Refund of Tuition & Fees
To receive a refund students must submit written notification of withdrawal; the date that written notification is received determines charges and refunds. Students receiving financial aid are subject to additional refund policies. The enrollment fee is nonrefundable. Students who withdraw or are dismissed before, during, or after a residency period will be charged for the full cost of residency housing and travel.
Tuition will be refunded according to the following schedule:
100% refund if withdrawal occurs prior to the start of the semester
90% refund if the withdrawal occurs during the first and second week of the semester
50% refund if the withdrawal occurs during the third and fourth week of the semester
25% refund if the withdrawal occurs during the fifth through the eighth week of the semester
No refund for withdrawal after the eighth week of the semester
Evaluation of Student Performance
a. The procedure for evaluating and grading student performance is as follows: Instructors teaching courses will grade individual projects such as seminar presentations, papers, written exams, and oral exams on an A, B, or Unsatisfactory basis and will average those grades to calculate a final grade based on relative weights as stated in the syllabi.
4.0 |
A |
Excellent |
3.75 |
A- |
Above Average |
3.5 |
B+ |
Average |
3.0 |
B |
Satisfactory |
0 |
U |
Unsatisfactory |
|
I |
Incomplete |
|
W |
Withdrawn |
Class participation also may be factored into the final grade, to an extent not to exceed 20 percent. A grade of B is considered the minimum requirement for satisfactory performance at the PhD level, where excellence is presumed the standard measure of academic performance. Withdrawals (W) receive no credit and will not be calculated into the grade point average and are granted at the discretion of the instructor. Incompletes (I) are granted at the discretion of the instructor and must be completed within one year of the course closing date. Application for extension of an Incomplete beyond one year must be submited to the course instructor and the director of the school. Grade changes must be recommended by the course instructor and approved by the president or the director of the school.
b. Instructors directing independent studies shall follow the same grading procedure as those conducting seminars as stated above.
c. A 'B' average is the minimum performance considered satisfactory for continued enrollment. Course grades will be determined by the individual instructor. In cases where there is a dispute between the instructor and the student with regard to minimum satisfactory performance, a review committee will be formed by the president or the director of the school to adjudicate the issue. The committee will convey its findings and recommend recourse to the president, who will make final determination. In cases where the president or the director of the school is involved, he or she will be recused from due process and an appropriate member of the faculty will be appointed to form the review committee.
d. Qualifying exams are administered at the end of the third year (in July) by committee in residency at Brown University. The qualifying exams are evaluated as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.
e. Dissertations are evaluated by the Dissertation Committee plus one independent outside examiner. Dissertations are evaluated as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.
f. Defense of the dissertation is evaluated by the Dissertation Committee in residency at Brown University (in July). Defense of the dissertation is evaluated as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.
g. The criteria for academic probation and conditions for dismissal for unsatisfactory performance are determined by the president or the director of the school vis-à-vis individual course requirements. Failure to satisfactorily fulfill any course requirement will show cause for academic probation. Failure to redress cause of probation will constitute condition for dismissal.
h. Through the president and/or the director of the school, the Institute grants permission to proceed at the end of the second year. Permission to proceed is determined by faculty evaluation of academic performance, including faculty evaluation of written and oral qualifying exams. Failure to receive permission to proceed will constitute dismissal.
i. Conduct that is determined by the president or the director of the school to obstruct the educational mission of the Institute constitutes grounds for dismissal. If a student wishes to appeal dismissal, the president shall appoint a Grievance Committee, composed of not less than two faculty and not less than one student, to consider appeal, and make recommendation to the president. The president shall make a final determination of appeal.
Academic Honesty
What is Plagiarism?
(Adapted from a Yale University document: “What Is Plagiarism?”)1
Plagiarism is usually defined as a discrete offense, a specific failure to give credit to a particular source. But it actually raises a much more fundamental question for writers: “Where is my voice in this project?” Seen in this light, the strategies that help you avoid plagiarism can also be strategies that help you gain power as a writer. Once your guiding question about your relationship to sources is “Where is my voice?” you are well on your way to using sources in an effective and legitimate way.
Plagiarism is the use of another’s work, words, or ideas without attribution. The word “plagiarism” comes from the Latin word for “kidnapper”and is considered a form of theft, a breach of honesty in the academic community. Plagiarizers suffer serious consequences at IDSVA —including suspension or expulsion from school. (See IDSVA’s Academic Integrity Mandate for more information (forthcoming).)
