ / / / / /

Department Chair Dean of Planning and Controller

Academic Affairs

/ / / / / /

Grants Officer VP for CIS VP for Finance and

Administration

/ / / /

Dean of the Faculty B&G (if item 11 is marked “yes”) Dean of the College

Signature by the Dean of the Faculty and the Dean of Planning and Academic Affairs authorizes the Director of Corporate, Foundation, and Government Relations to submit this proposal through NSF FastLane, Grants.gov, or another online system.

A. General Policies

B. Eligibility for College Housing

C. Specific Policies Regarding Rental Units

D. Purchase or Construction of Houses on Land Leased from the College

A. Policy Statement

B. Definitions

C. The Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EO/AA)

D. Confidentiality

E. Protection Against Reprisal

F. Preliminary Consultations

G. Seeking Mediation

H. Formal Grievance Procedure: Filing Complaints, Preliminary Investigation, and Finding

I. Grievance Hearing Panel

Appendix A: Grievance Hearing Panel Rules and Procedures

Appendix B: Explanatory Notes

A. Types of Appointments

B. Terms of Service and Advancement for Full-time Non-tenure Track Appointments

C. Terms of Service and Advancement for Tenure-track Appointments

D. Expiration of Contract

Tenure-track and other term appointments may be discontinued by the Trustees upon the recommendation of the president at the expiration of a contract on due notice in writing to the faculty member. Such action shall be taken only after consultation with the department concerned, the Faculty Appointments and Salary Committee and the dean of the faculty.

In all one- and two-year contracts, and all terminal appointments, prior notice of termination is embodied within the contract. Otherwise, notice shall be given at least twelve months before the expiration of a contract after two or more years of academic service at the college.

E. Procedures

In department action on matters pertaining to appointments, the right to vote shall be restricted to members who have academic suffrage in the general faculty and who are of rank superior to that of the person under consideration, except that tenured professors shall be entitled to vote in cases involving others of the same rank, that tenured associate professors shall be entitled to vote on all new appointments and tenure decisions of professors who are new appointments or who have been hired without previous service at the college, and that assistant professors on tenure track who have academic suffrage shall be entitled to vote on new appointments up to and including the rank of assistant professor. No faculty member on visiting or adjunct appointment shall vote on departmental matters pertaining to appointments. Chairs and program directors should consult the Chairs Handbook for additional information concerning their responsibilities.

Amended by the faculty March 29, 2006, May 16, 2007.

A. Extension of Instructor and first-term Assistant Professor Contracts

Effective teaching, as indicated by departmental evaluation, course evaluations, and teaching portfolios, is the primary consideration. Scholarly promise, as indicated by the candidate's activities reports and curriculum vitae, and participation in the department are additional important considerations.

B. Reappointment to a second term as Assistant Professor

Substantial evidence of a high quality of teaching is of primary importance. Evidence of a degree of artistic or scholarly development sufficient to warrant the expectation of significant accomplishment by the time of tenure review is also necessary. Evidence may include published and unpublished materials, work in progress, papers read at professional meetings, participation in seminars and symposia, and contributions to the creative and performing arts. Contribution to departmental activities in particular and to college life in general will also be important factors.

C. Promotion to indeterminate tenure at the Associate Professor Rank

Required are distinction in teaching together with scholarly or artistic achievement of high quality as judged by peers both inside and outside the college, or distinction in scholarly or artistic achievement together with teaching of high quality. In the consideration of scholarly or artistic activity, emphasis will be placed on published or performed work begun or completed since appointment. Evidence may also include unpublished materials, work in progress, papers read at professional meetings, participation in seminars and symposia, and contributions to the creative and performing arts. Additional factors in the final recommendation of the department and FASC include intellectual growth and academic leadership, which may be evidenced by participation in professional activities outside the college, service on committees within the college, or contributions to educational innovation or policy making at both the departmental and college levels.

Amended by the faculty April 19, 2006.

D. Promotion to full professor:

The review will consider all professional activity, placing particular emphasis on work begun or completed since the granting of tenure. Continued demonstration of significant scholarship or artistic activity and teaching of high quality are required. It is necessary that marked distinction be achieved in scholarship or teaching, preferably in both. An additional important consideration is academic leadership, as defined in paragraph C above.

(Amended by the Faculty, April 10, 1996.)

E. Post-tenure review

Tenured faculty members are expected to engage in teaching, scholarship and service in the Vassar community. In making merit determinations the Faculty Appointments and Salary Committee shall consider all three areas of performance, which, taken together, give evidence of different levels of performance by tenured members of the faculty. It is understood, however, that patterns of focus in these areas may vary responsibly at different points in a faculty member's career. Under these circumstances, the committee will consider in its evaluation the weighting of the three areas and of contributions within each area as presented in the candidate's self-analysis in the Personal Statement.

(Amended by the faculty April 20, 2005)

A. Faculty Under Review for Extension, Reappointment, Tenure, or Promotion

B. Departments

C. Multidisciplinary Programs

1. In extensions, reappointments, tenure, and promotions candidates with full-time appointments in a program shall receive a full review by the program, consisting of an evaluation of scholarship or artistic activity, teaching, and service, in accordance with the by-laws of the program, which have been reviewed by FPCC and the dean of the faculty to ensure their conformity with the Governance. Candidates with a joint appointment shall receive a full review by both the program and the department, as outlined in #2 below. Candidates who have taught at least half-time in a program (an average of 2.5 course per year) shall choose either a full review by both their department and the program, as outlined in #2 below, or a full review by the department and a partial review by the program, consisting of an evaluation of teaching in and service to the program, as specified by the program's by-laws. Candidates who participate in a program but who do not have a joint appointment or do not teach at least half-time in a program may request a partial or full review by a program, after consultation with the program director. In determining whether or not a faculty member has taught half-time in a program, only courses that originate in a program shall count as teaching in the program. In reviews, however, CEQ results for all courses taught in the program, including cross-listed courses originating elsewhere, shall be considered. When a review has been requested or is mandated, CEQs for cross-listed courses shall be provided to the program director by the Office of the Dean of the Faculty. Requests for a review must be submitted in writing to the program director by September 15 (or April 1 for promotion to full professor) with a copy to the dean of the faculty and the chair of their home department.

(Amended and approved by the Faculty March 3, 2004, May 13, 2009)

2. The procedures for a full review are as follows:

3. A partial review of a candidate by a program shall be conducted according to the program's by-laws, which have been reviewed by FPCC and the dean of the faculty to ensure conformity with the Governance.

Amended by the Faculty March 3, 2004.)

4. The report of this group shall be transmitted to the program, the department, FASC, the dean of the faculty, and the president. The program and the department shall take this report into consideration in making their own separate recommendations to FASC, the dean, and the president. A copy is given to the candidate at time of submission.

5. In arriving at their final recommendation, FASC and the dean will consider the departmental and program recommendations in conjunction with the teaching evaluations and the majors committee reports of the department and the program and, in the case of appointment to indeterminate tenure and promotion to full professor, the outside evaluators.

6. These procedures are designed to accommodate recommendations from both department and program. They do not imply that a negative recommendation by a department carries with it the power of veto, nor does a positive recommendation assure a positive outcome. It is the responsibility of FASC, the dean, and the president, who alone have access to all of the evidence, to weigh it fairly in arriving at the final decision with due consideration to the relative importance of service to the program.

D. Faculty Appointments and Salary Committee

The Faculty Appointments and Salary Committee (FASC) shall act as a whole on appointments, recommendations not to extend contracts, reappointments, promotions (to the ranks of assistant or associate professor), the granting of tenure, and dismissal.

1. Evidence

2. Procedure

E. Ad Hoc Committees

Appendix A: The Teaching Portfolio

Definition and Instructions for Teaching Portfolios

Faculty on tenure-track appointments must compile a teaching portfolio, which will be reviewed and evaluated by the appropriate department members at the time of review for extension, reappointment, and tenure. It will also be part of the material reviewed by FASC, the dean of the faculty, and the president. Tenured faculty shall submit teaching portfolios at the time of review for promotion to full professor covering the period since tenure. Portfolios are not required for post-tenure reviews.

