On this page you will find policies on the following GTF-related topics:

• Language Requirement for International GTFs
• GTFs Assisting Instructor-of-Record GTFs
• Role of GTFs in Graduate-Level Courses
• "Summer Sandwich" Tuition Waivers
• Enrollment Expectations for Summer Term GTFs
• Exceptions to the .49 FTE Limit during Summer Term
• Reasonable Accommodation for GTFs with Disabilities
• Faculty-Student Concurrent Status

Language Requirement for International & Non-Native English-Speaking GTFs

Non-native speakers of English who accept graduate teaching fellowships (GTF) for teaching-related positions must submit to a test of their English-speaking ability. The following tests are accepted. Individuals who score below the minimum scores as noted will be required to attend language support classes (at no additional charge to the student) and may be subject to limitations on the kinds of activities they may carry out as GTFs.

• Test of Spoken English (TSE)................................................................ Minimum score: 50
• Internet-based (iBT) TOEFL Speaking Score........................................... Minimum score: 26
• Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit (SPEAK)............................. Minimum score: 50

If a passing iBT TOEFL or TSE score is not submitted to the Graduate School in advance of arrival on campus, the student must take the SPEAK test administered at the University of Oregon prior to the first term of his/her GTF appointment. The cost of the SPEAK test is $35. This cost is waived for those who have GTF appointments during the academic year in which they take the test, in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Appendix D. Please note that the IELTS Speaking Band Score is not an acceptable alternative to the SPEAK Test at this time.

Fall 2009 SPEAK Test Schedule:

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• DATE: September 22, 2009. LOCATION: Yamada Language Center; TIME: Tests take 30 minutes and begin at 5 pm and 6 pm (also, 7 pm, if needed); SIGN UP: Sign up at the International Graduate Student Orientation on September 18 (10 a.m. to noon) or by visiting Pacific 107 (registration closes at 4:00 p.m. on the day of the test).

Please review the Guidelines for the Assignment of Non-native English Speaking Graduate Teaching Fellows. If you have questions about these guidelines or the Language requirement, please contact the Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Affairs, 346-2807.

IGTF Language Support Courses

There are two language support courses offered specifically for GTFs through the American English Institute (AEI), Oral Skills and English for Classroom Communication. For more information about them, please contact Trish Pashby at AEI, 346-1092.

GTFs Assisting Instructor-of-Record GTFs

Departments must notify the Graduate School when they appoint a GTF as an assistant to a GTF who has been assigned as the instructor of record for a course. This notification should take place as soon as these assignments are made.

The general principle that "conflicts of interest" are to be avoided provides the primary basis for the policy that graduate students should not be placed in positions of supervision or evaluation over other graduate students. Thus, a graduate student who is the instructor of record for a course would generally not be able to have a fellow graduate student assigned as a grader, discussion section leader, or lab assistant.

In addition to the issue of conflict of interest, it may be the case that a GTF with sufficient academic experience to warrant being the instructor of record may not have the additional skills necessary to also serve as a guide, mentor, or supervisor of a less experienced graduate student assigned as an assistant for the course.

In spite of the general restriction on having graduate students supervise fellow graduate students, there may be some circumstances under which it is appropriate for a GTF to be assisted by another GTF.

In those cases, the following guidelines should be used:

1. Maximize the experience of the instructor of record GTF in delivering the specific course.
• The instructor of record GTF should have already taught the course, or at the very least, should have served as an assistant for the course. If the course is "new" (perhaps being offered because of the graduate student's own specialized knowledge), then there should be some evidence of past success as an instructor of record for a similar or related course.
2. Maximize the "distance" between the instructor of record GTF and the assisting GTF.
• If the instructor of record GTF is an advanced doctoral student who is ABD and the assisting GTF is a 1st or 2nd year Master's student, the conflict of interest issue would be minimized. On the other hand, having both the instructor of record GTF and the assisting GTF in the same cohort (e.g., both in the 3rd year of their doctoral programs) would not be acceptable.
3. Evaluation of the assisting GTF is to be done by a regular faculty member.
• Whatever evaluation measures a department normally uses for GTFs will determine the specific steps to be taken. However, because graduate students should not be evaluated by fellow graduate students, a regular faculty member must take responsibility for evaluating the assisting GTF.
4. Additional evaluation of the supervisory role of the instructor GTF.
• This entails adding a supervisory component to the regular evaluation measures used by the department.

With regard to these last two points, it is necessary to make sure that both the instructor of record GTF and the assisting GTF have a clear understanding of who will do these evaluations and of the roles and responsibilities for each person involved in the evaluation process.