But beyond the risk of penalties, there are urgent moral and intellectual reasons to avoid plagiarism. When you write for an academic audience, you’re joining an ongoing conversation. When you plagiarize, you join that conversation on false grounds, representing yourself as someone you are not. What is more, the act of stealing another’s words or ideas erases your voice. It may be difficult to think of yourself as making an original contribution in the context of a class taught by an expert. But every assignment is an invitation to add something new to the conversation sparked by the course. You cannot make an original contribution if you are not the owner of the words and ideas that you present.
Plagiarism takes many forms, but it falls into three main categories:using a source’s language without quoting, using information from a source without attribution, and paraphrasing a source in a form that stays too close to the original.
You must always make clear in your written work where you have borrowed from others—whether opinions, questions, ideas, or specific language. This obligation holds whether the sources are published or unpublished and whether they are in print or on the Internet. When in doubt, be sure to check with your instructor about how to acknowledge sources in your papers.
Cheating, Plagiarism, and Documentation
(Adapted from a Yale University document: “Undergraduate Regulations: Cheating, Plagiarism,and Documentation.”)2
The Faculty and Administration of the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts have approved the following statement.
By coming to IDSVA, you have implicitly asked the Institute to help you develop a broadly based, highly disciplined intelligence; you’ve asked not just to learn material, but also to be guided toward a deep and supple understanding of the subjects you study. Course readings, lectures, and discussions are all crucial elements of this learning. Less obvious, perhaps, is what your own writing contributes to this process. It may sometimes seem that papers are meant primarily to measure how much you’ve learned. But when you complete written course work, you are not merely demonstrating what you’ve learned, you are doing the very work of synthesis and reflection that constitutes advanced learning. Every writer has had the experience of making discoveries while writing an essay. To have this discovery is to
make knowledge, and making knowledge is what joins you to the project of IDSVA.
Students who cheat forfeit the opportunity to make such discoveries. Certainly there are other reasons not to cheat. If you borrow unacknowledged ideas or language from others, you are stealing their work, which denies them their due credit and also impedes the free exchange of ideas. IDSVA regards cheating as a serious offense. But the much more grievous wrong is to the cheating student. Your writing is one of the most powerful sites of learning; students who turn in someone else’s work, therefore, are giving away the very substance of their educations.
Graduate-level course work frequently ask students to build on previous scholarship, or to collaborate with other students. The following definitions may help clarify the proper procedures for conducting and documenting these collaborations.
A. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s work, words, or ideas as if they were your own. If you use a source for a paper, you must acknowledge it. Initially, many students fear that acknowledging sources obscures their own original contribution to a paper. But the very idea of writing at the graduate level is to trace your participation in a conversation of scholars. Showing how your ideas derive from and comment on the ideas of others is one of the high achievements of mature academic writing. It would be a mistake to downplay this achievement in an attempt to suggest greater originality. What we really want to see is an intellectual interdependence between student writers and their sources.
What counts as a source varies greatly depending on the assignment, but the list certainly includes readings, lectures, Web sites, conversations, interviews, and other students’ papers. IDSVA’s preferred conventions for acknowledging sources is the Chicago Manual of Style, Humanities Style (see:http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html).
But even if you’re confused about the specific punctuation and formatting, you must make clear in your written work where you have borrowed from others—whether opinions, questions, ideas, or specific language. This obligation holds whether the sources are published or unpublished. Submission of an entire paper prepared by someone else is an especially egregious form of plagiarism, and is grounds for the imposition of a particularly serious penalty, up to and including expulsion from the program.
B. Multiple submission
You may not submit the same paper, or substantially the same paper, in more than one course. If your topics for two courses coincide, you must have written permission from both instructors before either combining your work on two papers or revising an earlier paper for submission to a new course.
C. A last note
Finally, it should be reiterated that the prohibition of cheating and plagiarism is not meant to restrict free discussion and exchange of ideas among students or studying the work of other scholars. Such activities are the very essence of education. Nor are the rules of citation meant to engender a dependent mentality. On the contrary, engaging as an equal with great thinkers is the best evidence of independence.