The teaching portfolio gives the candidate an opportunity to present material for evaluation, which demonstrates qualities of teaching outside of classroom performance. It is suggested that faculty gather materials semester by semester and make choices from this collection to form the portfolio at the time of review. In compiling the portfolio, candidates should use their judgment about what to include in order to make a representative but not exhaustive presentation of materials. Materials in the following categories should be included:

Additional materials may be included, such as an example of a corrected paper and/or exam (with all identifying marks removed and with the student's permission), or a video tape of a studio or performance class in which the teacher is giving students an evaluation of their work (with students' permission).

(Adopted by the faculty May 10, 1995.)

Appendix B: Model Format for CVs

The CV should begin with name and current date, followed by both college and home addresses, phone, FAX numbers, and e-mail address. A social security number may be included. All CVs should be dated so readers know the information is current. It is recommended that the following model CV be used. All information should be listed chronologically, with the most recent item listed first.

Date

Name

Education: Degrees, followed by school, field, and date. Honors and fellowships awarded during this period should be noted. Languages may also be listed at the end of this section.]

Grants, Fellowships, Honors, Awards [Grants received, postdoctoral and other fellowships, appointments to study centers or other research positions, etc. (grants and other applications that are pending should be listed under work-in-progress). Indicate whether honorary or funded. Special awards, honors, or recognition's should also be listed (book awards or nominations, election to academies, prizes, etc.]

Other Professional Activity [Editorial positions; election as officer or appointment to national and regional committees of professional organizations; membership on review panels, appointment to government and other agencies, special commissions, etc.]

Publications* [Work listed here should be published or forthcoming, i.e., completed and in press or accepted for publication (work-in-progress is listed in another section). Listings are chronological, with most recent work first. All publications should be listed by title, with standard full citation according to discipline, including co-authors, date, and page reference. Length in pages of forthcoming work should be given.]

College Activity

*These sections should be renamed and appropriately adapted for the performing and fine arts, and for coaching and athletics.

**Other projects in preparation can be mentioned and detailed commentary provided in the Personal Statement or in the yearly “Activities Report.”

Appendix C: The Personal Statement

Faculty under review for extension, reappointment, tenure, or promotion to full professor shall include in their dossiers a personal statement for evaluators within the college that describes the candidate's career and professional development as reflected in teaching, scholarly or artistic activity, and service to the college, department, and community. Under teaching, faculty should reflect upon their basic approach to the classroom and their development as teachers; they should also address their teaching record as provided by the CEQs. Under scholarship or creative activity, they should describe their professional work and approach to the subject matter, as well as their current projects and plans for development. Under service, they should explain how they have addressed the expectation that all faculty will contribute to the life of their departments and programs and to the general matters of administration and self-governance. Candidates should address the balance they have achieved between these areas. Departments, FASC, the dean of the faculty, and the president find thoughtful, carefully written, analytical Personal Statements to be of value in the process of review.

(Adopted by the faculty May 10, 1995. Amended by the faculty May 10, 2005)

Appendix D: The Statement for Outside Evaluators

Candidates whose review requires outside evaluators must submit a Statement for Outside Evaluators for inclusion with the scholarly or artistic materials being sent for outside review. This statement should place their scholarship or artistic activity in a fuller context for scholars or practitioners in their field and may be comprised of the section of the Personal Statement discussing such activity (see Appendix C), or may be a new statement written for this purpose. In preparing the Statement for Outside Evaluators, candidates should keep in mind that the outside evaluators, usually experts in the candidate's area of specialization, are charged with the specific task of reviewing scholarly or artistic activity, and do not receive the Personal Statement that details teaching and service to the college. Candidates may incorporate commentary on these areas of endeavor only if they directly bear upon their scholarly or artistic activity.

A copy of the Statement for Outside Evaluators shall be given to the department, program, or ad hoc committee chair, as well as to FASC, the dean of the faculty, and the president.

(Approved by the Faculty May 10, 2005.)

A. Normal Schedule for Assistant Professors

The normal contractual sequence and review schedule for assistant professors is as follows:

In each case, the review takes place in the penultimate year of a contract. If a review decision is negative, termination of service occurs at the end of the following year. If the review for promotion to associate professor is positive, promotion takes place at the end of the year of review.

B. Changes in Schedule for Assistant Professors

The normal schedule of review is designed to provide sufficient time for the accumulation of the substantial evidence of achievement in teaching, scholarship, and college service required at each review. The standards for review at each stage are independent of the number of years of service. Possible changes in the normal contractual sequence are listed below. Regardless of any change, review shall take place in the penultimate year of a contract. If the review is negative, termination of service occurs at the end of the following year.

C. Schedule for Associate Professors

Associate professors shall ordinarily be considered for advancement in rank in their sixth year after promotion with indeterminate tenure. Thereafter, consideration for advancement shall be at the request of the candidate.

Applications for review for advancement earlier than the sixth year at the rank of associate professor must be made in writing by the candidate to the department chair and to the dean of the faculty by April 1 of the year prior to the review. If successful, such an early review results in promotion at the end of that same academic year. If unsuccessful, opportunity for the next review will take place three years later, or at the end of six years of service as associate professor, whichever comes first.

The standards for review are independent of the number of years of service.

(Amended by the faculty March 24, 1999.)

A. Performance Evaluations

In years when assistant professors receive no contract reviews, departments shall provide assistant professors with an evaluation of their performance. These performance evaluations shall occur in the spring and shall cover the period since the last performance or contract review. The primary purpose of performance evaluations is to provide frank and constructive assessment and feedback. These reviews will become part of the individual's review dossier.

(Adopted by the faculty March 5, 1997, amended by the faculty April 20, 2005.)

Schedule for performance evaluation and contract reviews of assistant professors:

Procedure for Performance Evaluation:

B. Merit Recommendations

1. In connection with extensions, reappointments, tenure, and promotion to full professor reviews, merit recommendations included in the department letter shall use the categories of distinction, high merit, merit and no merit.

2. At the conclusion of the salary review process, a record of the Faculty Appointments and Salary Committee's ratings for untenured assistant professors in the department and for tenured associate professors in the department, without names attached, will be provided to the department chair or the chair of the review committee, for the information of those who have conducted the review.

A. Procedures for Associate Professors

B. Procedure for Full Professors

(Adopted by the Faculty April 20, 2005).

Procedures for Lecturers and Senior Lecturer Merit Review

Procedures for Visiting Professor and Adjunct Merit Review

A. General Calendar

B. Calendar for Specific Reviews

A. Rank and Qualification

Librarian appointments are made with the following titles, listed in ascending order of rank. Each rank assumes all qualifications of each lesser rank.

B. Procedures for Review and Promotion

A. The Director of Athletics and Physical Education

B. The Associate Director of Athletics

C. The Associate Director of Physical Education

D. Teachers, Head Coaches, and Administrators

E. Faculty Athletics Representative

A. Role of Advisers

Every Vassar faculty member has a responsibility to the college to participate in both general and departmental advising. At Vassar, the traditional role of the faculty adviser is that of educator rather than overseer--as an informed consultant, not a director of students' academic programs. In this relationship, both students and faculty have clear responsibilities. Students are expected to take the initiative in seeking advice from members of the faculty. They are responsible for keeping advisers informed about their academic progress and for seeking the approval of the adviser when planning or changing programs of study. In signing the various special forms--the field of concentration card; the pre-registration, registration and change of registration forms; the non recorded option form; the Correlate Sequence declaration form; and any petitions to the Committee on Leaves and Privileges--advisers act for the college in stipulating both that the student's program is in accord with faculty legislation and that the student is making orderly progress towards the degree. Thus, in addition to knowledge of the general and specific curricular elements set forth in the Catalogue, the Adviser's Handbook, and the Schedule of Classes, faculty advisers should be familiar with a student's academic record and plan of study. All advisers have electronic access to their advisees' records as well as copies of any correspondence from the relevant faculty committees concerning their advisees' academic progress.

The advising system is under the general supervision of the dean of studies and the dean of freshmen.

B. Pre-Major Advisers

The pre-major adviser is an experienced member of the faculty or occasionally the administration who has been asked to serve as a general adviser to no more than 12 students from the time of their arrival at Vassar until they declare a field of concentration or are admitted into the independent program. The main duties of the pre-major adviser are to help the student plan a program for the freshman year, to be available for consultation throughout the course of the year and, if the student has not declared a field of concentration, to help in the planning for the sophomore year in the spring. The pre-major adviser is continued in the sophomore year until a concentration is declared. When questions or problems outside an adviser's field of general competence arise, an important part of the pre-major adviser's job is to refer students to other resources, including faculty members of other departments and programs, the learning and teaching center, the counseling service, the Office of Field Work, pre-professional advisers and the deans' offices.

