Rights & Responsibilities of Students & Faculty
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Learning is the name of the UCSB game. The students (you) and faculty (we) are the
players, with the staff providing essential support and the California taxpayers
buying the tickets. In order to be sure that this time and money are well spent,
students must understand the rules of the game. The most important rule is that
you are all...
Adults.
The key ingredient of adulthood is responsibility. You are in charge of yourself
and completely responsible for all of your actions and omissions. In particular,
you must take responsibility for managing your...
Time.
We have the responsibility for putting a value on our time and yours. Our time is
more valuable than yours, and our duty to the taxpayers requires us to spend it
wisely. We don't want to waste your time either. If bad planning, inefficient procedures,
or bad teaching are wasting your time, please speak up. Don't wait for "someone
else" to do it. There are several ways to...
Complain.
You can talk to the person in charge, you can write a letter to the Daily Nexus,
you can call your ASUC officers, or you can see the...
Office of the Ombuds.
The Office of the Ombuds can help you deal with any kind of complaint, even those
dealing with the...
Faculty.
The faculty at UCSB represents as many different viewpoints as the students themselves.
Opinions are freely given and openly debated. We have asked two faculty members
to offer their views on the meaning of a university education, and two teaching
assistants to offer their advice on academics at UCSB.
We are paid to help you learn, and you have the right to expect us to earn our pay.
However, part of our job is teaching you to take more responsibility for your own
learning. One way we do this is to hold...
Office Hours.
This is your chance to meet with us on a one-to-one basis. All faculty members and
teaching assistants have office hours when you can see them without an appointment.
Office hours are a good opportunity for you to discuss your...
Homework.
We expect that you have tried your homework before you come to see us. We plan to
give you a lot of homework, and we won't be surprised if you have some difficulty
with it. The most common reason that students avoid talking to their teachers is
the fear of asking "dumb questions," but the only thing dumb about your questions
is the fear of asking them. If you already knew it all, we wouldn't have a job.
However, we don't want to be asked by late sleepers to repeat our...
Lectures.
Here is our chance to highlight the important aspects of the course. We won't read
the textbook to you or work all of your exercises, but we will tell you what to
look for in your reading, provide an outline, or do sample problems. The lectures
put your homework in perspective and give you a good idea what to expect on exams.
That is why it makes no sense to...
Cut Class.
UCSB turned away thousands of students this year, any of whom would be glad to take
your place. The factory, farm, and office workers of California are paying through
the nose to give you an opportunity which most of them never had. Don't blow it
by cutting class, not even those early morning or late evening...
Discussion Sections.
When a lecture class is large, the section provides a small group setting for questions
and informal discussion. Even if you have no questions of your own, you can listen
to others and see if you really know as much as you think. You might be surprised
to hear points raised which never occurred to you. Another student's life experience
might lead to a perspective very different from your own, and appreciation of different
points of view is an important component in many courses. Discussion sections can
also be useful in improving your...
Social Life.
You will never be at a loss for words when talking with someone from one of your
classes. You don't know how to start? Believe it or not, here is one line which
I heard used in front of the Arbor: "Gee, wasn't World War II really neat? Let's
go for some coffee and talk about the Battle of the Bulge." Socializing can increase
your GPA. You can get together with other students to compare notes, to check homework
solutions, or to make up a final exam study outline (all of which go very well with
pizza). Hard work and careful preparation is better than relying on...
Luck.
We all can use it, but, if you think you can count on it, then you should be playing
the Lottery. If you are in academic difficulty, don't wait until the end of the
quarter to get...
Help.
Campus Learning Assistance Services (CLAS) is located in the SRB. The folks there
can help you improve study skills such as note-taking or outlining, and they can
help you to deal with test anxiety. There are even workshops that are created with
the aid of professors to help students with class assignments. For specific help
on your coursework, ask your instructor or TA during their office hours. If they
can't give you as much time as you need, go to the CLAS Tutorial Program. The tutors
can help with papers, calculus or chemistry problems, foreign languages, and more.
Most services are free, some are not, but either way the CLAS staff will see that
you get the skilled help that you want. Even if all else fails, here is a last piece
of advice,...
Don't Cheat.
There are two really good reasons. First, it's wrong. Second, we'll probably catch
you and kick you out of school. If you fail a class (or even get a "C-" or "D"),
you can take it again and do it right, with the new grade replacing the old one
in your GPA. Many "Fs" have become "As" that way. You'll feel better about yourself
and, after all, learning is the name of the game.
--Charles Akemann, Professor, Mathematics
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