Procedures for the Evaluation of Programs
a. At the conclusion of every course, including independent studies, each student will write a course evaluation. After semester grades have been submitted to the registrar, instructors will be required to read course evaluations.
b. A Curriculum Committee composed of three to five individuals will be appointed by the president of the Institute. Committee members are drawn from Core Faculty, Continuing Part-Time Faculty, Visiting Faculty, and faculty of independent studies. Committee appointments rotate every two years. The purpose of the committee is to review course evaluations and make recommendations for course improvement and modification when necessary. Committee recommendations will be submitted to the president or the dean. In cases where substantial change is recommended, the president will ask the committee to work with the instructor to formulate a more effective course design.
c. The Curriculum Committee also is charged with periodic evaluation of the general curriculum, and its recommendations will be submitted to the president and the dean. When recommendations are made for substantial change to the general curriculum, the president will form a committee to consider such changes and said committee's recommendations will be acted upon by the president and the dean and presented to the full faculty for a vote.
d. The Curriculum Committee will also review course proposals and make recommendations when proposed courses are inconsistent with the academic purposes and standards of the curriculum.
Library and Learning Resources
Collection Area: the Visual Arts, focusing on Aesthetics, Philosophy and Theory
General Purpose & History
The general purpose of the library collection is to support the curriculum and research requirements of the students and faculty of IDSVA. The library upholds the Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services, as approved and published by the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL).
The mission of the IDSVA Digital Library is to provide online access to the resources and literature pertinent to doctoral studies in the visual arts. As an entirely digital collection, without a physical library presence, emphasis is placed on providing full text access to journals, books, online indexes, and consortial library catalogs. Library resources are made accessible online to all members of the Institute.
General Subject Boundaries
LANGUAGES
No language is excluded, although English is the primary language of the collection.
GEOGRAPHIC AREAS
Works are collected in all geographic areas, as they relate to the curriculum and research needs of the students and faculty.
FORMAT OF MATERIALS
Online electronic resources are the focus of the collection, especially full text journals, online indexes and reference sources, and consortial library catalogs such as Worldcat and Redlightgreen. The library subscribes to a variety of online resources on an annual basis, and may license access to additional electronic sources as determined by the development of the curriculum. Online access provides the most current and up to date access to information, and can be accessed at anytime by all members of the Institute, via the library site on the Unified Digital Campus. Other materials and media will be added at the discretion of the librarian, in consultation with the administration and faculty.
Electronic Document Delivery is made available to students and faculty. Library resources are a prominent part of the online virtual campus site, and can be integrated into assignments and courseware employed by faculty. Research guides for the library are available online and the librarian may be consulted by email, and requests for materials and research assistance may be submitted online.
A professional librarian will administer library policies, oversee collection development, and provide reference assistance online. Additional staff will assist with document delivery and other services, as needed.
Students are encouraged to utilize their local libraries, especially any academic research libraries. If needed, the librarian will contact the local libraries, as a means of introducing the student. The institute may provide an allocation of funding for each student to utilize for research library membership fees and interlibrary loan services, as needed.
Degree Requirements
The Institution awards degrees only upon successful completion of its courses and programs of study. Degree requirements to be met are specified in writing.
They include:
a. Successful completion of all courses at the grade level of B or better, totaling three years and sixty credits of course work.
b. Successful completion of the oral and written examinations. Qualifying exams are administered by committee in residency at Brown University at the end of the third year.
c. Successful completion of the dissertation and defense thereof. Dissertation evaluation includes committee evaluation plus the written evaluation of an outside examiner.
In addition to the dissertation, the Institution's requirement for degree completion includes the following minimum semester hours: 60 semester hours beyond the baccalaureate and master's degree.
Semester hours for the curriculum are calculated as follows:
YEAR ONE
701 - Seminar I: The Twentieth Century: Art in Theory
Summer Residency: 30 contact hours per week x 3 weeks = 90 contact hours.
In addition to contact hours, 701 requires a minimum of 120 preparation hours. 5 Credits
702.1 - Seminar II, Part 1: Kant, Hegel, Marx, and Freud
Online: 3 contact hours per week (telephone/email with instructor, participation in online Open Class Forum and study group collaboration) x 6 weeks = 18 contact hours. Online Symposium 2 hours. Total: 20 Contact hours.
In addition to contact hours, 702.1 requires a minimum of 40 preparation hours. 2 credits.
702.2 - Seminar II, Part 2: Art in Theory Revisited
Online: 3 contact hours per week (telephone/email with instructor, participation in online Open Class Forum and study group collaboration) x 13 weeks = 39 hours. Online Symposium 1 hour. Total: 40 Contact hours.
