Student Misconduct

First, bring a case of academic dishonesty to the attention of your supervising faculty member. Please be sure to provide evidence of cheating to the professor. If you are the sole instructor of a course, then you need to gather evidence of academic dishonesty and contact the Office of Student Conduct. The office will guide graduate teaching assistants through the process of adjudicating violations of the Student Guide to University Policies.

The University of Delaware officially defines sexual harassment as "any unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that has the effect or purpose of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work or academic environment, or of affecting an individual's employment or academic status." Sexual harassment is not only a clear violation of University policy, it is illegal. If you experience sexual harassment or if a student approaches you with a complaint of sexual harassment, you can contact the Office of Equity & Inclusion (OEI).

The University will carry out a thorough investigation of formal complaints to protect the rights of both the person complaining and the alleged harasser. Informal complaints are also effectively handled by the OEI. 

Further information about sexual harassment is available from the Student Guide to University Policies.

At the University of Delaware, the responsibility for defining attendance expectations is left to the individual faculty member. Thus, check to see the course professor’s policy on student attendance in the syllabus. If attendance issues are left to you, then you need to make sure students are aware of the attendance policies, especially the consequences of missing class on the first day or frequently. Be sure these policies are clearly stated on your syllabus, which will be referred to in cases of disputes.

Disruptive and disrespectful students are a problem that can be addressed on the first day of class when you or the professor establish(es) explicit ground rules for behaviors. The course syllabus should clearly state expectations regarding student behaviors, talking in class, tardiness, and respectful behavior. If a disruptive situation occurs, you or the professor need(s) to address the student's behavior rather than try to ignore it. Overlooking the problem may encourage the student's misbehavior further and may frustrate other students when they see that the teacher “does not care” when a classmate's behavior interferes with their ability to learn.

You may address disruptive dynamics in a number of ways: 

• Subtly call attention to the behavior. (e.g., stand next to, or look at a student who is talking.)
• Redirect the interaction. (e.g. “Do you have something to add, John?” or “Did you have a question, John?”)
• Talk with the student in private.

Finally, you may consider that disruptive behavior may be a reflection of some other instructional issues that need to be addressed (e.g. students may start talking to each other when the material is over their heads, is repetitive, or they have difficulty following the instructor.)

The Student Guide to University Policies includes a section entitled "Disruptive Conduct."

According to the University of Delaware faculty handboook, excused absences include certain medical and emergency issues, religious holidays, military duty, and conflicting participation in University events. In these cases, students should not be penalized for being absent for an exam, lecture, lab, or other activity. The students, however, are fully responsible for all material presented during their absence, and faculty are encouraged to provide opportunities, when possible, for students to make up exams or other missed work.

Medical/Emergency Excuses – Absences due to serious personal illness (hospitalization, surgery, protracted medical illness, or convalescence), or death within the family, or other serious family emergencies are University recognized excuses. To validate these excuses, the student should present evidence to the Dean's office of his or her college, who will then contact the student's instructors. For relatively minor, short term illnesses of students or their immediate family (colds and flu, where attendance in class is not desirable), the University system depends upon reasonable communication between students and faculty.

Religious Holiday Excuses – Absences on religious holidays listed in University calendars are recognized excuses. These holidays include Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Good Friday, and Passover. Students, however, should notify an instructor in advance that they will be missing class on that holiday. Absences on religious holidays not listed in the University calendar should be recognized as an excused absence if the student informs the instructor of this in writing during the first two weeks of the semester. If this event could not have been anticipated earlier in the semester, it could be excused if given advance notification by a faculty adviser.

Student Events – Absences due to athletic participation or other extracurricular activities in which students are official representatives of the University is recognized as an excused absence when the student informs the instructor in writing during the first two weeks of class of these future absences. If an absence could not be anticipated that early in the semester, an advance notification by a faculty advisor or athletic coach would grant an excused absence.

Military Service – Absences due to short term military duty in the National Guard or active reserve is recognize as an excused absence. Students would need to provide evidence to the Dean of their college, who would then provide a letter of verification to all the student's instructors.

The University of Delaware officially states in the faculty handbook that “all faculty should avoid real or apparent conflict of interest, coercion, favoritism, or bias by not serving in evaluative roles involving someone who is an immediate family member or anyone with whom they have a consensual amorous relationship. This policy includes all full-and part-time faculty or other personnel who teach and supervise research, including graduate students and administrators with faculty status.”

Graduate TAs are strongly discouraged from dating undergraduate students who attend their courses, especially since it would be a violation of the aforementioned policy. As for dating undergraduate students that are not in your course, they may potentially become one of your future students and, therefore, dating undergraduate students is strongly discouraged in general.