At a required meeting before the freshman arrive; all pre-major advisers receive the names of their advisees along with their high school records and entrance scores. Most students will have pre-registered by mail before arriving on campus. Advisers will have individual appointments with each of their advisees before final registration, at which time they will plan the first semester's work and discuss future academic goals. Advisers should at this point be certain that each student's plan includes at least the one required semester of work in a Freshmen Writing Seminar. They should also remind students of the college's requirement of a one-semester course in quantitative analysis to be taken during the first two years of study and the foreign language basic proficiency requirement. Advisers should be prepared to discuss the student's interests and needs, strengths and weaknesses as reflected in the high school records, tests and entrance scores, and possible plans for a field of concentration and a vocation. In general, freshman should be advised not to limit their course selections too narrowly and to plan ahead by electing prerequisites for upper-level courses in which they are interested. A general plan of learning should be discussed which may reflect several interests. Whenever possible, alternative plans should be considered, so that focus upon a single crucial course or sequence is lessened. Freshmen will register immediately after these conferences. It may be necessary to see advisees a number of times in the first two weeks of classes before their programs are settled for the term; thereafter, the frequency of meetings is determined by the needs of the student and the inclination of the adviser. All changes in freshmen programs must have the approval of the adviser.

C. Election and Change of Concentration

A student may elect a major field of concentration or curricular program at any time until the end of the second year of study or the mid-point of their work in the college by filing the appropriate form with the Registrar.

A student may change major field or curricular program in the junior year with the permission of the new department or program and the dean of studies. This change must be filed with the registrar.

D. The Departmental Adviser

A student who has declared a field of concentration is assigned a departmental or program adviser by the chair of the department or program concerned or by the chair of advisers in that department or program. This adviser is responsible for giving general advice to advisees about the structure of the major program, the various alternatives available for meeting major requirements, recommended courses in allied fields, and so on. The adviser assists the student in drawing up the four-year program on the field of concentration card. Three copies are signed by the adviser; one is kept for the department, one is filed with the dean of studies office, and the other is kept by the student. Each copy should be revised by the student in consultation with the departmental adviser as subsequent course changes modify the original plan. Although students are primarily responsible for their own programs, the adviser must also make sure that the student is meeting the curricular requirements of the department or program and of the college. Particular attention should be paid to the 50% maximum in the field of concentration, the 25% minimum outside the division of concentration, the 4 unit NRO maximum, the 5 unit ungraded maximum.

Any changes after a student has registered must be approved by the adviser before the change can be made. “Drop/Add” forms from the Office of the Registrar require the signature of the adviser.

The pre-major adviser helps to relate the overall curricular opportunities of the college to the individual student; the departmental or program adviser serves to interpret the more specialized curricula of departments or programs to the student in order to develop a broad but individualized program. Both advisers should also aid the student in pursuing a comprehensive program in liberal education.

E. The Independent Program Adviser

Any member of the faculty may serve as an adviser in the Independent Program. Each student wishing to enter this program meets with the director of the independent program and then designs a course of study in consultation with a member of the faculty who will agree to serve as the student's adviser. In most cases it is preferable, in the judgment of the student and the committee, that the student have more than one adviser. The advisers must approve the student's written program proposal and the student's field of concentration card by signing both of them before they are submitted to the Faculty Committee on the Independent Program for its approval. The committee will approve the advisers, or recommend alternatives if appropriate. Upon acceptance by the committee, advisers assume the responsibility of advising students until they graduate. All changes in the program must also be approved by the committee. As is the case with other students, permission for academic leaves or general academic privileges for students in the Independent Program is granted by the Committee on Leaves and Privileges. Advisers are responsible for overseeing a student's fulfillment of not only the requirements of the Independent Program, but also those other requirements necessary to obtain the Vassar degree. These include: 34 units, no more than 17 units in the courses of any one department, 8 1/2 units in courses outside the curricular division in which most of the student's work is concentrated, and the college's requirements on residence, NRO, ungraded work and transfer credit. It is, of course, also the responsibility of the student to formulate and follow a program of study that meets these requirements.

In the senior year the student designs a senior project in consultation with the advisers. The written proposal for the senior project, approved and signed by the advisers, must then be submitted to the Independent Program Committee for approval. The advisers supervise the work on this project and grade it upon its completion.

The acceptance of a student into the independent program and the student's success within this program should result from the cooperation of the student, the advisers, and the committee. It is, quite naturally, the student who is most responsible for the definition of a program and its fulfillment. But the student must have guidance and advice and advisers have a major role in establishing and maintaining the quality of the student's program.

For further information the adviser should consult the “Requirements, Guidelines, and Procedures” issued by the Committee on the Independent Program, which is available in the Independent Program Office.

F. Correlate Sequence Advising

Each department and program offering a correlate sequence specifies in the Catalogue the requirements and the procedure for declaration. Ordinarily, students should begin by consulting the department or program chair. Students will then often be assigned to a particular faculty member for further guidance.

G. Advising of Students in Special Categories

H. Advising for Special Programs

I. Resources for Advisers

The dean of studies, the dean of freshmen, class advisers, the director of disability services, the adviser to special students and the director of the ALANA Center stand ready to advise advisers whenever necessary. In addition, the staff of the learning and teaching center can be of great help with students who are experiencing difficulties due to slow reading, poor mathematical preparation, inadequate comprehension, or poor study and writing skills.

A. The Office of Disability and Support Services

The role of the Director of Disability and Support Services is to evaluate requests for accommodations and services based on the needs of self-identified students, faculty or staff members with disabilities, and to coordinate accommodations, auxiliary aids and services with appropriate college personnel. To ensure the provision of reasonable and effective accommodations, individuals must provide documentation of their disability or disabilities by an appropriate professional. Individuals with disabilities must also provide the Director of Disability and Support Services sufficient time to evaluate the request, to determine the appropriate course of action, and to implement appropriate accommodations and support services.

While the accommodation preference of the individual with the disability will be taken into consideration, Vassar College is not required to provide the preferred accommodation as long as the alternative accommodation is reasonable, effective and provides equal access. Vassar College is not responsible for providing services of a personal nature, or for providing prescribed devices or services. Because college and departmental requirements are implemented for sound pedagogic and academic reasons, it is not the policy of the college to waive requirements. Students in need of modifications to their academic program may petition the Committee on Leaves and Privileges, in consultation with the Office of Disability and Support Services, for academic modifications.

Requests for accommodations and auxiliary aids and services involve evaluation of the following criteria by the Director of Disability and Support Services and other Vassar faculty, administration, or staff, as appropriate:

B. Confidentiality

Individuals with disabilities are entitled to privacy and discretion in the handling of all disability-related information. Disability-related information provided to the Office of Disability and Support Services will be used solely for the purpose of enabling Vassar to provide services related to the individual's disability. Information on disabilities is collected and maintained separately from other academic or employment information and is kept in secure files with limited access. Disability documentation is not considered a part of a student's permanent academic record or of an employee's personnel file. It is the policy of the college to maintain confidentiality in all informal and formal proceedings, except as otherwise specified in these statements of procedure.

C. Appeals

Vassar College has adopted an internal appeals process for the prompt and equitable resolution of complaints or disagreements about accessibility, accommodations, auxiliary aids and services, and modifications to academic courses, programs, and activities. In addition, recourse can be sought through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Office of Civil Rights (EOR), the State Division of Human Rights, or the Courts. State and Federal statutes of limitations are typically 180 days.

The faculty director of affirmative action has been designated to coordinate the college's compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 2008 and with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The Office handles inquiries about compliance, and investigates complaints of disagreements or denials of disability-related accommodations and auxiliary aids and services.

If an individual feels that an accommodation, modification, or auxiliary aid or service is not appropriate, reasonable or effective, the individual may file a petition for appeal with the faculty director of affirmative action. If the faculty director of affirmative action for any reason of conflict of interest, illness, or prolonged absence is unable to carry out his or her responsibilities, a designee shall be appointed by the president of the College.