In addition to contact hours, 702.2 requires a minimum of 80 preparation hours. 3 credits.
703 - Seminar III: The Subject and Object of Art
NYC Residency: 2.5 contact hours per day x 6 days = 15 contact hours. 1 credit.
Online: 3 contact hours per week (telephone/email with instructor, participation in online Open Class Forum and study group collaboration) x 15 weeks = 45 contact hours. In addition to contact hours, 703 requires a minimum of 120 preparation hours. 4 credits.
704 - Independent Study I
NYC Residency: 5 contact hours per day x 6 days = 30 contact hours. 2.5 credits.
Online: 1 contact hour per week by telephone/email with instructor x 15 weeks = 15 x 2* = 30 contact hours.
In addition to contact hours, 704 requires a minimum of 120 preparation hours. 2.5 credits.
* All contact hours in the online portion of Independent Study I are on an individual basis with the instructor and are therefore multiplied by a factor of two.
YEAR TWO
801.1 - Seminar IV, Part 1: Aesthetics and Materiality
Summer Residency: 11 contact hours per week x 2 weeks = 22 contact hours.
In addition to contact hours, 801.1 requires a minimum of 44 preparation hours. 1 credit.
801.2 - Seminar IV, Part 2: Aesthetics After Modernism
Online: 3 contact hours per week (telephone/email with instructor, participation in online Open Class Forum and study group collaboration) x 6 weeks = 18 contact hours. In addition to contact hours, 801.2 requires a minimum of 36 preparation hours.1 credit.
801.3 - Seminar IV, Part 3: Form, Being, Ideology: Where Are We Now?
Online: 3 contact hours per week (telephone/email with instructor, participation in online Open Class Forum and study group collaboration) x 13 weeks = 39 contact hours. In addition to contact hours, 801.3 requires a minimum of 78 preparation hours. 3 credits.
802 - Independent Study II
Summer Residency: 17 contact hours per week x 2 weeks = 34 contact hours. 2.5 credits.
Online: 1 contact hour per week by telephone/email with instructor x 13 weeks = 13 x 2* = 26 contact hours. In addition to contact hours, 802 requires a minimum of 120 preparation hours. 2.5 credits.
* All contact hours in the Indepenent Study Part 2 are on an individual basis with the instructor and are therefore multiplied by a factor of two.
803 - Seminar V: Toward an Ethico-Aesthetics
NYC Residency: 2.5 contact hours per day x 6 days = 15 contact hours. 1 credit.
Online: 3 contact hours per week (telephone/email with instructor, participation in online Open Class Forum and study group collaboration) x 15 weeks = 45 contact hours. In addition to contact hours, 803 requires a minimum of 120 preparation hours. 4 credits.
804 - Independent Study III
NYC Residency: 5 contact hours per day x 6 days = 30 contact hours. 2.5 credits.
Online: 1 contact hour per week by telephone/email with instructor x 15 weeks = 15 x 2* = 30 contact hours. In addition to contact hours, 804 requires a minimum of 120 preparation hours. 2.5 credits.
* All contact hours in the Indepenent Study Part 2 are on an individual basis with the instructor and are therefore multiplied by a factor of two.
YEAR THREE
901.1 - Directed Reading I, Part 1: Word & Image Readings
Online: 2 contact hours per week (telephone/email with instructor and participation in online Open Class Forum) x 6 weeks = 12 contact hours. In addition to contact hours, 901.1 requires a minimum of 24 preparation hours. 1 credit.
901.2 - Directed Reading I, Part 2: Word & Image Seminar
Brown Residency: 10 contact hours per week x 2 weeks = 20 contact hours. In addition to contact hours, 901.2 requires a minimum of 40 preparation hours. 1 credit.
901.3 - Directed Reading I, Part 3: Foundational Texts: Plato to Kristeva
Online: 3 contact hours per week (telephone/email with instructor, participation in online Open Class Forum and study group collaboration) x 13 weeks = 39 contact hours. In addition to contact hours, 901.3 requires a minimum of 78 preparation hours. 3 credits.
902.1 - Seminar VI, Part 1: Pre-Dissertation Orientation
Dissertation Residency at Brown University: 12 contact hours per week x 2 weeks = 24 contact hours. In addition to contact hours, 902.1 requires a minimum of 48 preparation hours. 2 credits.
