Graduate Student Bill of Rights and Responsibilities

This page is a product of the Graduate & Professional Student Government (GPSG, formerly UGGS) developed in conjunction with the Graduate School and the Boulder Faculty Assembly, as well as numerous other governing and advisory bodies on the Boulder campus. A pdf of the bill of rights and responsibilities is also available.

Boulder Campus Policy

The University seeks to provide and sustain an environment conducive to sharing, extending, and critically examining knowledge and values, and to furthering understanding. Effective performance of this mission requires that University graduate students be free within their respective fields of competence to learn, research, and teach in accordance with appropriate standards of scholarly inquiry. Graduate student rights and responsibilities rest on their unique role as students, researchers, and teachers.

Graduate students play an integral part in the ability of the Boulder campus to provide the breadth and quality of educational experience expected of an American Association of Universities (AAU) public university. Graduate students supplement and complement the teaching and research activities of the tenure-track faculty, and in so doing they allow the tenure-track faculty to engage more students in individualized instructional opportunities. They also provide the institution with an ability to more rapidly adjust the educational opportunities to meet student needs and preferences than can be accommodated for by the tenure-track faculty alone. It is important that the campus community recognize and support the important role played by graduate students in enabling the campus to address both its research and its teaching missions.

The following principles serve as guidelines and minimum standards of behavior and conduct for graduate students and departments in their mutual relations. The intent of the principles is to encourage dialog between graduate students, faculty, staff, and administrators and to bring stability to graduate students' programs of study. In recognizing the multiple and integral roles that graduate students play as learners, researchers, and teachers, both as students and as employees of the University, the guidelines will help preserve the highest standards of teaching, research, and scholarship; protect intellectual freedom; and advance the mission of the University as an institution of higher learning. Grievance and dispute resolution mechanisms will be maintained at the Graduate School and at the departmental/program levels to resolve the situations that this document is not able to prevent.��

I. Graduate students are, first and foremost, students.

a. Graduate students deserve an excellent education and the best possible preparation for their future careers. Degree requirements should be clearly communicated at the outset of a student’s graduate program, and any changes also must be clearly communicated in a timely manner. Timelines and average progress towards a degree should be made public. Advertised courses should be available on a regular basis. Graduate students should have the ability to enroll in classes offered by any other relevant graduate program, provided space is available and they meet the prerequisites.

b. Departments should offer appropriate training for both academic and non-academic careers without differentiating between students on career focus in evaluations, availability of resources, references, or on other bases. Seminars should be offered to inform graduate students on submitting articles for publication, on professional associations and conferences, and effective job searches and interview techniques.��

c. The Graduate & Professional Student Government (GPSG) is currently the recognized student government organization for graduate and professional students at the Boulder campus level. The actions and recommendations of the GSPG should inform departments, schools, and colleges, as appropriate. It is also recognized that there are also graduate student government organizations at the program, department, school, and college levels that should be consulted in matters specifically concerning them, as necessary. d. Regular, substantive feedback should be offered to all graduate students by their advisors. Programs should publish specific and concrete requirements for achieving an advanced degree and graduate students can expect to have their progress toward achieving an advanced degree evaluated in an objective manner. Communication between graduate students, faculty, and advisors, and program coordinators and should be conducted in a timely manner. e. Like all students at the University, graduate students have the right to an educational experience and employment free from discrimination based on race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, veteran status, age, sex, or disability. In addition, the educational and employment opportunities available to graduate students should not be limited based on their family status, political beliefs, or country of citizenship.

II. Graduate students are important members of the campus instructional and research teams.

a. Graduate students deserve fair and equitable working conditions and benefits. Terms and conditions of employment will be clearly communicated at the outset of the employment agreement. Appointments are to be made in compliance with the 20-hour rule. Adequate resources will be supplied to support teaching and research work.

b. Departments should incorporate their graduate students into their decision-making on issues directly or indirectly affecting academic policies.��

III. Graduate students are valuable junior colleagues.

a. Graduate students deserve co-authorship in publications to which they have contributed significant content or research, consistent with the generally accepted standards of their fields of study.

b. Graduate students should be treated with respect, as junior colleagues, and potential future peers upon gaining admission to their program of study.

c. Graduate students can expect that their vulnerability in having a lesser status or lesser experience will not be exploited. Further, they have a right to refuse to perform tasks that are not related to, or conflict with, their academic or professional development, or tasks more than their obligations as students and employees.