The ADA/Section 504 Appeals Committee shall consist of the faculty director of affirmative action, who shall serve as Chair, an appointed member of the faculty, and an appointed member of the Committee on Disabilities Issues (CODI). If at any time, the student, faculty or staff member requires an accommodation to participate in the appeals process, the individual must communicate that need to the faculty director of affirmative action.

D. Filing an Appeal

E. Reviews and Decisions of Appeals

The ADA/Section 504 Appeals Committee will conduct a review of the petition for appeal. In undertaking this review, the ADA/Section 504 Appeals Committee will examine the written evidence provided by the petitioner. The Committee will then interview, consult with, or request written evidence from, any individual the ADA/Section 504 Appeals Committee believes to have information relevant to the issues raised in the petition.

The ADA/Section 504 Appeals Committee will render a decision on whether the proposed accommodation is adequate or inadequate within fifteen working days of the receipt of the petition. The decision by the ADA/Section 504 Appeals Committee will be communicated in writing by the Chair with a copy provided to the Office of Disability and Support Services and other appropriate college staff.

If the proposed accommodation is deemed by the ADA/Section 504 Appeals Committee to be inadequate, the case is remanded to the appropriate college committee, administrator, faculty or staff, who, in consultation with the Office of Disability and Support Services, will then seek a new accommodation or support service that is reasonable, appropriate and effective.

If there is an agreement during the review process between Vassar College and the petitioner to retain the original accommodation or auxiliary aid or service or change to another accommodation, the Chair will prepare a written memorandum of agreement to be signed by the individual and appropriate college administrators, faculty, or staff.

Once the appeal has been settled, the Office of Disability and Support Services, administrator, faculty, or staff, as appropriate, will then impose or initiate proceedings for implementing the accommodation or support service.

(Adopted by the Faculty April 21, 1999).

A. Drop/Add and Late Change of Elections

Students pre-register for classes at the end of the preceding semester or during the summer. The first two weeks of classes is an add period during which students may add new courses. Add forms require an adviser's signature and election of a new course requires the signature of the instructor. Students are responsible for work they may have missed if they join the class late.

After the first two weeks of the term, no additional elections may be made except with the permission of the instructor and the dean of studies or the appropriate class adviser in the dean's office.

A student may drop a course during the first six weeks of classes, but only if still enrolled for a minimum of 3.5 units. Abandoning a course after the sixth week will result in a failing grade, unless permission is given by the dean of studies or the appropriate class adviser in the dean's office to withdraw without penalty for reasons of health or other serious emergency.

B. Scheduling of Classes

The schedule of classes is administered by the Registrar. No change may be made in the regular schedule of a course except as arranged through the Registrar. Attendance at extra or unscheduled class meetings and at review or drill sessions must be entirely optional. Changes in class location must also be arranged through the Registrar. Classes cannot be scheduled on Saturdays or Sundays.

C. Class Attendance

Vassar does not have a system of specified “cuts” or automatic penalties for poor class attendance, though individual instructors or departments may adopt such a policy. The student bears the full responsibility for class attendance, for completing work on schedule, and, if allowed, for making up work missed because of absence.

Members of the faculty must explain to their classes at the first meeting of each course their expectations as to attendance and the place of attendance and class participation in the method of instruction and in final evaluation. This information should appear on the course syllabus.

Instructors are not expected to take class attendance. However, a faculty member who is aware of a student's absence from class for a period of a week or more should notify the Office of the Dean of Studies or the Dean of Freshmen. These offices will furnish information to faculty members about students who are absent from college or who have prolonged illness when this information is available. Departments will receive notices regarding students who are prevented from attending classes for extended periods because of illness or other emergency. Faculty are expected to make appropriate allowances for excused absences, including observance of religious holy days.

At the beginning of a semester, students who have failed to attend the first two scheduled meetings of a class without a reasonable excuse may be dropped from the class by the instructor upon notification to the Registrar. Subsequently, instructors may, with the approval of the dean of studies, refuse a student who has cut frequently without a reasonable excuse the opportunity to make up work or to take the final examination, or may exclude the student from the course. In such cases, students are not to be graded according to the work they have completed, but have, in effect, failed the course.

D. Written Work and Indication of Academic Status

Students in introductory and intermediate level courses should have submitted and have had returned to them some written work and should receive some indication of academic progress by the mid-point of the semester. This is particularly important in view of the deadline for the drop period and NRO election and should occur before that date (usually at the end of the sixth week of classes).

All written work except “Final Exercises” should be due no later than the end of the study period. This includes “term papers” and other longer comprehensive course projects. Exceptions to this rule are by approval of the dean of studies.

E. Office Hours

It is college policy that office hours of faculty members must be posted, and must be given to the department or program secretary. Scheduled hours when faculty members are regularly available to students are important at all times during the year, but especially necessary during the advising season and during the study and examination periods at the end of term. Faculty have an obligation to be available to meet the reasonable needs of students to discuss course material and performance.

F. Conferences

Instructors are requested to confer with freshmen before Thanksgiving and spring vacation, as well as with all other students whose work is unsatisfactory. The purpose of faculty conferences is to point up ways of improving study habits and approach to the subject rather than to tutor the students.

G. Tutoring

Faculty members may not tutor a member of the student body for pay during the academic year and academic interns may not tutor in work in which they examine. Faculty members may not tutor for pay during the summer vacation if the instruction is in work which they will later examine.

H. Field Trips and Observation Trips

Observation trips to factories, museums and elsewhere are sometimes planned in connection with courses. So far as possible, trips are arranged to avoid conflicting with scheduled classes. If it is necessary to plan such trips at times which involve conflicts with scheduled classes, students with conflicts are not required to take the trip; if they do so, they are expected to secure permission from the instructor of any regularly scheduled class which will be missed. Instructors are under no obligation to grant such permission.

Instructors who wish to arrange such trips may wish to consult the Office of Field Work for assistance. Partial financial support may be available.

I. Participation in Athletics Events

To the degree possible, competitive athletics events--games, meets, tournaments etc. --are scheduled for times which do not conflict with classes. Given the complexities of scheduling and the distances involved, however, it is not always possible to avoid conflicts. The Athletics Director has established the policy that students' academic appointments and commitments are their first priority. In some instances, however, students may seek permission to rearrange an academic commitment to allow participation in a scheduled athletics event. Faculty members are asked to accommodate such requests if possible.

J. Submission of Papers

From time to time, excuses are given or misunderstandings arise because of the loss of reports, papers or other written work in the unstamped mail or through other informal arrangements. Instructors should make it clear to students that written work is not to be sent through the unstamped mail but must be delivered in person. It is the instructor's responsibility to be specific about time and place of delivery and to be on hand to receive papers and check them in or to have departmental secretaries or assistants specifically authorized to do so. Course work may not be turned in at Message Center.

K. Integrity of Academic Work: Plagiarism

In the Student Handbook students are told that, in signing the matriculation pledge, they assume the responsibility for the integrity of their academic work. Entering students are given the pamphlet “Originality and Attribution: A Guide for Student Writers at Vassar College,” which contains detailed discussions of the requirements of academic honesty. It is recommended that instructors of freshmen and other first-year courses review the standards of attribution with their students in class.

At Vassar a joint faculty-student committee, the Academic Panel, chaired by the dean of studies, hears cases of suspected academic dishonesty. Any instructor who, on the basis of evidence, believes a student is guilty of an act of academic dishonesty must consult the dean of studies, who will summon the panel when, in the dean's estimation, the evidence is such that a case should be tried. It is of the utmost importance that faculty members call suspected offenders to the attention of the dean of studies and not deal with them themselves. They do not have the authority to do so. The faculty has established the Academic Panel (consisting of both student and faculty members) to deal evenly with academic offenses, and published due process is interfered with when faculty members do not take the responsibility of promptly reporting cases to the dean of studies.

The procedures of the Academic Panel are as follows: The faculty member making the complaint shall prepare a written statement of the charge and shall give the dean of studies all relevant material. The dean shall confer with the student and inform them of the charge, of the time and place of the panel meeting, and of the procedures followed by the panel. The student may request to be accompanied by a member of the college community. The members of the panel shall be notified in advance of the identity of the student involved, and any panel member who feels incapable of giving the case unprejudiced consideration may ask to be excused. At the beginning of the hearing, the chair shall read the written charge to the defendant and the panel. The defendant shall plead guilty or not guilty and shall have the opportunity to make a statement and to explain any mitigating circumstances. The panel shall have an opportunity to question both the defendant and the faculty member who made the allegation, after which the panel shall determine by majority vote whether it considers the defendant guilty, and if so, what penalty to impose. The chair shall vote to break a tie only on matters of penalties for students found guilty by the Academic Panel. Restrictions governing penalties are provided in the Student Handbook under “The Regulations of Vassar College”, Part A, Section I.D.

