The Department of Slavic & East European Languages & Cultures expects its TAs and Instructors to abide by the following rules:
1. TAs and Instructors must consult with their supervisor and obtain permission for any travel that chronologically coincides with their teaching, administrative, or grading duties. Such consultation must
happen BEFORE travel plans are finalized (i.e. dates set, tickets bought, etc.). The Department expects you to be physically present on campus until all grades in your course are officially turned in.
2. Administrative and grading responsibilities are part of any teaching contract. TAs and Instructors must consult with their supervisor in order to determine the time of arrival on campus before the beginning of classes and the time of departure after the end of classes. This consultation must take place BEFORE travel plans are finalized.
3. The grading of final exams may not be done during TAs’ and Instructors’ travels off campus. Final exams are legal documents belonging to the Department and the University. They must stay on campus at all times.
4. Prior permission from your supervisor is required for any in-class TA or Instructor replacement. If you are ill, traveling, or otherwise unable to come to class, you must determine IN CONSULTATION with your supervisor who is going to replace you.
5. All TAs and Instructors are expected to meet with their supervisor and teaching team, wherenapplicable, BEFORE the beginning of classes each semester. This meeting should be a factor in your travel plans from and to campus during academic breaks.
6. TAs and Instructors must answer all written requests and inquiries from a supervisor within 48 hours.
7. The final grade of A+ in a course is exceptional and every reasonable effort should be made to limit the number of such grades. In general, the Department would like to discourage the practice of upward curving and invites you to design your grading scheme in ways that allow you to limit the number of A's in the class. Grade inflation is a disservice to students, especially those who perform better than the rest of the class.
8. TAs and instructors in Russian language courses partake in the Department's implementation of the language course placement policy with regard to heritage and native speakers. This policy is described in the official undergraduate calendar. Although TAs and Instructors do not have the authority to bar students from a course, they are expected to report any possible irregularity to the Department.