IV. Graduate students have a number of important responsibilities, both as students and as employees.

a. Graduate students are expected to behave in a professional manner, respecting their fellow graduate students, as well as undergraduate students, faculty, staff, and administrators, and in general conduct themselves in a manner befitting an ethical and honest academic colleague. In their studies they will devote a sufficient amount of time and energy towards achieving their advanced degree, communicating with their professors and advisors in a timely manner, and taking the initiative in asking questions about academic requirements and financial particulars. They will also strive to contribute to the public service aspects of the mission of this public university, at a level appropriate to their ability and graduate program.

b. Graduate employees are expected to fulfill their teaching and research obligations to the best of their knowledge, training, and ability; to carry out their job responsibilities in a conscientious and timely manner; and to perform their duties in accordance with all relevant University, state government, and federal government rules and regulations. They will accurately report their hours worked and level of effort whenever requested or required to do so; work or be available to work on the days and at the times outlined in their appointment letter or contract, or at times explicitly discussed and agreed upon with their faculty advisor or supervisor; and recognize that failure to perform their job responsibilities in a satisfactory manner may constitute cause for disciplinary action or dismissal.��

V. The following definitions will be applied uniformly across the campus.

Students: Include any person currently taking coursework and/or thesis and dissertation credits, as well as any persons officially on leave of absence from a graduate program or otherwise not in residence at the university for official reasons, including but not limited to conducting extended field research or on an exchange program with another university.
Employees: Include any person who is a student and is either on an appointment or is otherwise employed by the university, or any related program, project, laboratory, library, gallery, museum, center, or institute, as a teaching assistant, instructor, lecturer, GPTI, adjunct, graduate assistant, research assistant, researcher, or any other form of faculty or staff member, on a regular basis.
20-Hour Rule: The percentage of appointment must be equated to the number of hours the graduate student is expected to work. For example, a student who is appointed for 50% can be expected to work no more than 20 hours per week. These 20 hours must include all duties necessary for the completion of the student's teaching assignment (i.e., office hours, in-class time, grading, and preparation time) and/or research assignment (i.e., research meetings, literature searches, preparation time, data collection, data analysis, and report preparation). Research that directly contributes to the timely completion of a graduate student's thesis or dissertation does not fall under this rule. Any appointments that exceed 50% during the academic year must be approved, in advance of the beginning date of the appointment, by the Assistant Dean of the Graduate School or their designee.
Rights: These are valid and valued standards and expectations that individual graduate students have of their program, their faculty, staff, and all levels of the university administration.
Responsibilities: These are valid and valued standards and expectations that the faculty, staff, administrators, and other graduate students have of individual graduate students.

VI. Departments will develop and maintain policies consistent with these guidelines and minimum standards and provide grievance and dispute resolution mechanisms.

a. These guiding principles will form the university level policy regarding graduate student and department relations. This document will augment existing university policies regarding professional conduct, including but not limited to the University Code of Conduct, the Honor Code, and the Discrimination and Harassment policy. Appropriate grievance and dispute resolution mechanisms will exist at the department and Graduate School level to enforce these policies.

b. Appendix A of this document is a detailed set of recommended guidelines and recommended minimum standards for the development of department level graduate student policies. The detailed department level policy recommendations will be maintained by the Graduate School, GPSG, and the university administration.��

c. Any amendments to the campus policy statement need to be approved by the Graduate School, the Graduate & Professional Student Government, the Boulder Faculty Assembly, and the Provost.

d. Any amendments to the guidelines and minimum standards for the development of department level graduate student policy need to be approved by the Graduate School, the Graduate & Professional Student Government, the Boulder Faculty Assembly, and the Provost.