A. Types of Examinations

B. Announcement and Changes of Final Examination

By faculty legislation, all instructors must announce to each class within the first week of the term whether they will be offering final examinations on a regular, self-scheduled, or take-home basis, a paper in lieu of an examination, or no final examination. The Registrar and the Dean of Studies will issue supplementary instructions about the conduct of self-scheduled examinations.

Instructors should be sure they have notified their students fully of their plans for final examinations and should include them in the course syllabus. Plans may not be changed once announced, except in an emergency and only with the permission of the dean of studies.

A student having three or more regularly scheduled final examinations occurring in three consecutive examination periods or having two exams scheduled at the same time, may request that the dean of studies office arrange to reschedule one of them. The dean or class adviser will determine, in consultation with the instructors involved, which examination will be rescheduled and what the new date of the examination will be.

Instructors are not permitted to give special final examinations to individual students except by permission of the dean's office. The dean of studies and the dean of freshmen are available for consultation about examination problems.

C. Conduct of Final Examinations

Members of the faculty are urged to contribute as fully as possible to making conditions in the examination room conducive to quiet, good order and honorable methods of work. The students are expected to maintain the integrity of their own work. Instructors should, for regularly scheduled examinations, be available in case of need, such as undue noise, illness, late arrival of students or other emergency. Students are expected to be seated in alternate seats during examinations. They are permitted to take into the examination room only such materials as the instructor has prescribed. Examination books in regular exams may not be taken by the students from the room; in self-scheduled exams, they are to be returned directly to the proper person by the student, according to instructions. For scratch work or trial answers, students are expected to use the back pages of the examination books. No pages should be torn out or inserted.

In regular examinations, instructors should be on hand before the end of the examination to receive the books and to check with their class lists before leaving the room to be sure that none are missing and that pages are not torn out or inserted. The instructor is responsible for securing examination books. Instructors should not leave unused examination books in locations available to students.

D. Absence, Lateness and Failure

Whenever possible, instructors are notified in advance when a student is expected to be absent from an examination. Unexpected absences should be immediately reported by instructors to the Office of the Dean of Studies. It is important for instructors to observe this regulation so that, if warranted, arrangements may be made for make-up of work not completed.

Absence from examinations at the scheduled time is excused only by the appropriate dean and only for illness or serious emergency. After the dean confers with the student and determines that an “Incomplete” is necessary, an Incomplete form is issued with copies to the instructor, the Registrar and the student. A student who misses any examination because of illness at home must secure appropriate medical documentation.

Before submitting a grade for a student whose absence remains unexplained, the instructor should consult the Office of the Dean of Studies about the student's status. Only the dean's office may issue an Incomplete.

A student whose absence is not to be excused receives an F in the final examination. The grade for the course as a whole is determined by the instructor.

No examinations are given in the Infirmary except when authorized by the college Physician through the Office of the Dean of Studies. Such permission is given only in exceptional cases when the student is no longer seriously ill but is still infectious or has an injury which confines him/her to the Infirmary.

A student who comes late to a final examination while it is still in session may be allowed, at the discretion of the instructor, to take the examination.

A student taking either a self-scheduled or a scheduled examination after the regular period will be given a new examination.

Seniors who fail a course examination at the end of the second semester may be permitted by the department, after consultation with the dean of studies, to take a re-examination before Commencement, if they fail in only one course. If they fail two examinations, they must, except in unusual circumstances, wait until September to take the re-examinations, with the approval of the departments concerned and the dean of studies.

Examination books should be kept for one year in case of dispute over grades. After that period, they may be returned to students, at the instructor's discretion.

The rules of conduct for examinations which are not final examinations, as well as exceptions from these rules, may follow the above principles. They are, however, established and administered by the individual instructor or, in some cases, by departmental legislation.

A. Grading Standards

The faculty reinforced its firm adherence to these standards during deliberations in 1977:

B. Ungraded Work

The terms applied to performance in ungraded work are “Pass with Distinction” (DS), “Satisfactory” (SA), and “Unsatisfactory” (UN). “Pass with Distinction” applies only to 298, 399, 499, 400, to 300 and 301 at the decision of the individual departments, and to certain advanced courses in Education. “Satisfactory” is defined as work that is C or above. “Unsatisfactory” means work of below C in quality. No credit toward the degree is offered for work with this evaluation.

C. The Non-recorded Option (NRO)

The purpose of this option is to allow students to explore areas of the curriculum in which they may feel less well-prepared or which may be entirely new to them without the pressure of precise, graded evaluation. Instructors, or sometimes departments, determine whether a course will or will not be offered with the non-recorded option. Once established, a course's designation may not be changed during the term in which it is being offered.

Departmental stipulations for the exercise of this option appear in the Schedule of Classes. Courses in a student's concentration may not be taken NRO after declaration of the major. In courses designated in the Schedule of Classes as being offered under the non-recorded option, students may file a form with the Registrar, by the mid-point of the semester, indicating the lowest grade they wish recorded on their permanent record for the course. If the grade submitted by the instructor at the end of term is at or above the designated level, it is recorded and if it is below that level but still passing (not F), a grade of PA is placed on the student's record. If the student fails the course, a grade of F is recorded.

A student may elect a maximum of 4 unites of work under the non-recorded option. A course elected under the non-recorded option for which a grade is in fact received nonetheless counts as part of this “4 unit” limit. For students this limit is reduced by 1 unit for each year of Advanced Standing awarded to the student.

D. Miscellaneous Grades

E. Incomplete Grades

F. Provisional Grades

A department may offer provisional grades for a-b and a/b courses, provided that the Registrar and the students are notified of this intention at the beginning of the academic year. For the student electing both terms of such a course, the final grade received at the end of the year automatically becomes the grade that will be recorded on the student's transcript for both the first and second semesters. For the student who elects only the a-term of a provisionally graded a/b course, the first semester grade is final.

G. Course Grades

The grade in a course must not be based on an examination alone, but must take into account the quality of the student's work throughout the semester.

H. Grade Average

Standing in college and the requirements for graduation are determined by dual standards, one of quality and the other of quantity.

The quality of the work is measured by the quality points and the grade average; the quantity, by the units completed. The semester and yearly grade average is the ratio of the total number of quality points received to the total number of graded units elected.

The cumulative grade point average is computed to the first decimal and appears on each copy of a student's transcript. The final cumulative grade point average is noted on each student's record at graduation.

Each unit with a mark of A counts 4 quality points; A-, 3.7; B+, 3.3; B, 3.0; B-, 2.7; C+, 2.3; C, 2.0; C-1.7; D+, 1.3; D, 1.0; F, 0.

I. Reporting Grades

Course grades are due the third day after the final examination is held. More time will be allowed where needed, but the Registrar's office must be notified if the due date cannot be met.

Grades for courses with no examinations are due on the first day of the examination period.

When an Extension has been granted by the dean of studies office, after consultation with the instructor, the grade may be reported at a later date. In the meantime, an NA is entered for that course.

In the case of senior grades at the end of the second semester, it is imperative that instructors meet deadlines without fail.

Grades for summer work, Extensions, and Incompletes are due two weeks after the final work is due.

Academic report cards for all students receiving grades of C- and below must be submitted at the time of the submission of grades for the appropriate dean to use in review with the Committee on Students' Records.

At grade-reporting time all materials should be brought in person directly to the Registrar's office. When the office is closed, they may be left at Message Center in Main, but should not be sent via unstamped mail. Grades should never be given to a student to deliver to the Registrar.

Instructors may not disclose course grades to students in advance of the official report from the Registrar. Students receive their grades as soon as possible after the end of first semester and after Commencement. This does not, of course, prevent instructors from returning and discussing examinations at the beginning of the second semester.

