DOGS Checklist for Graduate Handbooks v2.0
Use the following document to develop and check your department handbook. Essential items are listed first, and there is an extended list of supplementary items following.
Checklist for Graduate Handbooks
Program Handbook Template
This link provides you with a fillable document for your Handbooks.
Safety & Wellness
This is a sample of Safety & Wellness information for Program Handbooks, as mandated by President Ruth Watkins. All program handbooks should have this or similar language readily accessible to students.
Your safety is our top priority. In an emergency, dial 911 or seek a nearby emergency phone (throughout campus). Report any crimes or suspicious people to 801-585-COPS; this number will get you to a dispatch officer at the University of Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS; dps.utah.edu). If at any time, you would like to be escorted by a security officer to or from areas on campus, DPS will help — just give a call.
The University of Utah seeks to provide a safe and healthy experience for students, employees, and others who make use of campus facilities. In support fo this goal, the University has established confidential resources and support services to assist students who may have been affected by harassment, abusive relationships, or sexual misconduct. A detailed listing of University Resources for campus safety can be found at https://registrar.utah.edu/handbook/campussafety.php
Your well-being is key to your personal safety. If you are in crisis, call 801-587-3000; help is close.
The university has additional excellent resources to promote emotional and physical wellness, including the Counseling Center (https://counselingcenter.utah.edu), the Wellness Center (https://wellness.utah.edu), and the Women’s Resource Center (https://womenscenter.utah.edu). Counselors and advocates in these centers can help guide you to other resources to address a range of issues, including substance abuse and addiction.
Family Leave and Dismissal Policies
Following the direction of President Pershing, departments are expected to produce their own policy language for graduate student family leave and dismissal. Below you will find some examples of these policies across University of Utah departments to help guide you in creating your own policies.
Parental Leave Graduate Student Policy Options
Parental Leave Policies
- Department of Chemistry Graduate Handbook, Page 4
- Physics and Astronomy Graduate Student Handbook, Page 4
- The Department of Communication Graduate Student Handbook, Page 15
- College of Health Parental Leave Policy
Dismissal Policies
- The Department of Communication Graduate Student Handbook, Page 16
- Neurobiology & Anatomy Graduate Student Handbook, Section 2, Page 2 – 3
- OS Dismissal Policy
Student Code
http://regulations.utah.edu/academics/6-400.php
University Policy 6-309 – Academic Staff, Educational Trainees, Postdoctoral Fellows and Medical House Staff (D. Orderly Dismissal)
http://regulations.utah.edu/academics/6-309.php
Family Leave Policies at Other Institutions
- https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/bret/parental-leave-policy
- https://www.rochester.edu/college/gradstudies/policies/family.html
- http://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/40607/family_accommodation_policy.pdf
- https://www.gsas.harvard.edu/family_accommodations/family-friendly-policies.php
- http://oregonstate.edu/dept/grad_school/docs/Graduate-Student-Family-and-Medical-Leave-Policy.pdf
- http://www.gradschool.psu.edu/graduate-funding/infoga/paid-leaves/
- http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/?page=FamilyFriendly
You may also want to look at the following reference materials which speak to different aspects of the issue. You can see there was a big push for this nationwide several years ago; we are definitely in the minority.
- http://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/40583/family_accommodation_report_2010.pdf
- http://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/40609/policy_for_pregnant_students_in_labs.pdf
- http://www.aas.org/cswa/Jan13/charbonneau_intro_and_grad_survey.pdf
Office of General Counsel
201 Presidents Circle
Room 309 SLC, UT 84112
801-585-7002
http://legal.utah.edu/