Appendix A: Recommended Policy Development Guidelines and Minimum Standards

I. Overview of Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities

As students, graduate students have the right:

to an excellent education and the best possible preparation for their future careers.
to co-authorship or proper acknowledgment appropriate to the level of contribution.
to expect that their vulnerability in having a lesser status or lesser experience will not be exploited.
not to be discriminated against.
to be incorporated in the decision-making process on issues that affect their progress to degree.
to be respected as a person of merit and junior colleague.
to pursue professional training for academic and non-academic careers.
to organize and be recognized by the campus faculty and administration.
to timely communication.
to specific and concrete requirements for achieving an advanced degree.
to have their progress toward achieving an advanced degree be evaluated in an objective manner.
to regular feedback and guidance.
to clearly defined official grievance and informal complaint procedures.��

As employees, graduate students have the right:

to expect that their appointments are made in compliance with and are guided by the 20-hour rule.
to an accurate description of the availability and likelihood of financial and resource support.
to sufficient and fair compensation and benefits.
to receive appropriate training and support as an educator if they are placed in teaching or teaching assistant positions.
to refuse to perform tasks that are not related to, or conflict with, their academic or professional development, or tasks in excess of their contractual obligations.
to form or join a collective bargaining unit at the campus level if all formal grievance procedures and other avenues of negotiation have been reasonably exhausted.��

As students, graduate students have the responsibility:��

to respect and uphold all relevant university policies regarding professional conduct.
to respect and uphold all the aforementioned rights of other fellow graduate students.
not to discriminate against students, faculty, staff, or administrators.
to provide accurate and honest reporting of research results and to uphold ethical norms.
to communicate in a timely manner.
to conduct themselves in a manner befitting an academic colleague.
to devote a sufficient amount of time and energy towards achieving their advanced degree.��
to understand their role in the development of their relationships with faculty mentors.
to take the initiative in asking questions about academic requirements and financial particulars.
to contribute to the public service aspects of the mission of this public university.��

As employees, graduate students have the responsibility:

to carry out their job responsibilities in a conscientious and timely manner.
to perform their duties in accordance with all relevant University, state government, and federal government rules and regulations.
to accurately report their hours worked and level of effort whenever requested or required to do so.
to work or be available to work on the days and at the times outlined in their appointment letter or contract, or at times explicitly discussed and agreed upon with their faculty advisor or supervisor.
to recognize that failure to perform their job responsibilities in a satisfactory manner may constitute cause for disciplinary action or dismissal.
to fulfill their teaching and research obligations to the best of their knowledge, training, and ability.