J. Change of Grades

No grade may be changed after it has been reported to the Registrar's office unless authorized by the Dean of Studies. The dean will authorize changes only in cases of procedural, clerical or computational error and only upon receipt of written explanation of such an error. The faculty has reaffirmed the policy that instructors should be responsible for accurate marks at the time of submission. It is demoralizing to students and the faculty as a whole for individual faculty members to seek grade changes under student pressure for reconsideration. Therefore, the dean of studies will authorize a change only under extraordinary circumstances.

In cases where a grade submitted indicates an incomplete or an extension without the authorization of the dean's office, the Registrar will record an NA and will notify the instructor of the date at which the course grade will automatically become a failing grade.

K. Academic Reports

At mid-term, instructors are expected to confer with students whose work is below C and to file an academic report card with the dean of studies office. These reports help identify and counsel students who are having academic difficulty. Academic report cards for students receiving final grades of C- or below are also required.

L. Warnings to Deficient Freshmen

Each instructor is responsible in early November for warning freshmen whose work promises to be below a grade of C and for reporting to the dean of freshmen any student who is failing or negligent in their course work. This warning should be given by a specific grade, not by comments alone. Faculty are urged to take this responsibility seriously in order to help first year students avoid academic difficulty.

M. Review by the Committee on Students' Records

The status of all students whose academic records are unsatisfactory is reviewed periodically during the year by the Committee on Student Records on the basis of reports from each instructor, the Department of Health, the House Fellow or Resident in each house, and others who may give pertinent information. Students may be placed on probation, advised or required to take a leave of absence or withdraw, or required to change majors. Academic advisers are notified of all actions by the Committee on Student Records.

N. Academic Probation

Students who fail to maintain the required academic standards are placed on academic probation by the Committee on Student Records in order to give them another chance to prove that they are capable of remaining in college. Students are placed on probation at the end of any semester if their overall grade point average, their average in their major, or their average for that semester falls below 2.0. They remain on probation until a 2.0 average is achieved. Students who receive a grade of F or two D grades are also placed on probation.

O. Advised Withdrawal

Students who are advised at the end of a term to withdraw, but who choose to return, are warned that they will be under review at the end of the next term and therefore may be required to withdraw at the end of that semester.

P. Required Leave or Withdrawal

Before deciding to require the leave of absence or withdrawal of any student, the Committee on Student Records considers carefully full reports in each individual case. Therefore the decision of the committee is final except in cases where important new evidence is offered after the decision has been reached. In such cases, a student may appeal the decision.

Any student whose withdrawal is required has, under the Governance, recourse to the faculty members of the Academic Panel for review, upon application to the dean of studies.

Q. Continuance in College

It is the general policy of the faculty to allow a student to continue through the year, but special circumstances may make withdrawal after a semester or during the term necessary.

In June, all students on probation are reviewed by the Committee on Student Records with regard to their continuance in college. Freshmen who at the end of the year have a grade point average of 1.5 or below usually may not return the following year. Exceptions to this rule of minimum eligibility may be made by the Committee on Student Records if failure has been due to causes beyond the control of the student or if the student shows decided promise. Continuance in college for other freshmen and for sophomores and juniors whose work is below grade is determined by the Committee on Student Records. The committee may require students, if they wish to continue, to change their fields of concentration.

Students who at the end of their junior year are below graduation standard will not be allowed to return to college for their senior year unless there are circumstances involved that warrant favorable action by the committee.

A. Leaves of Absence

Students who wish a leave of absence from their work during a semester are usually granted such a leave upon demonstration of necessity to the appropriate dean or advisor in the office of the dean of studies. Registration for a student leaving during the drop period of the semester will be canceled. The records of students going on emergency leave of absence after that time indicate withdrawal without penalty (WD) from all their courses for the semester. In general, a leave of absence for a given term will not be granted to a student after the last day of classes for that term.

A student who must be absent for more than three weeks during the semester will usually be obliged to withdraw from work that term. Arrangements in such cases must be made with the dean of studies. Students who seek academic or personal leaves of absence (see Catalogue) for subsequent semesters must conform to certain deadlines which will be posted at the beginning of the academic year.

B. Committee on Leaves and Privileges

All requests for academic leaves of absence, special privilege with respect to curricular requirements, acceleration etc. should be directed to the faculty Committee on Leaves and Privileges through the office of the dean of studies. All requests for privilege must be reviewed by the adviser. Requests for academic leaves and for acceleration must be accompanied by proposed academic programs reviewed and evaluated by the adviser.

A. General and Departmental Honors

By faculty legislation, general honors are granted to those graduates whose grade point averages rank them in the first 20% of the class. The Registrar determines this ranking just before commencement.

Departmental and program honors are granted according to criteria developed by the several academic departments and programs. These criteria are reviewed annually and, each spring, the academic records of nominees for departmental and program honors are reviewed by the faculty Committee on Student Records, which has responsibility for assuring their conformity with the established criteria.

B. Phi Beta Kappa

Vassar was the first women's college to be recognized by Phi Beta Kappa and received its charter in 1898. Members are elected by the Vassar chapter each spring. The basis for selection is evidence of high distinction in an academic program which exhibits breadth and substance and in which each of the general areas of the liberal arts--arts, languages, social sciences, and natural sciences--is well represented.

C. Sigma Xi

Sigma Xi is an international honor society of scientists and engineers dedicated to recognizing scientific achievement. Founded in 1886 at Cornell University, the society was designed to award excellence in scientific research and to encourage a sense of companionship and cooperation among scientists in all fields. Sigma Xi is a non-profit membership society of approximately 75,000 scientists and engineers. Nearly 200 Sigma Xi members have won the Nobel Price.18

A Sigma Xi Club was established at Vassar College in 1959 and recognized as an active chapter in 1998. In 2001, the trustees of Vassar College approved the recognition of graduating seniors as associate members of Sigma Xi based upon their research accomplishments and academic record. Vassar College is one of the few liberal arts colleges in the country where graduating seniors are bestowed the honor of associate membership in Sigma Xi.

A. Emergency Response Preparedness Statement

Emergency response preparedness is a continuous concern for the campus and constitutes part of the normal campus life and business planning. An emergency is deemed to exist whenever there is a campus-wide or serious incident or condition that urgently requires prompt action, that inhibits the continuity of normal operations, or that endangers lives or otherwise poses a serious threat to the campus proper. The Vassar College Emergency Response Group (ERG) consists of administrators and faculty from all major areas of the college, along with members of the campus Emergency Medical Services, Security, and the Campus Patrol. The ERG convenes regularly to assess and plan for the college's ability to respond to emergencies or disaster situations that compromise the safety of the campus or that have a negative impact on business continuity. It also convenes instantly in the event of an actual emergency. An updated Emergency Response Manual is distributed each fall to all offices and residential facilities, with instructions and protocols for campus response to emergencies.

B. Instructions in the Event of an Emergency

At the first indication of an emergency, the ERG convenes and issues alerts and/or instructions to the campus via a network of messaging methods and processes, based on the type of emergency. If the emergency condition is localized to a building, community members may be instructed to evacuate to the muster location identified on the fire evacuation maps found on every floor. If the emergency condition is widespread, community members may be instructed to evacuate to specific buildings based on specific geographic areas of the campus:

Residents/Office Users located in these areas would evacuate to the areas below

North end of campus Students' Building (ACDC)

South end of campus Olmstead Hall

Central area of campus Library

Eastern area of campus Athletic Center/Walker

In the event of an emergency, unless otherwise instructed, all community members should get inside a building as quickly as possible. Get into a room, secure the door and close all blinds and windows. Buildings and Grounds staff and Security will ensure safety of egress and convey instructions from the ERG. If a single-building evacuation is ordered, community members will hear the local building fire alarm and should respond appropriately. If a large-scale evacuation is ordered, community members will hear an air horn signal in addition to electronic means (cell phone, email, web, pager, etc.) and should follow the instructions of the building captain. If shelter-in-place is ordered, community members will hear another air horn signal in addition to electronic means (cell phone, email, web, pager, etc.) and should follow the instructions of the building captain.

Fire Safety and Evacuation Instructions

Evacuation Procedure: When the fire alarm rings in a building, the following procedures should be followed:

1. Shut the windows and doors, if you are in your room. Do not, however, attempt to return to your room from another part of the building.

2. GET OUT of the building at once, using stairs. Elevators are NOT to be used during a fire or fire drill. Do not use fire escapes unless stairways are blocked or otherwise cut off.