902.2 - Seminar VI, Part 2: Launching the Dissertation: Topic, Outline, Bibliography
Online: 3 contact hours per week (telephone/email with instructor and participation in online Open Class Forum) x 13 weeks = 39 contact hours. In addition to contact hours, 902.2 requires a minimum of 78 preparation hours. 3 credits.
903 - Directed Reading II: Contemporary Readings: Cage to Bourriaud
Online: 3 contact hours per week (telephone/email with instructor, participation in online Open Class Forum and study group collaboration) x 20 weeks = 60 contact hours. In addition to contact hours, 903 requires a minimum of 120 preparation hours. 5 credits.
904 - Seminar VII: Dissertation: Work Planning, Sustainable Research, First Chapters
Online: 3 contact hours per week (telephone/email with instructor and participation in online Open Class Forum) x 20 weeks = 60 contact hours. In addition to contact hours, 904 requires a minimum of 120 preparation hours. 5 credits.
Total Credits: 60
One Credit hour is defined as 12 contact hours and 24 individual hours in outside preparation.
Faculty Governance
As necessary and appropriate, search committees are formed to evaluate candidates for faculty posts. Core Faculty and Continuing Part-Time Faculty are recommended to the president by committees formed for that purpose. Visiting Faculty are appointed by the president. Dissertation Directors are appointed according to fields of expertise and selected from the Core Faculty, Visiting Faculty, and from faculty worldwide. The chair of the Dissertation Committee oversees selection of dissertation directors and committee members.
The faculty participates in the governance of the institution and the academic programs as well as in short-term institutional planning activities. The faculty serves these functions through its participation in the faculty senate, which will meet on a regularly scheduled basis via Unified Digital Campus and through its participation on academic committees. All Core Faculty and Continuing Part-Time Faculty are invited to participate as members of the faculty senate. Core Faculty and Continuing Part-Time Faculty members with more than one year of service are required to accept appointments to committees.
ACADEMIC COMMITTEES
Core Faculty serve on the following academic committees: Dissertation, Curriculum, Personnel, Admissions, and Scholarship. Academic committee meetings are held once a semester. Meetings are conducted in residencies and via the IDSVA Unified Digital Campus.
THE DISSERTATION COMMITTEE reviews and votes on dissertation proposals, appoints dissertation directors and committee members, determines dissertation formatting, and otherwise oversees the dissertation process. Starts AY 2011/12
THE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE reviews course syllabi, reads course evaluations, interviews faculty, and recommends course modifications and improvements. The Curriculum Committee also reviews course proposals, develops new courses, and otherwise explores and develops opportunities to strengthen course offerings and the overall curriculum. Starts AY 2009/10.
THE PERSONNEL COMMITTEE Evaluates Core Faculty every third year. Faculty evaluations include faculty self-assessments, student course evaluations, and observations from fellow faculty. In matters of rank Change, the Personnel Committee will comprise outside faculty. Starts AY 2011/12.
THE ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE reviews applications and makes admissions recommendations to the president. Starts AY 2009/10.
THE SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE is composed of faculty, administration, and a member of the Board of Trustees. The Scholarship Committee reviews admissions applications, consults with the Admissions Committee, and makes scholarship and grants recommendations to the president. Starts AY 2011/12.
Advising
Core Faculty members serve as advisors. Each student works with the same advisor throughout their program of study. Students consult with their advisor during residencies at the beginning of each semester and on an as-need basis. The faculty meets in committee twice annually to review each student's progress and makes recommendations to the advisor where appropriate.
Drug & Alcohol Policy
IDSVA is sensitive to rising national concerns regarding undergraduate and graduate school drinking trends, which in the past several years have become an epidemic disaster, resulting in serious health problems, accidental deaths, suicides, and the failed hopes and dreams of many who otherwise would have succeeded in their academic and professional aspirations.
Accordingly we institute the following Drug and Alcohol Policy: Alcohol abuse during IDSVA intensive residencies is cause for probation or dismissal, insofar as such abuse endangers the well-being of the abuser, puts at risk the health and safety of the rest of the IDSVA community, and diminishes the over-all quality of the educational experience of the IDSVA intensive residencies.
Use of un-prescribed drugs during intensive residencies is likewise cause for probationary status or dismissal.
A committee of three will review all such complaints and recommend action to the president, who will make final determination on such recommendations. The committee will comprise a student, a faculty member, and an administrator.