II. Graduate students have the following general rights as students:

Graduate students have the right to an excellent education and the best possible preparation for their future careers.
1. Graduate students have a right to enroll and participate in classes and events offered by all graduate programs if they meet the stated prerequisites and graduate students in the respective program have had a reasonable opportunity to enroll first.
Graduate students have the right to co-authorship or proper acknowledgement appropriate to the level of contribution.
1. In general, order of authorship should be assigned according to the standards of the discipline.
  1. For example, in disciplines where position in the author list is commensurate with the level of contribution to the work, the student should receive “first authorship” for publications primarily derived from the creative research and writing of the student.
2. Faculty and graduate students should agree as early as possible upon authorship positions.
Graduate students have the right to expect that their vulnerability in having a lesser status and authority in the academic unit or lesser experience will not be exploited to the personal advantage of a faculty or staff member or department.
Graduate students have the right not to be discriminated against based on the student’s gender, race, age, family status, sexual orientation, disability, religion, political beliefs, country of citizenship, or country of origin.
Graduate students have the right to be incorporated in the decision-making process of their graduate program, their department, the graduate school, and the university on issues that directly or indirectly affect their progress to degree.
1. Graduate student involvement in appropriate policy decisions made at the department/graduate program level provides for increased communication of student ideas and concerns, as well as for enhanced training as future academicians and professionals.
2. The form of this voice may vary from program to program and issue to issue, ranging from informal graduate student surveys on a point of interest to full-fledged voting graduate student membership in decision-making committees, as long as that voice is sought out before the final decision is made.
Graduate students have the right to be respected as a person of merit and junior colleague upon gaining admission to a graduate program.
1. Collegial treatment includes freedom from invasion of privacy or any form of personal harassment or otherwise disrespectful or non-professional behavior.
2. This respect also includes, but is not limited to, professional training encompassing: how to submit an academic article for publication in a professional journal, information on professional associations and conferences, and aid in job searches.
Graduate students have the right to pursue professional training for academic and non- academic careers.
1. A graduate student's intention or choice to pursue an academic or a non-academic career after graduation should not be a factor in performance appraisals or administrative decisions to the detriment of the student.
Graduate students have the right to organize at the program, department, school or college and university level and be recognized by the campus faculty and administration.
1. Recognition includes the right to discuss relevant issues and negotiate as a unit with the faculty and administration through duly elected or appointed graduate student representatives.
2. Examples of such organizations include, but are not limited to, GPSG, representation in ��SG, the Lead Graduate Teacher Network, as well as other current and future university, college, school, department, and program-level student boards, committees, governments, and interest groups.
Graduate students have the right to timely communication with individual faculty, departments, and the university administration.
Graduate students have the right to specific and concrete requirements for achieving an advanced degree.
1. These requirements should be communicated clearly to the graduate student, both upon entrance to the graduate program and after any significant changes or updates.
2. Prospective and currently enrolled graduate students have the right to be kept up to date on the availability of courses required for their graduate studies.
3. Currently enrolled students have the right to petition that either required courses be taught with sufficient frequency not to hinder a fair opportunity to achieve the "normative time to degree", or that such courses be dropped as a formal requirement.
4. Prospective and currently enrolled graduate students have the right to know and will be informed of the “normative time to degree” and the “average time to degree” within a specific graduate program.
5. Prospective and currently enrolled graduate students have the right to know a program's acceptance rate and attrition rates at major program milestones (e.g., preliminary exams, comprehensive exams, proposal defense, thesis defense, dissertation defense, and graduation).
Graduate students have the right to have their progress toward achieving an advanced degree be evaluated in an objective manner and based on criteria that are understood by the graduate advisor and the student.
1. Evaluations should be factual, specific, and should be shared with the student within a reasonable period.
2. Explicit written evaluations should include, but are not limited to progress reports, split decisions on qualifying examinations, and unusual or additional program requirements.
3. The reasons for unsatisfactory performance on programmatic examinations should be stated clearly and promptly to the student in a written evaluation.
A graduate student has the right to regular feedback and guidance concerning his/her academic progress.
1. Graduate students have the right to reasonable confidentiality in their communications with professors and department chairs.
  1. Generally, a professor should not discuss an individual student’s academic performance or behavior with other students, except to the extent that it may affect another student's academic performance or personal safety.
  2. Discussion of the student’s performance among faculty and administrators should be of a professional nature and should be limited to the student’s academic performance and fitness as a graduate student. The substance of the communication should be based on a need-to-know basis and only include relevant information.
2. A graduate student and major professor should arrive at and maintain a mutually agreeable schedule of evaluative/supervisory conferences.
3. Graduate students should be given a fair opportunity to correct deficiencies in their academic performance.
4. Any intent to dismiss a graduate student from a graduate program for academic reasons must be preceded by specific and timely written communication.
5. Before any graduate student is compelled to leave their program and the university, especially in cases where there is no option to return, the graduate student shall be provided with reasonable time and opportunity to appeal the decision as outlined in the relevant program, department, and graduate school grievance procedures.
Graduate students have the right to clearly defined official grievance and informal complaint procedures at the Graduate School and at the departmental or program level.
1. These procedures will be presented to graduate students upon entrance to the program.
2. These shall include reasons for academic and non-academic dismissal from the university.
3. If the graduate student's rights are not respected by individual faculty, departments, or the university and the grievance procedure prove inadequate, the graduate student retains the right to legal rectification of the issue.
4. Information on available legal counsel or impartial third parties that could aid in dispute resolution will be provided for the graduate student by the university.

