Policies
Policies
All time-off requests on the tutoring schedule must go through Julie, Beth, or Hannah.
GA (graduate assistant) and faculty contracts require missed work time to be made up.
Hourly employees may or may not make up missed time, depending on the circumstances.
Permanent staff must follow the leave policy for SHRA and EHRA employees (hr.appstate.edu), which requires time-off requests from permanent staff to be approved by Beth. Using the “Time off request” calendar, EHRA and SHRA employees should create an event that specifies the time off requested and the type of leave you intend to use. Time off is not approved until Beth accepts the invitation to the event. If the time off involves time off of the tutoring schedule, Julie must also approve the time off request before it’s confirmed. Also, time off must be recorded on your monthly timesheet in Banner, which is submitted at the end of each month and approved by Beth.
Emergency time off or tardiness means that the time missed is happening within a short window- meaning 12 hours or the day of your shift.
Contact the font desk immediately via phone (828-262-3144), email (writingctr@appstate.edu), or text (828-476-8644)
If you are on a contract or need to make up the time, fill out the from after you have notified the desk.
See Julie as soon as you are able to plan for how the time can be made up.
Planned time-off
Attempt to have your shift covered by someone with the same employment classification
Fill out this Google form
If you are on a contract and need to make up the hours or if you are hourly and want to make up the hours, meet with Julie to discuss a plan to do so.
IF WE MOVE TO ONLINE WORK ONLY AT ANY POINT, PLEASE FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES:
A group chat will be created with the writing center account. Whenever you login to the writing center email for your shift, you should type in the group chat you are “online.”
At the beginning of your shift, consultants should have the following tabs open:
Rotation tracker- initial next to your name when you are ready to take appointments
TracCloud
Your personal Zoom room
Email with google chat alerts on
Everyone should plan to be close to their personal workstations, computers, and phones during scheduled work hours and be ready to respond to incoming correspondence from writing center staff or clients.
For desk staff, the biggest change will be that you will be expected to take phone calls from your laptop using Google Voice. You will also assign one consultant to be the go to quick questions consultant each hour and communicate that with them via Google Chat. If you receive a quick question from a client that needs to be answered by a consultant, you will need to make sure that question gets to them.
Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, we do not provide student records or information to any person other than the client and writing center supervisors unless the client has given written permission to do so. If a client has a question about this, please direct them to Julie or Beth.
The University Writing Center accommodates individuals with disabilities, and our staff works with the Office of Disability Resources (ODR) to ensure we are meeting the expectations of laws and policies related to working with clients with disabilities. Appalachian must adhere to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Writing center staff cannot ask a client directly if they have a disability, but clients can voluntarily disclose a disability if they choose. If a client does disclose a disability, the information is to be kept confidential, though it may be shared with writing center supervisors.
Employees in the writing center should have a reasonable expectation of personal comfort and safety. We strive to make sure that the writing center is a safe space for both clients and consultants.
If a consultant and a client meet insurmountable interpersonal differences, consultants may end the session and can request not to work with specific clients. Likewise, clients may request not to work with specific consultants.
Writing center staff do not have to tolerate abusive or inappropriate treatment from clients or other individuals in the center. Consultants may end a session early, change the dynamic of the session without explanation, or directly address the troubling behavior.
All staff should report problems with clients or fellow staff members to a writing center supervisor as soon as possible.
Panic Button: There is a panic button under the front desk. In an emergency, this button can be pressed to contact emergency services for assistance.
Fire Alarm/Building Evacuation Protocol: If the fire alarm sounds/we are told to evacuate, everyone in the writing center should evacuate the building and meet next to the Student Union in the area to the right of the entrance to the bookstore.
Fire Alarm: The closest fire alarm is beside the door to the stairwell next to the elevators.
Fire Extinguisher: There is a fire extinguisher in the writing center next to the column by the supply room.
Defibrillator: There is a defibrillator on the 1st floor of the library mounted on a column near the programming space. There is a sign above the defibrillator identifying its location.
For emergency contact information, visit the Resources page.
Any behavior out of compliance with the institution’s or the writing center’s policies could lead to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment. Warnings will be given out upon failure to complete assigned tasks, violation of policies, and/or unprofessional behavior.
The first warning will be communicated in person and documented in an email. This warning may result in additional training or mentoring.
The second warning will result in a record in your employment file and may result in a probationary period lasting the remainder of the semester.
Further receipt of warnings may result in termination of employment or lack of renewed appointment.
If the university cancels in-person classes because of weather, you should plan to work your hours remotely online.
In order for a group appointment to be scheduled, all members of the group must be present for the session.