3. Walk rapidly to the nearest exit, DO NOT RUN. Avoid panic; get out in a calm, orderly fashion.

4. Once out of the building, stay outside until the fire chief gives permission to return to the building or until instructions are given by a fire officer.

5. During a fire, the telephones in a building may not be used for incoming or outgoing calls except by authorized fire personnel. If you need to make a call, use a cell phone.

6. During a fire, automobiles may not be driven on campus roads, except by fire personnel.

Evacuation of Persons with Disabilities: The safe evacuation of all members of the Vassar College community in the event of a fire or emergency is of the utmost importance. We strongly recommend that all students and employees who have disabilities or impairments that might interfere with their safe emergency evacuation from campus buildings contact Office of Disability and Support Services, ext. 7584. A list of persons needing evacuation assistance will be distributed to Campus Security as well as the Arlington Fire Department, in the event of an emergency.

A. Resources

Book Orders: Texts and other materials needed for class instruction to be purchased by students are ordered through the College Bookstore, located on the lower level of the Student Center.

http://www.vassar.bkstore.com

Library Reserve: The Reserve department processes books, articles and media materials faculty designate as required and supplemental readings for their courses. Many faculty opt to have materials digitized by the reserves department made available online; hard copies are housed in the Reserve Room. Please submit reserve request forms well before the beginning of classes to ensure that materials will be available when needed. The request form as well as additional information is available at the online address following, or you may email the reserve office (reserve@vassar.edu) or call x5796.

http://library.vassar.edu/services/reserves/reserve_instructions.html

Library Orders: Materials in all formats including books, videos, DVDs, microtext, and electronic resources may be ordered for the libraries collections through the Technical Services department. Requests should be submitted well before the items are needed. Online order forms as well as additional information are available on the Libraries web page.

/services/forms/acquisitions/index.html

Video Collection: The Vassar Library has a substantial video collection of material on VHF, DVD, and laser disk, located in the Reserve Room. Viewing equipment for individual users is available in the space adjacent to the Reserve Room. The library film collection is included in the online catalog (http://vaslib.vassar.edu).

http://library.vassar.edu

Media Resources: Many classrooms are equipped with VCRs and several larger classrooms have video projection systems installed. Equipment and rooms needed for the use of video, slide, and film sources may be arranged through Media Resources. For further information visit the Computing web site at

http://computing.vassar.edu/

Computer Classrooms: There are several computer classrooms available for both scheduled classes and one-time use. Many classrooms are equipped for computer projection. Arrangements are made through the Registrar, Media Sources, and Computing and Information Services.

Copy Center: Material for classroom distribution may be copied at the Copy Center, subject to copyright restrictions. A special copier for faculty research use is provided in the Library without charge; it is not intended for classroom material. The copy center has a color copier available.

B. Policy on Fair Use of Copyrighted Works for Education and Research

A. Computing Policies

The purpose of the information technology resources at Vassar is to support and enhance the college's program of teaching, learning, and scholarship. Such resources include, but are not limited to, computers, telecommunications equipment, data and voice networks (whether accessed locally or remotely), audio-visual equipment, technology and support staff. These information technology resources and facilities also provide important support for communication and administration. computing and information services strives to support the mission of the college by providing resources and facilities that are as extensive, effective, reliable, and as secure as possible. This goal can be met only if members of the campus community use these shared resources in a manner that is legal, ethical, and respectful of others.

Use of Vassar's information technology resources is subject to the same regulations as any other campus resources, facilities or activities. Users should be aware that laws that apply to the larger society, such as those governing intellectual property and harassment, also apply in the electronic community. Information technology resources may not be used for purposes that are inconsistent with the educational mission of the college. Users must not knowingly engage in activities that interfere with the normal operation of the information technology resources. For further guidelines in appropriate use, individuals should refer to the college regulations.

Vassar College values the privacy of individual users and will respect that privacy whenever possible. By its very nature, electronically stored and transmitted information is vulnerable to interception, so users should always take precautions to protect sensitive files. While the college reserves the right to access files and transmissions on college-owned equipment, it will not normally invoke this right without the consent of the user. If access without the consent of the user is necessary, it will take place only with the approval of the appropriate senior officer, with notification to the president, except when the college is legally required or constrained to act otherwise.

(Amended by the faculty February 15, 2005.)

B. Assignment of Computers

All Vassar full-time faculty are eligible to receive a personal computer, as are guest and visiting faculty members and part-time faculty members on a 50% appointment. A desktop or a laptop may be chosen. While an attempt is made to provide a computer to any faculty members who needs one, priority is given to full-time continuing faculty. Desktop computers are upgraded on a regular 3-4 year cycle, department by department, which includes upgrading the desktops of support staff as well.

Requests for individual or instructional computing needs that fall outside the allocation cycle are made to the Director of User Services early in the spring semester. Teaching laboratories are upgraded routinely. Major classroom technology needs should be addressed to the Classroom Committee through the office of the dean of planning and academic affairs. Special or emergency needs should be brought to the attention of the vice president for computing and information services.

Computers held by faculty and purchased from general allocation funds are considered resources of the college and may be reassigned as needed within the institution when staffing changes occur.

Department and program chairs should discuss with the dean of the faculty all computer needs of visiting, part-time, and new tenure-line faculty at the time of contract negotiations so that appropriate resources can be allocated.

The college is able is to provide only one computer per person/position, except in cases where additional computing is dedicated to laboratory or research projects, or exceptional computing resources are needed. Computers purchased as a part of either internal or external research funding are not included in the regular computer allocation cycle and are typically upgraded and replaced through the use of external funding. Plans for the replacement of such computers should be discussed with the Vice President for Computing and Information Services prior to the initial purchase.

CIS has several laptop computers available for short-term loan (up to two weeks) to faculty for special use. Requests for longer periods (such as summer travel) should be made to the associate dean of the faculty.

C. Location and Return of Computers

All computing equipment purchased with Vassar funds (start-up, departmental, endowment, grant, etc.) belongs to the college and must be returned to the college whenever employment is ended.

CIS has responsibility for inventory and reassignment of computers. Departments/Programs have the responsibility of knowing what computers are assigned to them and where they are. Plans to change the assignment or location of computers within a department should be brought to the attention of CIS. This enables CIS to have accurate information concerning the machines in use and their location and helps the college in planning for replacement and new technology.

Faculty members may locate the computer assigned to them in their office (or Library carrel) or at home, although the latter is not encouraged. Faculty cannot be provided with two computers, one for their office and one for home. (Faculty should purchase a second computer in such cases; a loan for such a purchase is available through the student accounts office).

Faculty members may also continue using their computer when on leave. If a computer is taken home, or to another off-campus location, its security (from theft and damage) becomes the responsibility of the faculty member in question. (Personal homeowners and travelers insurance may be purchased for coverage) If a faculty member will not be using the college-provided computer while on leave, it cannot be put in storage or otherwise taken out of use. CIS will aid in the transfer and storage of personal data, pending return, so that the computer can be reassigned.

D. Software

New computers are issued with operating system and basic productivity software, including word processing, spreadsheet, email and other similar programs. CIS will update basic applications to the current level supported by the college. Additional applications, up to $500, are the responsibility of departments or users, to be purchased from their own operating budgets. More expensive software should be requested through the annual allocation process. CIS will help in reviewing new applications and finding trial copies.

Repairs or modifications/upgrades should be arranged through CIS. CIS repairs some Apple equipment in-house. Requests for repairs or upgrades to classroom technologies should be addressed to User Services. Departments and individuals should not order modifications/upgrades to college-owned equipment independently and should consult with User Services should repairs be needed.

E. Additional Computers

Sometimes departments/programs or administrative offices wish to purchase a computer with their own budget monies. Purchasers must consult with CIS and follow CIS protocols for computer (or printer) selection. CIS is not committed to the support of equipment that has not been approved for purchase or which does not meet current specifications. Computers purchased as a part of either internal or external research funding are not included in the regular computer allocation cycle and are typically upgraded and replaced through the use of external funding. Plans for the replacement of such computers should be discussed with the Vice President for Computing and Information Services prior to the initial purchase.

