Revised: June 2, 2006
Period of Graduate Assistantships
Unless otherwise noted in the contract letter, the term of all graduate assistantships
in the School of Music runs from mid-August through mid-May of each academic year.
Each semester of the academic year graduate assistants are expected to be available
from one week before the beginning of classes through graduation at the end of the
semester, exceptions being official student holidays such as Labor Day Holiday, Fall
Break, Thanksgiving Recess, Spring Break, and Easter Holiday (weekends contiguous
with an official student holiday are considered part of the holiday). Except for
sudden illness, all absences from assigned duties must be approved in advance by the
graduate assistant's supervisor. These policies do not in any way absolve the student
of responsibilities arising either from course requirements (e.g., out-of-town ensemble
trips during breaks) or from graduate-assistantship duties mentioned in the contract
letter.
Orientation
New graduate assistants are required to attend a brief orientation session sometime
during the week preceding the beginning of classes. In addition, those who will be
teaching and/or grading students in classrooms, laboratories, or studios when a regular
faculty member is not present must attend a two-day orientation session, and students
whose native language is not English and who have been granted a teaching assistantship
will additionally attend a two-day orientation session. Graduate assistants will
be apprised of the specific dates and times of all orientation sessions.
Supervision
Each graduate assistant will be assigned to a faculty supervisor. The nature and
amount of supervision will vary according to the assigned duties (classroom graduate
assistants, for example, will normally receive more supervision than accompanists).
Evaluation
All graduate assistants will be reviewed by the appropriate supervisor at the end
of each semester and, for those desiring to renew their graduate assistantship, around
February 15. Other reviews will be conducted when deemed necessary by the supervisor
or the Director of Graduate Studies. Each review is confidential and may be seen
only by the Director of the School of Music, the Director of Graduate Studies, and
the graduate assistant's supervisor; no review will become part of the student's permanent
file. All reviews will be part of the process for considering the continuation and/or
renewal of a graduate assistantship.
Additional Employment
According to University regulations, half-time graduate assistants (those with 15
or more hours per week of GA work) are not permitted to have additional employment,
on or off campus during the term(s) for which they are appointed. Requests for an
exception to this policy should be submitted in writing to the Music Graduate Director.
Renewal of Graduate Assistantships
Upon satisfactory performance of responsibilities, satisfactory progress towards completion
of the chosen degree, and availability of funding, graduate assistantships are usually
renewable on a year-to-year basis, as follows: master's students are eligible to
renew once (for a total of two years service) and doctoral students twice (for a total
of three years service). Normally Certificate students are not eligible for renewal
of a graduate assistantship. Students who pursue additional graduate studies are
eligible to be considered for a one-year extension of the renewal guidelines mentioned
above (e.g., a master's student who additionally earns the Certificate may serve as
many as three years, a doctoral student who has earned the Certificate or master's
degree, four years).
Questions
All questions concerning graduate assistantships should be directed to the Music Graduate
Director.