Harassment & Sexual Harassment Policy
Preamble
The major goal of this policy is to prevent harassment within the IDSVA community. IDSVA believes that harassment is repugnant and inimical to our most basic values.
IDSVA is committed to maintaining an environment that recognizes the inherent worth and dignity of every person, fosters tolerance, sensitivity, understanding, and mutual respect, and encourages its members to strive to reach their potential. The most effective way to work toward preventing harassment is through education that emphasizes respect for every individual.
It is essential that IDSVA demonstrate its intellectual and ethical leadership by reaffirming its strong position against harassment in all forms. All members of the IDSVA community must be able to pursue their goals, educational needs, and working lives without intimidation or injury generated by intolerance and harassment. Freedom of thought and expression are the lifeblood of our academic community, and require an atmosphere of mutual respect among diverse persons, groups, and ideas. The maintenance of mutually respectful behavior is a precondition for the vigorous exchange of ideas, and it is the policy of IDSVA to promote such behavior in all forms of expression and conduct.
IDSVA reaffirms its commitment to freedom of speech as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Accordingly, any form of speech or conduct that is protected by the First Amendment is not subject to this policy. IDSVA reaffirms its commitment to academic freedom, which is essential to its educational mission and is critical to diversity and intellectual life.
This policy addresses harassment in all forms, covering those with legally protected status for reasons of race, gender, religion, color, age, national origin, ancestry, or disability, as well as those who are harassed for other reasons, such as sexual orientation.
Policy
It is the policy of IDSVA to maintain the campus as a place of work and study for faculty, staff, and students, free from all forms of harassment. In providing an educational and work climate that is positive and harassment-free, faculty, staff, and students should be aware that harassment in the workplace or the educational environment is unacceptable conduct and will not be tolerated.
Scope
This policy applies to all faculty, staff, and students with respect to activities occurring during IDSVA residencies, communications within the IDSVA virtual campus, and IDSVA-related activities, such as gallery and museum visits, biennale activities, travel, and the like. This policy also applies to the activities of recognized student organizations. IDSVA will not tolerate harassment of its faculty, staff, or students, by persons conducting business with or visiting IDSVA, even though such persons are not directly affiliated with IDSVA.
Definitions
HARASSMENT is conduct towards another person or identifiable group of persons that has the purpose or effect of:
-creating an intimidating or hostile educational environment, work environment, or environment for participation in an IDSVA activity;
-unreasonably interfering with a personís educational environment, work environment, or environment for participation in an IDSVA activity;or
-unreasonably affecting a personís educational or work opportunities or participation in an IDSVA activity.
RACIAL HARASSMENT is conduct that demonstrates hostility toward another person (or identifiable group of persons) on the basis of race, color, national origin, or ancestry, and that has the purpose or effect of:
-creating an intimidating or hostile educational environment, work environment, or environment for participation in an IDSVA activity;
-unreasonably interfering with a personís educational environment, work environment, or environment for participation in an IDSVA activity; or
-unreasonably affecting a personís educational or work opportunities or participation in an IDSVA activity.
IDSVA is strongly committed to providing a safe and harassment-free environment for members of those groups that historically have been, and still are likely to be, at greatest risk of harassment for reasons of prejudice.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT is any unwelcome sexual advance; requesting of sexual favors; or other written, verbal, or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:
-submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individualís employment, education, or participation in an IDSVA activity;
-submission to, or rejection of, such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for, or a factor in, decisions affecting that individual's employment, education, or participation in an IDSVA activity; or
-such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's employment or academic performance or creating an intimidating, offensive, or hostile environment for that individualís employment, education, or participation in an IDSVA activity.
Amorous relationships that occur in the context of educational or employment supervision and evaluation present serious concerns about the validity of consent. The disparity of power between persons involved in amorous relationships of a teacher and student, supervisor and subordinate, or senior and junior colleagues in the same department or unit makes them susceptible to exploitation. Those who abuse their power in such a context violate their duty to the IDSVA community.
Relationships between faculty and students are particularly susceptible to exploitation. The respect and trust accorded a member of the faculty by a student, as well as the power exercised by faculty in giving grades or recommendations for future study and employment, make voluntary consent by the student suspect.
Anyone who engages in a sexual relationship with a person over whom he or she has any power or authority within the IDSVA structure must understand that the validity of the consent can and may be questioned. In the event of a charge of sexual harassment, IDSVA will give very critical scrutiny to any defense based upon consent when the facts establish that a power differential existed within the relationship.