III. Graduate students have the following specific rights as employees:

Graduate student employees have the right to expect that their appointments are made in compliance with and are guided by the 20-hour rule.
1. Considering that graduate students are first and foremost students here to receive an education and earn an advanced academic degree, compliance with the 20-hour rule is critical to ensure quality.
2. Regarding appointments, a 50% appointment is understood as requiring no more than 320 hours of work per semester and on average 20 hours per week. A 25% appointment reflects no more than 160 hours of work per semester and on average 10 hours per week.
3. If a graduate student is requested to work hours in excess of their original appointment, they have a right to petition their department and college or school for an increase in their official appointment.
4. If a graduate student on a regular basis is requested to perform additional assignments, in terms of either scale or scope, the Graduate School must be petitioned for any assignment exceeding the standard 20-hour rule for a 50% appointment.
Graduate student employees have a right to an accurate description of the availability and likelihood of financial and resource support within their program to increase stability and enable graduate students to accurately plan their progress to degree.
1. On a yearly basis, graduate students on appointment should be provided with, and asked to sign, a contract containing the exact amount of payment for their stipend, payment dates, duration, and specific information on tuition credits and percentage of insurance covered, prior to beginning their appointment.
  1. Reasonable approximations of these amounts are acceptable before final numbers are available, however, students should be informed of the exact amounts in a timely manner when they are available and before the beginning of the appointment.
  2. Graduate students are not required to begin fulfilling their duties until they are provided with the exact numbers and conditions.
2. Prospective and currently enrolled graduate students will be provided a thorough description of the requirements and qualifications necessary for academic employment, training, or financial support at the University of Colorado Boulder.
3. Assignments of office or lab space to departments and programs should consider the need for adequate graduate student space and equipment.
4. Funding shall not be denied a student mid-semester or mid-contract without exceptional academic or professional reasons.
5. Graduate students on appointment who are making satisfactory progress to degree and are performing their required duties in a satisfactory manner have a right to continued support at the same level, except in specific conditions and situations which have been previously and explicitly described in offer letters and appointment letters to the student and contracts signed by the student.
6. The program shall make every reasonable effort to provide funding for students who change research advisors.��
Graduate student employees have the right to sufficient and fair compensation and benefits such that they can focus on their primary roles as students and employees of their department and the university and provide quality service as research assistants (RA), teaching assistants (TA), graduate part time instructors (GPTI), and other forms of university employment.
1. Compensation is defined as including, but not limited to, stipends and tuition remission.
2. Benefits are defined as including, but not limited to, eligibility, access to, and subsidies for comprehensive health insurance.
3. As students, graduate employees have a right to time off during official university holidays and semester breaks, except in cases where the expectation of working at such times has been previously and explicitly communicated in offer letters and appointment letters to the student and contracts signed by the student.
Graduate student employees have the right to receive appropriate training and support as an educator if they are placed in teaching or teaching assistant positions.
1. Expectations of a teaching assistant will be clearly outlined and presented to any graduate student who functions in a teaching capacity.
2. Departments and programs will provide their graduate student teachers with sufficient instructional support, including access to supplies, office equipment, computers, software, academic technology, staff support, and office space for meeting students, to ensure that the graduate student can deliver quality education in compliance with university, state, and federal guidelines.
3. In general, graduate students who have a teaching or teaching assistant assignment are not obligated to accept an increased teaching or grading workload above previously stated or agreed upon limits without some form of compensation.
4. Compensation may take the form of, but is not limited to, additional financial compensation, reduced duties elsewhere in a current or future semester, or any other commensurate form that is mutually acceptable to the department, graduate student, and if appropriate the graduate school.
5. In cases where there is a correlation between workload and course size, a graduate student can expect that course and section size limits will not be substantially changed from one semester to the next, after they have been published by the registrar’s office.��
Graduate student employees have the right to refuse to perform tasks that are not related to, or conflict with, their academic or professional development, or tasks in excess of their contractual obligations.
1. Graduate student employees will not be expected to work, on average over the course of a semester, significantly more or less hours than for which they are being paid.
2. Graduate students will not be scheduled for or expected to fulfill teaching, research, service, or professional development responsibilities that conflict with the graduate student’s required academic activities.
3. Further, faculty will do their best to accommodate the research, service, and professional development needs of a graduate student when scheduling their teaching and research assignments.
Graduate students reserve the right to form or join a collective bargaining unit at the campus level, so long as all formal grievance procedures have been followed and all other avenues of negotiation have been reasonably exhausted, and the process is conducted in accordance with all relevant state and federal laws, regulations, and guidelines.��

IV. Graduate students have the following responsibilities.

Graduate students have the responsibility to respect and uphold all relevant university policies regarding professional conduct, including but not limited to the University Code of Conduct, the Honor Code, and the Discrimination and Harassment policy.
Graduate students have the responsibility to respect and uphold all the rights of other fellow graduate students.
Graduate students have the responsibility to not discriminate against students, faculty, staff, or administrators on the basis of gender, race, age, family status, sexual orientation, disability, religion, political beliefs, country of citizenship, or country of origin.
Graduate students have the responsibility to provide accurate and honest reporting of research results and to uphold ethical norms in research methodology and scholarship.
Graduate students have the responsibility to communicate with individual faculty, departments, and the university administration in a timely manner.
Graduate students have the responsibility to conduct themselves, in all educational and professional activities, in a manner befitting an academic colleague.
1. Graduate students’ behavior should be a credit to themselves, the higher academic unit, and the university.
Graduate students have the responsibility to devote a sufficient amount of time and energy to making progress towards achieving their advanced degree, except when special circumstances apply.
1. These special circumstances could include, but are not limited to, the nature of the research, financial hardship, physical or mental illness or disability, civil obligations, family obligations, and religious obligations.
Graduate students have the responsibility to understand their role in the development of their relationships with faculty mentors.
1. Graduate students will demonstrate an awareness of the time constraints and other demands imposed on faculty members and program staff.
2. Graduate students will communicate regularly with faculty mentors and advisors, especially in matters related to research, progress, concerns, and problems within the graduate program.
Graduate students have the responsibility to take the initiative in asking questions that promote their understanding of the academic requirements and financial particulars of their specific graduate program.
Graduate students have the responsibility to contribute to the public service aspects of the mission of this public university, at a level appropriate to their ability and graduate program.
1. Graduate students will endeavor to provide high quality teaching to undergraduate students.
2. Graduate students will endeavor to provide valuable research and support to the faculty and fellow graduate students.
3. Graduate students will endeavor to contribute to the academic development and the social environment of the department or program in which they are pursuing their advanced degree.
4. When providing such service, graduate students will do so with the same care, consideration, diligence, and professionalism demonstrated by their faculty colleagues.
Graduate students are encouraged, but not required, to provide service to their program, their department, school or college, and the university community to the extent that each is able.
1. This may include but is not limited to the recruitment and retention of fellow graduate students and faculty members; the hosting of, attending, and participating in colloquia and conferences; and other relevant decision-making committees.
2. Graduate students will endeavor to contribute to the administration and ongoing improvement of their graduate program, graduate student government, and the university.
3. When providing such service, graduate students will do so with the same care, consideration, diligence, and professionalism demonstrated by their faculty colleagues.��

V. Graduate students have the following specific responsibilities as employees:

Graduate student employees have the responsibility to carry out their job responsibilities in a conscientious and timely manner.
Graduate student employees have the responsibility to perform their duties in accordance with all relevant University, state government, and federal government rules and regulations.
Graduate student employees have the responsibility to accurately report their hours worked and level of effort whenever requested or required to do so.
Graduate student employees have the responsibility to work or be available to work on the days and at the times outlined in their appointment letter or contract, or at times explicitly discussed and agreed upon with their faculty advisor or supervisor.
Graduate student employees have the responsibility to recognize that failure to perform their job responsibilities in a satisfactory manner may constitute cause for disciplinary action or dismissal.
Graduate student employees have the responsibility to fulfill their teaching and research obligations to the best of their knowledge, training, and ability.
1. Graduate students will do their best to ensure stability for faculty, programs, and departments.
2. Graduate student shall not accept an additional appointment that would cause them to exceed the 20-hour rule without first obtaining the permission of their program and the Graduate School.
3. Once accepted, graduate students cannot change appointments or assignments without the permission of their faculty advisor or supervisor.
4. If a graduate student can no longer reasonably fulfill their obligations, they shall communicate this to their faculty advisor or supervisor in a timely and conscientious manner.��

Appendix C: References & Related Documents

Related University of Colorado policy statements and documents include:

Related policy statements and documents from outside the University of Colorado:

��

Certain phrases and sentences have been borrowed verbatim from these documents and credit is hereby given to the authors of those documents��

Final Approval of policy by the Provost and Deans’ Council received March 2004��

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