Web Updating

Web Design

Personal Websites

A. Policy

B. Procedures

THE LEARNING, TEACHING, and Research CENTER

OFFICE OF RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT

The Director of Research Development, appointed by the dean of the faculty, provides advice, assistance, and information about research to all faculty. Much of the time, these services take the form of consultations between the director and individual scholars. Occasionally, in addition, the director brings together groups of faculty with related research interests or at similar career stages to discuss issues of mutual concern. Together with the Committee on Research, the Director of the Learning, Teaching, and Research Center, and the Grants Office, the director seeks to facilitate the research activities of faculty at all stages in their research careers. Assistance and advice provided during consultations are confidential and are not connected to College evaluation processes.

THE LEARNING, TEACHING, AND RESEARCH CENTER

The Learning, Teaching, and Research Center (LTRC), located in room 112 of the Library (ext. 5215) supports the intellectual life of faculty and students at Vassar. The Center's mission is to help all students realize their academic potential and to promote engaged and effective teaching. The LTRC provides a variety of services for faculty. The LTRC holds informal discussions and formal workshops throughout the year on issues that concern faculty members as teachers, on topics like uses of technology in the classroom, effective grading, and recognizing diversity in the classroom. The Director is also available to meet with individual faculty at their request to discuss particular problems or to observe classes and to offer suggestions.

The LTRC also provides academic support for students. The LTRC houses the Writing Center, which is staffed by peer consultants who are trained to help other students. The writing consultants offer help in writing a critical essay, a research paper, a lab report or a creative piece, at any stage from rough outline to final revisions. The LTRC also administers the program of Supplemental Instruction (SI) that offers weekly peer-facilitated study sessions for students enrolled in introductory mathematics and chemistry courses (with other courses to be added).

The LTRC works in close collaboration with the Office of Disability and Support Services and the Library. Academic coaching is available to students registered with the Office of Disability and Support Services through weekly in-office appointments with the learning specialist, and through consultations by telephone or email. Library Instruction Services offer a variety of programs to foster students' ability to use research materials effectively.

A. Publicity

Information to be posted to the Infosite and the Calendar at http://info.vassar.edu should be sent to Cathy Jennings - cajennings@vassar.edu - by the 15^th of the previous month of an event for the printed Calendar; 10 days prior to the event for the online calendar. A brief description - name of speaker, sponsoring organization, title, time, and place should be sent to cajennings@vassar.edu in Campus Activities. Information may also be sent to vassarevents@lists.vassar.edu one week prior to the event. [See “Event Description Form” in this publication.]

It is important that event planners make individuals with disabilities aware that they make requests for disability related accommodations in order to attend events sponsored by Vassar College on or off campus. It is also important that event planners be given sufficient advance notice so that they can respond effectively to requests for accommodations. Please include the following statement on all notices of public meetings and on all invitations, brochures, pamphlets or flyers announcing public performances.

Special equipment arrangements, such as microphones, projection equipment, film, slide or digital, are made through Media Resources also at the calendar website.

Notice of an upcoming event should be sent for inclusion in the INFOsite on the college web. Send detailed information to .

The Office of College Relations also sends out press releases for lectures and special events through their Media Relations Office. If you have any activities you'd like to have publicized off-campus for the fall (or spring) semester, please let the Media Relations Office know as soon as possible to meet advance deadlines of regional publications.

Among other things, media relations would like to know is if your event(s) will be part of a semester-long series. If so, the best way to publicize this would be in one comprehensive release, which would provide the best possible advance notice to the media as well as helping the Media Relations office work more efficiently.

Even if you do not have all the information for your event(s) available at this time, please send media relations what you can. In this way they can "mark their calendars," while waiting for the additional information. Please note that the more notice you are able to provide well in advance, the greater chance that media relations will be able to promote your event successfully.

Narrative and biographical text (no CVs) should be provided in a Word attachment as well as the event details (time, place, title, sponsor(s)), contact information, or in the body of an email, and digital images must provided as high-resolution files (jpg format, 300 dpi). Check with Emily Darrow at x7690 for assistance. For inclusion in the following, please note the guidelines for dates: 4 weeks for Poughkeepsie Journal, 5-6 weeks for broadcasters such as WAMC Public Radio; 6-8 weeks for magazines such as Chronogram; 10-12 weeks minimum for magazines such as Hudson Valley.

If your department, office, or program is planning a major conference or event that you feel would be of interest beyond the region, please contact media relations as soon as possible. To properly promote events such as these to major media outlets, we should begin work with you six months in advance of the event if possible.

Checklist for press release information:

Here is a checklist of what we need to prepare and disseminate a press release (send information pasted into the body of an email or as an attached MSWord document):

Posters are also designed and produced by the Publications Office a 3-4 week lead-time is necessary. Again, the necessary information to design and produce posters, the office needs the event details, digital images in high resolution files (jpg format, 300 dpi), contact information, and a budget number.

B. Accommodations

Alumnae House is an Inn administered by the Alumnae/i Association of Vassar College. For reservations or more information, call x7100. There are rooms for overnight guests as well as rooms that are available for special events, lectures, or dinner parties. Separate charges are applied to the function rooms. For information or room reservations call x7100. For special events and use of the first floor, call the Innkeeper at 845-437-7150. Charges are not taxable when paid for by a college budget number. Charges paid with a credit card, with cash or a check are taxable.

Copper Penny Inn is a Bed and Breakfast located about a mile from the campus. All guest rooms are centrally air-conditioned and contain a television with VCR, normally, telephone and a separate telephone jack for computer access. A gourmet breakfast is served between 7:30 - 8:00 am weekdays, and between 8:30 - 9:00 am on weekends and holidays. 2406 New Hackensack Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603-4255, (845) 452-3045 The Copper Penny Inn offers a discount to the college.

C. Catering

The Living Room, Terrace, Dining Room, Library, and Pub are available for special events. There is a room charge and catering services are arranged with the Alumnae House caterer Gigi's Hudson Valley 914-388-7175.

The All Campus Dining Center provides catering for special events. For menus, prices, and scheduling, contact the Catering Office at x5833. Informal catering is also available through “The Retreat” by calling x7170. Catering can be ordered on line http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSNE/Vassar/Catering/Online+Catering+with+Catertrax.html

Catering is also available through outside vendors. Some are:

Main Course - 845-255-2600

Twisted Soul - (845) 705-5381 - (845) 454-2770

BabyCakes - (845) 485-8411

Appendix E. Lecture Proposal Deadlines and Guidelines

Vassar College academic lectures supported by the office of Dean of the Faculty -- 2009-10
priority deadline for fall lecture proposals is Sept. 9 and for spring lectures is Feb. 1

The over-arching purpose of Dean-sponsored lectures is to promote a lively campus culture of intellectual and creative exchange featuring events of outstanding interest that are appealing and accessible to a wide spectrum of the Vassar community. Highest priority for funding will go to events most in accord with this purpose.

Guidelines:

Appendix F. Request for Lecture Funds Form

The Office of the Dean of the Faculty provides funds to support outside speakers on a per-event basis. Some department and program operating budgets have limited lecture funds, and several departments and programs have endowments for lectures. Secure funding authorization from the DOF office prior to making commitments counting on such funding. Email form and supporting materials to deansoffice@vassar.edu or send paper copies to the Office of the Dean of the Faculty. (Fall semester 2009 - Priority deadline is Sept. 9.) (Winter/Spring 2010 semester - priority deadline is Feb. 1, 2010)

Sponsoring Department or Program Today's Date ____________________

Co-sponsors (in addition to funders listed below)

Lecturer's Name

(please attach a c.v. or brief biography or send paper copy to Dean of the Faculty office)

Title of Lecture/Event

Lecture Date & Time

(check with Campus Activities and the College Calendar to be certain there are no conflicting events scheduled for this date and time.)

Budget Information for the Lecture/Event

Proposed honorarium (see suggestions below) $

Top person in the field $1,500

Well established scholar $800

Early in career and nearby $100

Transportation $

Lodging $

Hospitality $

Total Cost $

1. $

2. $

3. $

Requested from the Dean of the Faculty office $

Approved Date

For information posted to the Campus Events Calendar from the Vassar homepage. . At least 10 days prior to event. Send to Cathy Jennings (cajennings@vassar.edu).

Short Description:
Limit 100 words. For use on the Infosite and event publications including “This Month at Vassar.”

Long Description (optional)
Please send additional information to . Please include “Calendar” in the subject.

A. Department Chairs

B. Multidisciplinary/Interdepartmental Program Directors

C. Special Studies Coordinators