Determination of Harassment
To determine whether a particular act or course of conduct constitutes harassment under this policy, the alleged behavior will be evaluated by considering the totality of the particular circumstances, including the nature, frequency, intensity, location, context, and duration of the questioned behavior. Although repeated incidents generally create a stronger claim of harassment, a serious incident, even if isolated, can be sufficient.
IDSVA reserves the right to investigate circumstances that may involve harassment in situations where no complaint, formal or informal, has been filed. In appropriate circumstances, sanctions in accordance with this policy will be implemented.
Retaliation Prohibited
This policy seeks to encourage faculty, staff, and students to report and address incidents of harassment. Retaliation against faculty members, staff members, or students for reporting or complaining of harassment or enforcing this policy is strictly prohibited. Overt or covert acts of reprisal, interference, restraint, penalty, discrimination, intimidation, or harassment against an individual or group for exercising rights under this policy will be subject to appropriate and prompt disciplinary or remedial action.
Sanctions
An individual or group of individuals found to have violated this policy will be subject to disciplinary or remedial action, up to and including termination of employment or expulsion from IDSVA.
The sanctions for conduct that constitutes harassment as defined by this policy are subject to enhancement when such conduct is motivated by bias based on a personís legally protected status as defined by federal and state law: e.g., race, gender, religion, color, age, national origin, ancestry, or disability. This enhancement of sanction is applicable to IDSVA faculty, staff, students, and recognized student organizations.
Financial Liability
Faculty and staff who are determined to have violated this policy may be held personally liable for any damages, settlement costs, or expenses, including attorney fees incurred by IDSVA.
False Charges
This policy shall not be used to bring knowingly false or malicious charges against any faculty, staff, students, or recognized student organizations. Disciplinary action will be taken against any person or group found to have brought a charge of harassment in bad faith, or any person who, in bad faith, is found to have encouraged another person or group to bring such a charge.
Responsible Institutional Officers
The President of IDSVA, in consultation with IDSVA officers and legal counsel, shall have overall responsibility for oversight and coordination of enforcement of policies and procedures dealing with harassment for the virtual campus, all residency sites, and operations within the IDSVA system. The IDSVA president, vice president, and director are responsible for maintaining an educational and employment environment free of harassment.
Administrators or supervisors who have knowledge of conduct involving harassment or who receive a complaint of harassment that involves IDSVA faculty, staff, or students under their administrative jurisdiction, shall take immediate steps to deal with the matter according to IDSVA policy and procedures.
Persons who believe they have experienced or witnessed harassment are encouraged to report it through established procedures. Administrators and program directors shall make known to all of their members those individuals and offices designated as resources for people seeking assistance with harassment.
Anti-Discrimination Policy
IDSVA is committed to the promotion of personal and professional development of all individuals in its community, and encourages dialogue that will foster the growth, well-being, and dignity of all its members.
In pursuit of these goals, the school is dedicated to maintaining an environment which places the highest priority on collegial relationships, mutual respect, and sensitivity among its students, faculty, and staff. An educational community functions best when there is civility and respect for the dignity and worth of each individual.
It must be ensured that our school is free from discrimination and acts of intolerance such as those based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, or physical handicap. This commitment remains consonant with the obligation to protect open and wide-ranging public discourse.
The principle of freedom of expression that might otherwise protect even the most offensive public speech does not protect, nor does it even encompass, a right to threaten the dignity and privacy of an individual. Such personally directed behavior will not be tolerated; it is antithetical to academic values, debilitates its victims, compromises the offenders, and undermines IDSVA's fundamental commitment to individual freedom and respect for all its members. Furthermore acts of intolerance may destroy the very atmosphere wherein freedom of expression is otherwise tolerated and cherished.
IDSVA Anti-Discrimination and Affirmative Action Policies
IDSVA is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and affirmatively seeks to attract to its faculty, staff and student body qualified persons of diverse backgrounds. In accordance with this policy and as delineated by federal and Maine law, IDSVA does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual's sex, race, color, religion, age, handicap or national or ethnic origin; nor does IDSVA discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.
IDSVA policy is committed to affirmative action under law in employment of women, minority group members, handicapped individuals, special disabled veterans, and veterans of the Vietnam era.
Corporate Documents
Copies of tax returns, Form 990, are available on request by emailing: info@idsva.org
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