Notifying the Graduate School

As soon as assignments of this type are made, the department must submit a letter to the Associate Dean of the Graduate School which contains the following:

• The names and ID numbers of both the instructor of record GTF and the assisting GTF.
• The course to which both students have been assigned.
• The name of the faculty member who will be responsible for evaluating both GTFs.

For more information, please contact Kassy Fisher 346-2807, kmfisher@uoregon.edu

Role of GTFs in Graduate-Level Courses

It is a fundamental assumption that graduate education, which includes instruction, supervision, and evaluation, is to be delivered by regular instructional faculty at the University of Oregon. A policy statement approved by the Graduate Council (1/15/1997) articulates this principle as follows:

"Graduate courses (those numbered 500-599, 600-699, and 700-799) at the University of Oregon represent teaching and research at the highest level, and are taught by faculty of the institution. Under normal circumstances, "faculty" means individuals with regular, adjunct, and courtesy faculty appointments and others with the Ph.D. or equivalent research credential. Exceptions to this policy may be sought from the Dean of the Graduate School."

It is also a fundamental assumption that graduate students should not be involved in the evaluation of other graduate students.

However, there may be some circumstances under which a graduate student with a GTF appointment could be assigned to assist a faculty member with a graduate-level course.

This policy is designed to articulate conditions governing GTF assignments to assist with graduate-level (500, 600, or 700) courses.

GTFs may not be involved in any aspect of the evaluation of graduate students. More specifically, they are prohibited from:

• Evaluating graduate student work.
• Teaching classes to graduate students.
• Organizing and facilitating discussion sections in which other graduate students participate.
• Entering grades for graduate students.

GTFs assigned to graduate-level courses are permitted to:

• Answer questions that clarify the structure of class assignments.
• Organize assigning students to project work groups.
• Provide an initial review of email messages, forwarding any questions about the academic content of the course to the instructor. They may answer administrative questions.
• Handle and monitor paper submission and return (as long as grades are not visible).
• Be the first source of information for students about deadlines, format requirements, and any non-content issues.
• Monitor, but not participate in, Blackboard discussions in a manner that does not involve evaluating academic content of conversations.
• Monitor attendance.
• Participate in other classroom management duties that do not involve the academic content of the course or evaluations of student mastery of that content.

When a GTF has been assigned to assist a faculty member with a graduate-level course, the syllabus for the course should explicitly acknowledge that a GTF will be assisting the faculty member in charge of the course and it should also outline the specific responsibilities of the GTF. This will allow instructor, GTF, and students enrolled in the course to share a common understanding of the GTF's duties.

Finally, if at least three of the conditions listed below are met, a department can petition the Graduate School to allow a GTF to participate more fully in the delivery of a graduate-level course:

• The GTF is no longer taking any classes and is registered only for thesis or dissertation credits.
• The content of the GTF's own research or prior experience is directly related to the course content.
• The GTF already holds the degree being sought by the students in the course, or if the GTF and the students are at the same level (Master's or Doctoral), they are from a department/program other than the one in which the GTF is enrolled.
• The GTF and the students enrolled in the course will not have any other courses in common during the term of the appointment.

Enrollment Expectations for Summer Term GTFs

This information pertains to GTFs hired for summer term but not hired through Summer Session.

A graduate student may hold a GTF appointment in the summer term without being required to register for classes if he/she:

• Does not require academic credit to satisfy program or degree requirements, or
• Finds that necessary courses are not offered in the summer term.

If a summer GTF wants to register for summer courses, he/she must register for at least 3 graduate credits.

GTFs not enrolled for at least 5 credits will have their pay subject to FICA.

GTFs with F-1 or J-1 visas are exempt from FICA withholding (unless they have already passed the substantial presence test), even if they are enrolled for less than 9 credits.

If you are hiring a GTF to be paid by your department, please proceed as you would for appointments during the academic year (i.e., submit the PRF and original signed Summer Term Appointment Contract to the Graduate School or your Dean's office as required). The primary difference between summer and academic year appointments is the amount of fees that the GTF pays.

Summer Sandwich Tuition Waivers

A "Summer Sandwich" tuition waiver is available to students who will not be hired as GTFs during the summer if they meet the criteria below:

• Option A: Hold a GTF appointment at least two terms during the academic year that precedes the summer in question AND will be appointed to a GTF position for the following fall term, or
• Option B: Hold a spring term GTF appointment in the academic year that precedes the summer in question AND will be appointed to a GTF position for all three terms of the following academic year.

A GTF Request for Summer Sandwich Tuition Waiver must be completed and submitted to the Graduate School by the last day of the fall term following the summer in question.

