USU Policy Statements & Expectations on Graduate Student Mentorship

USU Policy Statements

• The following USU policy statements regarding faculty can be referenced directly:
  • USU faculty code does not directly address the relationship between graduate students and their faculty advisors, but there are sections in Policy 4002, notably section 4002.2.3.1, that are relevant.
• It is important to note that as of the 2023-2024 academic year, these policies apply not only to traditional courses, but to “graduate committee decisions, practicum or internship placements or evaluations, and other discipline-specific activities that impact the students’ academic record or progress,” (see the Academic Grievances section from the 2023-2024 General Catalogue, which details the grievance process if a concern arises).
• The mentoring relationship between faculty and graduate students does constitute a discipline-specific activity that impacts students’ academic progress.
• Accordingly, for any of the language below, when the word “course” is used, it can be read as any of the above activities. Because faculty enact their professional obligations in mentoring students, supervising graduate assistants, and serving on committees that determine students’ academic progress (e.g., dissertation committees), the School of Graduate Studies considers obligations to serve in these capacities as both obligations undertaken to students and obligations to the institution.