GTFs using the Summer Sandwich:

• Will receive a tuition waiver for all classes except those with irregular fees (e.g., *self-support courses).
• Are not required to enroll for 9 credits, but must enroll for a minimum of 3 credits.

Students may obtain a retroactive tuition waiver for summer term if they receive an unanticipated fall or full-year appointment that makes them eligible for Option A or B.

*Courses coded as self-support (e.g., physical education courses, overseas programs, some online courses) will not be covered by the GTF tuition waiver or financial aid. Please be aware of this when signing up for classes. You may contact the Office of the Registrar with questions about self-support courses.

See the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Article 18, for more.

Exceptions to the .49 FTE Limit during Summer Term

During summer term, hiring units may request an exception to hire a GTF at more than the standard .49 FTE maximum.

To request an exception to the .49 FTE maximum, a memo from the department head or faculty member with whom the GTF will be working must be sent to the Graduate School at least two weeks prior to the start of the appointment. The memo should identify the student (full name and UO ID number) and the proposed total FTE for summer. It must also verify the following:

1. There are no other GTFs willing, able, or qualified to do the work associated with the additional FTE.
2. The additional FTE will not interfere with the student's progress toward the degree.
3. The exact dates and titles of the courses to be taught or a description of the research or administrative duties to be performed.
4. The number of graduate credits in which the student plans to enroll (if any).

Memos (hard copy or email) should be addressed to Associate Dean, Marian Friestad, c/o Kassy Fisher (kmfisher@uoregon.edu).

The Graduate School will review the memo and the student's academic record. For GTFs who receive approval to work more than .49 FTE, summer enrollment will be limited in proportion to the approved FTE. The limits are as follows:

FTE Range	Maximum Number of Credits
.20 - .49	16
.50 - .61	12
.62 - .74	8
.75 - .88	4
.89 - 1.0	0

Institutional Policies Memo

During the fall term, the Graduate School sends each GTF a letter of reminder on institutional policies governing his/her appointment, including:

• Required status as a student admitted to a master's or doctoral program
• Required registration and completion of 9 or more graduate credits toward the degree program during each term of the appointment (audits do not count).
• The University policy that appointment levels not normally exceed .49 FTE, counting both GTF and student employment hours.
• The OUS policy governing conflict of interest issues.

GTF Personnel Files

State law requires that GTF personnel files must be separate and distinct from academic files.

Copies of all documents pertaining to employment-related performance and evaluation of a GTF shall be kept in one file maintained in the GTF's hiring unit. See below for storage requirements. This does not preclude the keeping of additional files in other UO offices as needed for record-keeping purposes.

All evaluative or disciplinary material relating to a GTF's employment or performance as a student shall be signed by the author and dated or date-stamped when received and placed in a file. This requirement does not apply to Personnel Information Forms (PIF) and other similar material routinely placed in files for record-keeping purposes.

Written or evaluative material related to GTF employment shall not be included in materials transmitted to the Career Center unless requested by the GTF. See Article 11 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement for more information about the placement of evaluative and disciplinary information in GTF personnel files.

Records Retention

For all GTFs, except Summer Session GTFs, the Graduate School retains PRFs and appointment contracts (see http://libweb.uoregon.edu/records/schedule/166-475-0095.html#1) for five years in the Graduate School and for an additional 70 years in offsite storage by the UO Libraries. These are non-evaluative and verify job title, rank, full-time equivalency (FTE) or appointment percentage, dates of employment, salary, employing department, and level (I, II, or III).

The hiring unit is responsible for retaining the "supervisor's copy" of the personnel record for each GTF for 5 years after separation. Such files include evaluative and non-evaluative information that may include applications for admission to Graduate School, employment applications, contracts, emergency medical information, awards records, patent rights waivers; payroll forms; performance/teaching evaluations, recommendations, professional development records; reports of conferences attended; reprimands; resumes or curriculum vitae; employment eligibility verification (Form I-9); home address/telephone disclosures; and other relevant documents and correspondence, letter of resignation, notices of disciplinary action, notices of layoff, and unsolicited letters praising teaching or participation in a conference. For more complete information, see http://libweb.uoregon.edu/records/schedule/166-475-0095.html#2 or contact the Electronic Records Program.

Reasonable Accommodation for GTFs with Disabilities

If you find, in your role as a GTF, that an underlying physical or mental condition is interfering in any way with your ability to perform the duties of your position, you may qualify as an individual with a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act and be entitled to some form of reasonable accommodation. If you are interested in exploring your possible eligibility and need for accommodation, contact the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity at (541) 346-3123.

Faculty-Student Concurrent Status